Saturday, May 31, 2014

Fabien Cousteau

Oh what a game last night! With ten minutes left the Blackhawks were down by a goal with the Kings playing tough. Yet they tied it up and scored the go ahead goal late in the game. The series finale is sunday night and the winner moves on to the Stanley Cup Finals to face the New York Rangers.

Another nice day in Milwaukee although it's a bit chilly in the shade. I woke up early to go grocery shopping then finished cutting the rest of the wood. Now, I just need a chiminea or fire pit. Krissy's sister Jen is over this afternoon. She made some awesome Pina Colada's. It's getting close to grilling time. It's a meat lovers dream as I picked up some pork chops, chicken and two different kinds of sausages.

My Cubs are in town to play the Brewers this weekend. They received a pretty good clocking last night but they are up 7-0 in this afternoon's matinee game.

Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau is attempting to break his grandfather's record for the longest stay underwater. Starting sunday, Fabien will dive 60 feet to live in an underwater laboratory called Aquarius. It's the last undersea laboratory in operation. It's located in the Florida Keys not far from Key Largo. He will be studying the coral reefs and fish behavior. See you in July Fabien!

Later

Friday, May 30, 2014

It's Sandal Time

What a beautiful day! A week or so ago I mentioned that we still needed some more leaves on the trees. I received my wish. Our backyard is officially the rainforest. We can barely see our back neighbor's house.

Game time is 8pm CST tonight for the Chicago Blackhawks. If they play ultra aggressive again they should be coming back to Chicago for the series finale. I think we'll try and catch it at Jacks Pub on Brady Street.

Krissy and I spent last night cleaning out the mud room. Beat out the rugs and mopped the floor. Then, box up everything that resembles a winter shoe or boot and replace them with flip flops and sandals. Midwest living is definitely more work but maybe that's why we enjoy and appreciate summer so much.

Katharine the great white shark now has 8000 followers on Twitter. I'm sure the folks at Twitter really appreciate that considering sharks can't really type let alone tweet. Her name is actually spelled K-a-t-h-a-r-i-n-e. Apparently, her mother was a bit unconventional or just wanted to mess with all the bloggers in the world. Congrats, it worked!

Warren Beatty is making his first movie in quite a long time. It's an untitled biographical picture about Howard Hughes. Martin Sheen has also joined the cast. I'm sure it will be a while before it's released but I can't wait to see it.

Ok, gotta run now to grab a good seat for the game. Such a tough decision now. What sandals does one wear to watch a hockey game?

Later

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Irish Eyes Are Watching

A big welcome to Ireland as they become the 19th country to visit the blog. Thank you so much! Erin Go Brah!

A sunny 70 degree day and I'm enjoying every minute of it. It could have snowed today and I'd be okay with it because the Blackhawks won last night! Coco and I watched one of the most exciting double overtime hockey games ever. It ended at 11pm so Coco was a bit of a laggard this morning. It's playoff time so you just have to deal with it because there's no guarantees. What a great night!

One more week until Jazz in the Park starts. It's a wonderful music event at Cathedral Square that about 8000 people attend every thursday. It lasts the entire summer. Traditionally the first performance is a bit chilly but we always go anyway.

Steve Ballmer retired from Microsoft a mere 4 months ago. Apparently, with so much free time on his hands he needed a hobby. So, he made a 1.8 billion dollar bid to buy the Los Angeles Clippers. When your net worth is 20 billion dollars this probably seems like an affordable dabble into retirement.

Santana has a new album coming out. It's with his original band which broke up in 1972, including Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie who went on to form Journey. The album will be called Santana 4 which makes sense since they stopped at Santana 3. I saw Santana at Summerfest a few years ago and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. He is currently touring with Rod Stewart.

Krissy is on her way home and we're trying to figure out a deck staining schedule. The weather forecast has some rain forecast for sunday. I need to spray wash the deck first, get it dry, then apply 2 coats in one day. Then it needs to dry for 24 hours. So, now I'm looking at radar and 5 day forecasts!

Later

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Shark Attacks In New Jersey

It's been a rather chilly day with June just around the corner. I picked up Coco today from school and he was singing the whole walk home. I guess when you're so close to the end of the school year everything is great.

It's do or die tonight for the Blackhawks. I'm betting on a Chicago victory.

Legendary poet Maya Angelou passed away today. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010.

Clint Eastwood has a new movie coming out in June. He's turned the Broadway play 'Jersey Boys' into a movie. This is an interesting choice and I'm going to make some time to see it as the previews looked very good. Hopefully, it will be playing at the Oriental Theatre.

Speaking of Jersey, Coco and I watched a fascinating special last night about the summer of 1916 shark attacks off the New Jersey coast. It inspired the book 'Jaws' by Peter Benchley and the movie directed by a young Steven Spielberg. Take out the Hollywood special effects and the movie mirrors real life events.

During a 12 day period in July of 1916, 5 people were attacked by sharks with only 1 person surviving. It was at the height of tourist season and the national media was all over the story. President Woodrow Wilson even put out a bounty on sharks. $100 was a lot of cabbage in those days. This led to a Barnum and Bailey lion tamer named Michael Schleisser to catch a 7 1/2 foot great white shark. The shark indeed had recent human remains in it's belly and no further attacks were noted.

