Thursday, April 30, 2015

The Chicago Draft

Buckingham Fountain changes colors for every NFL city and the draft appears to be a big success so far in Chicago. No huge surprises so far in the first round except for maybe Leonard Williams going number 6 to the Jets who didn't really need another defensive lineman. He would have looked good in a Bears uniform but I was happy with wide receiver Kevin White.

The Bulls creamed the Bucks by 54 points to win their first round series. That's not a typo, they came to play today!

Downtown traffic was a mess before the game. Milwaukee had peaceful protests. It backed up traffic but peaceful it was.

Forty years ago today was the fall of Saigon. I think everybody has seen the clip of an American helicopter being pushed off the side of a ship so nobody else could use it.

It looks like 70's coming this weekend. The bamboo is out and we'll attach it to the metal fence. Krissy is busy picking out colors for the front steps and rail.

Speaking of the NFL Draft. It was fifty years ago that the best single team draft took place. With the 3rd pick the Bears took Dick Butkus and with the 4th pick they took Gayle Sayers. Both ended up in the Hall of Fame. We might never see that ever happen again!

Later

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Silent Ballgame

For the first time in 145 years, no fans were allowed in to watch a MLB game. Strange, isn't that what the game is for? Without fan support nobody makes any money. That's what happened today in Camden Yards in Baltimore as they beat the White Sox 8-2. History shows that sports bring people together. This over reaction just gave victory to a small group of violent protesters and cost the hard working vendors some income. A big mistake in my opinion!

Nik Wallenda was back at work today. He walked the 450 foot high Orlando Observation Wheel this morning. It opens to the general public in a couple weeks.

Keep an eye on Jim Webb as he is in Iowa talking to potential voters. I've always deeply admired him and he's a dark horse that might just start getting some traction soon.

The legendary Tropicana Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas has been sold. No word yet on what is planned for