Maybe Lake Michigan in the summer isn't so bad after all.

Later

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Kangaroo Danger Alert In Canberra

It's been an overcast day for the most part. It looks like rain but the sky really only opened up once for about 10 minutes. It's been great for the brand new ground cover in the front yard.

I was up for maybe 30 minutes this morning when I saw a motorcycle flying down our street. It was a crotch rocket type and he barely negotiated the turn. A squad car was in hot pursuit with his lights on. It appears the motorcycle escaped our neighborhood but I never heard if he was apprehended later or not. Exciting stuff so early.

The Blackhawks dropped their third game in a row last night. They played well the second half but just dug themselves into a hole early in the game. One more loss and the season is over. Can they win 3 games in a row? They did last year against the Detroit Red Wings so we shall see.

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook is basically a wanted man in Iran. A southern Iranian judge has ordered Zuckerberg to appear before his court for violation of privacy rights via Facebook services. Somehow, I think Zuckerberg will be a no show as I've heard thru the grapevine that he likes his head.

There appears to be a kangaroo problem in Canberra, Australia which is the nation's capitol. Kangaroos are taking over the streets and camping out in people's lawns and parks. It sounds quite a bit like Wisconsin's deer problem.

Deer usually run crazy with a bit of noise but the kangaroos seem to have a habit of actually running into pedestrians, bikers, and runners. After so many injuries, government officials have hired professional "roo shooters" to thin the herd a bit. They pay a bounty of about $230 per kangaroo. I can almost see the Wisconsin hunters going down under very very soon!

Later

Monday, May 26, 2014

Turkey Pit Dilemma

It's a glorious day. Sunny, a little humid but considering we saw the last snow flurries a mere 45 days ago I'm not complaining. Happy Memorial Day to all the veterans past and present as you are always remembered.

We had a lovely breakfast this morning. Then krissy had me watch an episode of 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.' I'm not sure how I get that hour of my life back. A truly terrible show with worthless people for the most part.

After breakfast we headed to the Exclusive Company as they had a half price sale on almost everything and we bought some pre-owned cd's. It's truly an old fashioned record store complete with albums and all. Few still exist these days. We picked up 6 cd's for 13 bucks. I finally replaced my 'Feeding Frenzy' cd by Jimmy Buffett. Listening to it on the deck as I write.

We also picked up a gallon of stain for the back deck. We'll get that applied next weekend weather cooperating of course.

Last night we had an excellent steak on the grill. After that we headed to the Nomad for cocktails then over to Jamos. We met a Milwaukee native Craig, who lived in the Keys for quite a while before moving back here. An excellent storyteller. We spent a couple hours talking to Craig and I'm sure we'll run into him again. He works at our favorite lunch place, Barnacle Bud's on the river. Thanks for the entertainment last night amigo.

Congrats to Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. I caught a glimpse of him drinking the traditional milk last night on ESPN.

Big game for the Blackhawks tonight. They need to play some tough defense to tie this up and bring it back to Chicago.

I'm considering adding a turkey to our menu for our Brady Street Days party in July. Not just a turkey, but a pit cooked turkey. I'm still doing some research but it requires digging a decent size hole in the yard. I think I want to give it a shot but shish kabobs will remain the true staple of the meal. I shall ponder it over for a few more weeks before I decide.

Later
Craig

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Indy 500 Time

It's mid 70's with nothing but sunshine. Woke up around 8ish and headed to Home Depot for some mulch then to the grocery store for some grilling food!

The Blackhawks just couldn't  get their act together and hold onto a lead last night losing 4-2. Slash played the national anthem before the game then it was downhill after that. The defense needs to step up in game 4 or it's big time trouble.

Barry Gibb is back on tour after a very long absence. The last surviving member of the Bee Gees decided to give music a go again. He certainly doesn't need the money after selling over 40 million records in his lifetime. He'll be playing in Chicago on May 27th.

It's Indianapolis 500 time again as it is every Memorial Day weekend. Over 300,000 people attend the race every year. My grandfather flew his plane over from Illinois to watch the race himself a few times back in the day. Thirty three drivers will compete in the 200 lap race for fortune and fame. The defending champion, Tony Kanaan will be starting in the 16th position this year. A safe and fat race to all!

I'm gonna run now. I'm moving my woodpile then doing some grilling. After that a quick shower and down to Water Street for happy hour. Stay safe!

Later

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Bank Fraud In Iran Is No Joke

What a perfect day to work on the yard. Not too hot but warm enough to wear shorts. The yard is starting to come alive and more leaves are appearing on the trees everyday. A big kudos to everybody who helped us today. Words aren't enough to express our gratitude.

We had dinner with Angela and John last night at The Garage followed by a cocktail at Jamos. The renovations at The Garage is truly magnificent. We'll hang out there a bit this summer for sure.

Apparently John has some kind of fascination with the old school photo booths. They had one at the restaurant and the end result is at the end of the blog. 

Kudos to the Seattle Seahawks today. Garnett Scott, their 6th round draft choice this month was just diagnosed with a very rare heart condition and will not be able to play football any longer. The Seahawks signed him to a contract anyway so he'll get to keep his signing bonus and some salary. A classy moved indeed.

Iran executed one of their billionaires this week for committing bank fraud. A lot of bankers in the United States should consider themselves lucky to not live in Iran.

It's almost game time. Gotta grab some dinner. Go Blackhawks!

Later



John and Krissy enjoying a golden monkey beer



Me and John in our photobooth pics 


Friday, May 23, 2014

It's Bullfighting Season

It's a cool, sunny, crisp day. Warm weather won't come until tomorrow. Coco has the day off from school. It's been plenty of bike riding and eating everything in the house. Overall, a pretty good day.

Putin is having a hissy fit that sanctions against Russia are starting to hurt. Good! I'm finally making some coin in the stock market and he's been hurting me plenty with his BS.

A big welcome to the United Arab Emirates as they become the 18th country to visit my blog!

The Blackhawks don't play again until saturday night. Coach Quenneville will make sure they don't have a collapse like game 2 again. I'll guarantee that. Too much talent and pride on this team!

The San Isidro Bullfighting Festival is going on now. So far, the bulls have had a rather strong showing taking out 3 bullfighters with injuries. My grandfather went to a bullfight once in Mexico. It was in the 1920's with some high school buddies. They drank a lot of tequila and started rooting for the bulls. Not only did they get kicked out of the arena but the Federales escorted them out of town. Bullfighting is no joke!

I'm not sure what we'll do tonight as we have a big day tomorrow. I'm sure we'll make it to a happy hour. Tomorrow we have to plant some ground cover in the front yard and cut down some tree branches in the backyard. Then we have to remove the broken dishwasher and make a run to the city dump. Also, we have to make final color choices for the deck and hit the paint store before their big sale ends. Yep, I'm finding a happy hour somewhere!

Later


Thursday, May 22, 2014

Katherine the Shark

The Blackhawks had their butts handed to them last night losing 6-2. The series is now even at 1 game all. I'm not sure which is worse?  I thought the game was tuesday night and spent nearly an hour looking for it on television before I figured out I looked at the playoff schedule wrong. Or, the Hawks blowing a 2-0 lead and completely falling apart in the third period.

Krissy had a rough and rushed morning. First, she couldn't find a pony tail holder. Then, she couldn't find her sunglasses. When I kindly pointed out that the sunglasses were on her head she didn't really have any gracious comments for yours truly as she walked out the door.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be drafting number one overall in the NBA draft next month. The Milwaukee Bucks will be drafting second. It's going to take more than one great college player to turn these teams around very fast.

There's a great white shark that has been tagged and hanging off the Florida Keys. Whenever her dorsal appears above the water her position is known via a GPS satellite. There's speculation that Katherine might be pregnant due to the angle she is swimming at. Interesting stuff indeed. What I find even more fascinating is the Katherine the Shark has 4000 Twitter followers!

I promised a couple stories from yesterday's blog about my mom. Both of them were when I was 14 years old. On the last day of school my friends and I bought a flashlight and decided to explore the city sewers. After about 2 hours we came up thru a manhole on a parkway by the shopping plaza. Just as I resurfaced a yellow Chrysler Cordoba drove by and slammed on it's brakes. It's a small town but my timing was impeccable as it was my mom. She was wondering what was going on. I explained the situation and informed her that I was really coming out ahead as I pitched in the most money for the flashlight so I got to keep it. She drove away laughing. She was probably wondering how I graduated 8th grade!

A few months later we were driving thru Las Vegas and spent the night. All my family members were gambling and I was just watching from a rail at the Las Vegas Hilton. My mom called me over and had me pull the handle of the slot machine she was playing. She told me the casino was very lenient and had me pull the handle a few more times. Suddenly, a very large security man tapped me on the shoulder and read me the riot act. I was going to tell the angry man that my mother was with me but suddenly she was gone. She was 50 feet away walking down the aisle looking over her shoulder laughing her head off. I just held in a smile and accepted the angry lecture. Not a sewer in site to crawl into!

Later

my mom



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

20 Years Ago Today

It was exactly like this 20 years ago. Perfect skies, sunny, high of about 80 with just a slight wind. The only difference is that it was a saturday instead of a wednesday. I didn't have to look any of this information up as it's ingrained in my head forever.

I woke up really early and headed to the record store to get in line to buy concert tickets for the Rolling Stones. Yes, that's how we bought concert tickets back in those days. I bought a couple tickets in about the 30th row for the September show at Soldiers Field in Chicago.

I remember pulling into my driveway all excited and told my neighbor how lucky I was that day. I quickly changed clothes and headed out to my friends house on Fox Lake. We were just lounging around on the boat deck when the phone rang. I was called to the phone as it was my Dad. Not a lot of small talk as he told me the ambulance came but my Mom didn't make it. It wasn't totally unexpected as she had been sick for a couple years. Still, she was only 53 and it was just too soon. I've never had a lucky day go that far south in a matter of seconds.

Losing a parent will stay with you forever. I don't think anyone ever really gets over it. Twenty years later and this day still puts me in a really bad mood.

I'm gonna go now. Tomorrow I'll post a couple of pics and a couple of my favorite stories of my mom.

Later

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Short Circuit

Woke up this morning to some bad news. My Dad's wife Dee had a blackout last night and a continual headache. My Dad took her to the emergency room this morning. Looks like nothing major I'm thankful to report. Dee's explanation was that she just had a 'short circuit.' You won't find that prognosis in WebMD or any other medical dictionary but I'll take that any day!

It turned out to be quite a nice day today. Sunny, 70's and no rain. Let's see if we can do it two days in a row for a change.

The 'Big Sleep' was on today starring Humphrey Bogart. It's a classic movie from 1946 and co-star Lauren Bacall is still alive and kicking. She's still my favorite star!

Led Zeppelin is being sued 44 years after their hit song 'Stairway to Heaven' was written and released. Nothing like being prompt to retain some degree of credibility. Apparently, the band Spirit had a similar song in 1968 called 'Taurus.' I have no idea if it's true or not but waiting 44 years is just ridiculous. The actual songwriter for 'Taurus' isn't even alive anymore. A trust representing him is bringing the legal proceedings. Supposedly, 'Stairway to Heaven' has brought in around $565 million big ones in it's lifespan. Sounds like some grieving relatives just want a little 'green' justice to me.

The Blackhawks play game 2 tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Coco and I are getting ready for game time. Go Hawks!

Later

Monday, May 19, 2014

Brandon Marshall Scores Big

An overcast day with occasional rain sprinkles all day long. It doesn't seem like we can get 2 days in a row of nice weather yet. The tree leaves are starting to show a little more each day. The final frost advisory was a couple days ago so everything should blossom pretty quick here in the next couple of weeks.

Congrats to Brandon Marshall of the Chicago Bears on his 3 year contract extension. The perennial Pro-Bowler has been rock solid fantastic since coming over via trade from the Miami Dolphins. He's pledged to donate 1 million dollars to a mental health charity.

A Rhode Island man walked out of a bar saturday at 1am and noticed that he had a gunshot wound to his leg. He told authorities that he had no idea how or when it happened. I'm smelling a coverup or he took '3 sheets to the wind' to a massive extreme!

We're heading down to the paint store now. The only thing worse than painting is having a 2 hour discussion on what type and color to buy. Hopefully we can get this project started before the end of the month.

I was going to grill out this beautiful pork loin tonight. But, the weather won't cooperate so Krissy is going to make some fish.

Later

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Here Come the Hawks

The Chicago  Blackhawks won their saturday matinee 3-1 over the
Los Angeles Kings this afternoon. They take a 1-0 lead in the series and looked very sharp. If they win this series they'll go to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in five years.

Coco came back from his overnight camping trip intact. No rain and they spent the night in a heated cabin. So much for roughing it.

We finally caught a nice day. Sunny all day and we even exceeded the forecast hitting a high of 70. Coco took his bike out for a spin then we played a little hoop at the Cass Street park. Then on to Caesar's Park for a little tennis. It sure beat scrubbing the kitchen floor but Krissy did a fantastic job. Thanks hun!

I recorded 'The Legend of Hell's House' last night. We started watching it but it was too scary for Coco. I was the same age as him when I saw it at a drive-in theater with my parents. It was the first flick of a double feature so I had no choice! I don't even know if a drive-in even exists by me. Times change so I won't complain. I'll make Krissy watch it with me soon and give a complete review.

Later

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Mountain Bull Passes

A classy move by the New Orleans Saints today as they signed Tulane safety Devon Walker to a free agent contract. Walker always dreamed of signing an NFL contract until he was paralyzed from the neck down during a game in the 2012 season. Obviously, he'll be unable to play in an NFL game but it didn't stop him from graduating college today.

California Chrome won the Preakness today just as I predicted. He should be the favorite for the Belmont Stakes but I'll stick with Commanding Curve due to the additional distance. Don't be surprised if I put a little coin where my mouth is on June 7th!

Tacos last night at the Bel Air Cantina followed by cocktails at Jamos. Krissy finds the decor at Jamos "interesting." It's mostly stuff the owner's found in their basements. Geez, I have a lot of great bar decor in my basement.

Mountain Bull, perhaps the world's most famous elephant was found dead in Kenya last week. In 2012, the 6 ton elephant was featured prominently in a documentary concerning the poaching crisis in Africa. Veterinarians actually tranquilized Mountain Bull and placed a GPS chip on him before taking away most of his tusks with a chainsaw.

Apparently the tusks grew back enough for the poachers liking. The mighty elephant was killed silently by spears in a protected national park. The ivory black market prevails once again.

Congrats to all the finishers of the Bravado Challenge triathlon. My sisters, Cindy, Mary and Sharon all finished strong as did my nieces Deanna and Nikki. Pam and Chad were, lets say colorful, but they did really well especially with rummage sale bikes. It was good to see so many family members there today. Somehow, I got a bit crazy and committed to participating in next year's event. I can't bloody wait.

A very special kudos to my sister Sharon. After much careful observation over 3 hours, she was the only athlete wearing designer sunglasses and a bit of lipstick!

Later

The athletes:Deanna, Cindy, Sharon, Nikki, Mary and Jim

Me and Mary

Mary and Steve photo bombing me and cousin Pam. But where's Chad and his sexy socks?



Jamos tavern

Friday, May 16, 2014

Bravado Challenge

Kudos to Barbara Walters for 50 years of television greatness. Truly a pioneer in the broadcast world. I can't remember a week in my life when she wasn't in television in some capacity. Her retirement is well deserved.

The sun finally came out on this gorgeous 45 degree day. Yes, that is sarcasm. This is just getting really old.

The Chicago Blackhawks will have a few more days off before playing in the NHL conference finals. Their opponent is still undetermined with the other series going 7 games. The Hawks won both of their series in 6 games each.

The Preakness Stakes is tomorrow. California Chrome should be the favorite and finish in the top 2 in my humble opinion. He sure looked good in the Kentucky Derby. I'm still picking Commanding Curve to win the Belmont Stakes. The extra distance should really help a closer like him out.

The Bravado Challenge (bravadochallenge.org) takes place in Waukesha tomorrow and 3 of my sisters will be participating in it again. It's a triathlon consisting of a 3.5 mile run, 8 mile bike and a 4 mile paddle. Good luck to Cindy, Mary, and Sharon tomorrow. Krissy and I will find you on the course!

Krissy just got home. Time to shower. It's 5 o'clock somewhere and there's a Happy Hour to attend. Location undetermined!

Later

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Spaghetti Night

Well, we're about at the halfway point of May and it's another rainy day. I've never been to Seattle but this is what I imagine the weather is like there. Nothing but rain in the forecast through saturday.

We watched the second to last episode of 'Survivor' last night. It's down to 4 people and the 2 hour finale is next week. Coco just loves the show and it's become our wednesday night ritual.

Coco looks all packed for his bag camping trip. It's 2 hours north of Milwaukee, so he has a lot of cold weather gear packed. I'm hoping it doesn't rain too much.

The stock market is suffering from more jitters today. I discovered an interesting Chinese company in my research this week. Kandi Technologies (KNDI) is an electric vehicle company that actually uses an electric car dispensing machine for customers to rent cars by the hour. It's called the "Kandi Machine" and it's been quite successful. It looks like a giant vending machine with cars electronically stored on top of each other in a cube. It looks like a giant of a money making concept, especially in large crowded cities.

It's spaghetti night and Krissy has the garlic going pretty strong now. The vino is open so time to go!

Later

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Lemon Meringue and Rum

The 7th annual Keys ultramarathon is this saturday. One can enter individually or as part of a relay team. The 100 mile race starts in Key Largo and finishes in Key West. Or, you can take the easy way out and enter the 50 mile race from Marathon to Key West!

The Chicago Blackhawks are moving on in the playoffs. It was a rough and tough game with the Hawks prevailing in overtime 2-1. Both goaltenders were phenomenal and Patrick Kane scored the winning goal.

CBS has announced that 'Bad Teacher' won't be back next season. Krissy and I watched the premiere 3 or 4 weeks ago. This announcement is about 3 or 4 weeks overdue. We must have been really bored that night but 3 minutes into the first episode and you wanted to puke. No surprises here.

Coco gets to go on a big 1 night camping trip friday for doing well in school. They sent home a list of items he needs to bring. I don't even take that much stuff for a 10 day trip to Key West.

Summerfest announced that the final headliner will be OneRepublic. Yes, it's spelled that way and it's not a typo. The musical festival runs from June 25-29 and July 1-6. It can't get here soon enough.

Milwaukee based Northwestern Mutual will be sponsoring the grand daddy of them all. That's right, starting in 2015 they will be the presenting sponsor of the Rose Bowl. It sounds like a win-win for everybody. Especially if my good buddy John who works there can land us some tickets to escape a cold Wisconsin January 1st!

I just made a Jello No Bake Lemon Meringue pie. It's setting in the refrigerator very nicely right now. Naturally, one should always have a rum drink while they are baking as it's tradition. One that I just started!

Later

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Casey Kasem MIA

A big welcome to Sweden and Ukraine, the 2 newest countries to view this blog. That raises the total to 17 countries worldwide. I thank you all!

The Rodizio Grill was absolutely terrific last night. Despite a thunderstorm and very brief power outage we ended up eating 12 different meats. I would give an A plus to 9 of them. They have an excellent salad bar also. I enjoyed the crab salad and the potato salad was the best I've ever had. But if you love meat, it's truly a meat eaters paradise!

At a recent fundraiser Karl Rove stated that Hillary Clinton was hospitalized a couple years ago for 30 days with possible brain damage. In reality, she was in the hospital for 3 days with concussion symptoms. Fact checking, it's an art long lost in a mudslinger's world.

Unbeknownst to many, Christopher Columbus lost his flagship the 'Santa Maria' on his voyage back to the old world. Historians believe it sank on a reef off the coast of Haiti. Famed sea explorer Barry Clifford believes he found it and is preparing a full evacuation of the site. Clifford's resume is pretty strong as he found the pirate ship the 'Whydah' off the Cape Cod coast. The 'Whydah' exhibit was on display at the Milwaukee Public Museum about 3 years ago. It blew the doors off the 'Titanic' exhibit from several years earlier.

Legendary DJ Casey Kasem is missing. He's the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo and the host of American Top 40. He's been in ill health lately but Krissy and I were listening to a 70's rerun of his show on sunday. A judge recently appointed one of his daughters as his temporary conservator. It's believed that the stepmother is hiding Casey somewhere. Let's hope that he is found soon and everything works out okay. As Casey would say, "keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

Later


Monday, May 12, 2014

Rodizio Grill

A quick get well to Jim Guthrie. He had an unfortunate incident with a table saw today. Rebuilding that Airstream might take a bit longer now but don't rush back to soon. Once your pain is gone I'm sure I'll come up with some good "lefty" jokes.

A big win for the Blackhawks last night. They lead the series 3-2. They can wrap up the second round tomorrow night with a win.

A huge day in all facets of the stock market today. I'm guessing it comes back to earth a little bit tomorrow with any hint of negative news or a Putin sneeze in the Ukraine.

I've been watching The Profit starring Marcus Lemonis. He uses his own money to turn around struggling or under performing small businesses. Today he invested heavily in a New Jersey ice cream company.  I'm amazed at some of the mistakes the little guys make. Then again, I'm amazed at some of the mistakes the big guys make like the London Whale incident in the banking industry.

It's been a rainy day with sporadic thunderstorms. Krissy is the Queen of Groupons. We've had a boat load lately but tonight we are using the last one at the Rodizio Grill (rodiziogrill.com). It's a Brazilian Steakhouse with meat served off giant skewers. What's not to like. Red wine and tons of red meat!

Later


Sunday, May 11, 2014

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mother's out there. It was a beautiful day for the most part. Rain showers came in this afternoon but it's clearing up again. I might get some grilling in tonight after all.

We made it to West Bend this morning for brunch with Krissy's mom and her family. Cafe Soeurette (cafesoeurette.com) is a lovely place on the river in the heart of downtown West Bend. I must have ate a pound of bacon and the brisket was excellent.

Last night we ventured over to Jamos a few blocks from our house. We hung out with bartender extraordinaire Anna after her shift. Apparently, the Singapore Sling is a featured drink so we had a chance to watch a few of those get made. I think I might have to try one next time we go there.

There was a terrible hot air balloon accident in Virginia this week. I've done the hot air balloon ride once and it was a wonderful experience. Very peaceful so early in the morning. I even wanted to take the pilot lessons but the instructor moved to Kenya to start an adventure company and I never found anyone else in the area to do it with.

Going to run now. Playoff hockey is about to start. Go Hawks!

Later

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Bike Trouble

A simply gorgeous saturday in Milwaukee. It started off with a minor bike problem. I had my childhood Huffy banana seat bike rebuilt in December for Coco. I've been hauling it around for years so finally plowed some money into it. He's very proud to have the old man's bike and it looks terrific. We went to ride it this morning and front tire problems. We took it to the shop right away and they repaired it no problem. The front tube was aligned inside the tire improperly. Some Kodak moments at the end of the blog.

The NFL draft continues for the third day. The non-household names are hearing their names called today. Many of them will turn out to be stars in the league.

The Blackhawks lost their second game in a row. The series is now tied at 2-2. Minnesota has no quit in them but I think the Hawks will rise to the occasion.

After Coco left we turned our attention to the yard again. Hung up some plant hooks on the house and put the bamboo fence back up. It's not easy being tropical in Wisconsin!

Gotta run now and fire up the grill. I've got some yard bird to cook!

Later
The Huffy

Flying around





Friday, May 9, 2014

Whiskey Belles

A great night at the Trocadero. Plenty of Kodak moments last night. The Whiskey Belles were magnificent!

After we left the Troc, Krissy and I made a stop at The Hamilton (www.thehamiltonmke.com). It's a true cocktail joint and Layla the bartender knows her stuff! 

It was so warm after we left The Hamilton that we couldn't resist stopping at Wolski's. We finally called it a night after that stop.

The Chicago Bears drafted a cornerback last night in the first round. Kyle Fuller from Virginia Tech had an outstanding collegiate career and should get plenty of snaps this season.

It's going to be a busy night. The NFL draft coverage continues and I have to fit in the Blackhawks playoff game also.

Lee Marshall the legendary voice of Tony the Tiger passed away yesterday. Tony the Tiger has been the face of Frosted Flakes since 1951. Truly an advertising legend!

Later


The Whiskey Belles 


Finally, cocktails on the terrace!


Angela & John 

Me & Krissy

Layla, mixologist extraordinaire! 






Thursday, May 8, 2014

Trocadero Time

A beautiful sunny day around the mid 60's. It's significantly warmer a few miles inland. We live about 3 blocks off Lake Michigan where it's usually cooler in May.

It's NFL draft time. Tonight is the 1st round and will continue through Sunday with a total of 7 rounds. Dreams will be realized and a few shattered I imagine. Millions of dollars of contracts on the line. Every team and their fans have hope tonight. My Chicago Bears pick at number 14 in the first round. I'm predicting either defensive tackle Aaron Donald or safety Calvin Pryor will be the choice. Either way I'll be real happy.

I've been watching that congressman from South Carolina, Trey Gowdy. With that haircut and purplish suit he could be a guitar player for that 80's band the Cars.

We'll be heading out to the Trocadero tonight to meet John and Angela. It's one of my favorite gastropubs and it's within walking distance. It has a European flair with a terrific outdoor terrace. (www.trocaderogastropub.com)

The Whiskey Belles (www.whiskeybelles.com) are playing a show on the Trocadero terrace tonight. They are a very talented 3 girl country band. They've been around for only 3 years but are getting quite a following in the Milwaukee area and have already opened for some major bands.

Going out door now. Don't worry. I'm multi-tasking tonight. My phone is fully charged so I don't miss the draft!

Later


1st cook out of the season!


Spring comes slowly, very slowly to WI

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Sir Roger Bannister

Heavy thunderstorms struck us this morning but it's been drying up now. I'm still reeling over the Blackhawks loss last night. They looked simply awful losing 4-0. They play game 4 on friday.

The stock market is still in a jittery state. A lot of people are moving cash into bonds. Buying bonds is an excellent avenue to retirement. As long as you can wait until you're 140!

I tried watching Laura Ingraham on television last night but couldn't make it for 5 minutes. Not because of anything she says but because of her bizarre demeanor when she speaks. It always looks like she's sitting on a toilet dropping a deuce with her pained facial expressions. Any college freshman in a speech class could give a better presentation and look more professional.

Jimmy Ellis passed away this week. He was the WBA World Heavyweight Champion in boxing from 1968-70. He was a Louisville contemporary of Muhammad Ali.

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile. He did it on an old fashioned cinder track. In college, I ran the metric equivalent of a 4:08 mile on a state of the art Chevron track. In addition to becoming a British Knight, he also went on to have a stellar career as a world famous neurologist. A humble man, Sir Roger is still alive and doing great.

We found the source of our squirrel problems. They have been tearing apart our grass for a year now. It turns out our whacky neighbor behind us is feeding them nuts like they are a pack of elephants. They stash them in our new sod and dig them up later creating a mess.

Many of our friends have offered varied solutions. Just shoot them! Just poison them! Use a blow dart gun which is about the only item I don't have in my closet. Too many squirrels to finish them all. Besides, I still like them better than my neighbor!

Later


Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Make August 2nd a Holiday

My dad went golfing yesterday. He's only 2 1/2 hours south of Milwaukee but they get a much warmer May. I could actually see my breath last night. No Bradford Beach time in the my near future.

The Blackhawks play game 3 of their second round playoff series tonight. Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson took a puck to the throat in the last game. He's still physically unable to speak but he's playing tonight. These hockey guys are as tough as nails.

I watched the premiere of the new '24' last night starring Kiefer Sutherland. After a 4 year hiatus, Jack Bauer still has it. He's one step ahead of everyone else and the cast is superb.

One of my favorite show's is Brad Meltzer's 'Decoded' on the History Channel. Today's episode covered the Declaration of Independence. The colonies actually declared independence on July 2nd. The document we see is indeed dated July 4th. However, nobody bothered signing it though until August 2nd!

Later

Monday, May 5, 2014

Rodriguez Is Coming

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Sunny but brisk today. Krissy went to Illinois with her mom today to shop at Ikea. That should be interesting when she gets back.

The rare goblin shark was caught 15 miles south of Key West last week. It made national news as it's estimated that only about 20 people in the world have laid eyes on this type of shark which typically stays very deep in the ocean. This one was caught by a shrimper who dropped his trawling net down to a depth of 1700 feet. The shrimper took a photo of the ugly mug then promptly released the 18 foot monster.

It sounds like a Kentucky Derby bound bachelor party was derailed of a good time. Some guys rented a motor home north of Minneapolis for the journey. They made a stop in south Minnesota to pick up some friends when the unthinkable happened. When they moved some luggage to another storage compartment they discovered a dead body. The police confiscated the motor home and all luggage for a crime scene investigation. Hard to get your party on after an episode like that I imagine.

Rodriguez is coming to the legendary Riverside Theatre on Friday May 16th. I'm going to try and make this show. Rodriguez is the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary 'Searching for Sugarman.' Sixto Rodriguez is a Detroit native who had 2 unsuccessful records despite being compared to Bob Dylan by the critics in the 60's. He became a best selling artist in South Africa and became a folk hero unbeknownst to anyone in the United States including himself. A false rumor led many South African people to believe that he had passed away. One of his daughters ran across a website dedicated to his memory and she notified officials in South Africa that he was alive and well. He's actually sold more records in South Africa than Elvis Presley. It's a fascinating documentary and Rodriguez is alive and playing music again. I can't wait.

Later

Sunday, May 4, 2014

The American King's Palace

Last night was a very good time. We had an excellent dinner at Bosley's. Krissy ordered the trout and I devoured a blackened grouper. Then over to Jamos which is a tiny but fun corner bar. Then trotted home with stops at Thurman's and The Standard Tavern. It was fairly busy everywhere with some nice dry weather. There's some Kodak moments at the end of the blog.

We had a big emergency this morning. The downstairs television finally died at the ripe age of 7. The last 2 years it was dying a slow death with button failure and poor picture quality. We found one on sale at Best Buy and it's fantastic. Televisions have become rather disposable this century as prices are fairly reasonable. Hopefully the refrigerator will last the year as it's been leaking on and off. The dishwasher died last year. It's always something it seems.


We stopped at Dragon Fly which is a resale store about a block from our home. We were looking for some cheap planters. Instead we found a girl about 25 years old typing on a 80's era typewriter. She told her friend that she had never typed on a typewriter before. That didn't make us feel too old!

The Chicago Blackhawks won again this afternoon to take a 2-0 series lead. They are smoking hot right now with a 6 game winning streak in the playoffs.

I see that Prince William and Prince Harry are in Memphis this weekend for a friend's wedding. They took a tour of the American King's palace commonly known as Graceland. Maybe it's not as elaborate as Buckingham Palace but the jungle room sure is something.

Gotta run now. It's the first grilling night of the year for yours truly. I've got a beef tenderloin just waiting to be seared over a bed of charcoal!

Later
dog comfy at bar






 chocolate martini




Saturday, May 3, 2014

Kentucky Derby Day

What a beautiful day. Naturally, it will be a grunt day for us. Grocery shopping and yard work. This year is phase 2. We did so much last year now it's just spicing it up and repairing some bare patches.

Congrats to the Chicago Blackhawks who routed Minnesota in their first series game last night. The refs blew an early whistle or they would have had one more goal.

Ben Affleck was banned from playing blackjack at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Not for cheating or rowdiness. He was playing extremely well and winning a lot of cash so the pit boss suggested he try another game. Casinos are actually considered private clubs and can make crap up on the fly. It's perfectly legal.

There's some kind of foot parade going on as I write. I'm not sure what it's for or even if it's sanctioned. I once saw a spur of the moment parade complete with cars and signs after Italy won the World Cup soccer match one year and the cops just followed along peacefully. This one sure is loud and they seem to be having lots of fun.

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. passed away yesterday at the age of 95. He starred in The FBI television series which was one of my grandma's favorite shows. She never missed it and it was based on true crimes. Zimbalist was a true legend and by all accounts a great human being.

It's Kentucky Derby day. The sport of Kings. But today an $8000 horse called California Chrome rose to the occasion and beat the bluebloods. Commanding Curve closed big to capture second place and will be my early pick for the Belmont Stakes which is a quarter mile longer.

Over 164,000 people attended the Derby today. Mint Juleps and women wearing sassy bonnets have been long standing traditions. Other countries try to duplicate Churchill Downs but Kentucky will always be thoroughbred racing's legendary place.

Later

Friday, May 2, 2014

Landscapers Paradise

I took a walk to the bank today about a 2 mile jaunt. Overcast but at least it was warm and dry. No leaves on the trees yet but all the grass that abuts the sidewalks is totally dead. I think so much salt was used this winter that it couldn't handle it and died. The rest of the grass has turned very green with all the rain. It's going to be a good spring for ambitious landscapers I believe.

The Labor Department released the monthly jobs report and 288,000 new jobs were added in April. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.3% which is still too high. The March numbers were also revised up which makes the stock market drop that day even more meaningless. All the analysts will argue these statistics for a week now but there's always over reaction to all these reports.

More tension in the Ukraine today put the stock market in a neutral wave. A couple of helicopters were shot out of the sky and more Russian troops accumulating on the border. Putin seems to be enjoying himself in the spotlight.

I'm a bit sore from working out yesterday as it's been a while. I did the P90X system last fall and was in pretty good shape. Then, I developed tendinitis in my shoulder along with a foot problem which put me on the shelf mid-january. Overall, I've seemed to heal up enough to continue in my anti-aging efforts!

The Cubs won their second game in a row today! It's a shame fans get excited about this but when your team is simply awful it's all we've got. Thankfully, the Blackhawks start their second round playoff series tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Go Hawks!

Later

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Happy May Day

It looks like the last day of rain for a while. It's feeling like a friday for some reason.

Former NFL tight end Aaron Hernandez was indicted for assault for a jailhouse fight. He's still sitting in the can waiting for his murder trial so somehow I doubt if he really cares about this latest allegation.

I saw an interesting statistic that President Obama has only vetoed two bills his entire time in office. The only president to veto less was James Garfield in 1881 who never waived the veto pen. Of course, he was assassinated less than a year into his term so maybe the opportunity never arose.

An old rowboat washed ashore this week on the Washington state coastline. It's believed to be from the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Several other Japanese vessels have washed ashore in the Northwest portion of North America. Hopefully it won't take that long to find the missing Malaysia airliner but I'm starting to have my doubts if anyone has a clue to it's location.

I accompanied Krissy to Mayfair mall this afternoon. Neither one of us ended up buying anything which could be a first. We did have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The Cuban rolls with mustard sauce was almost as good as the Cuban food in Key West.

Later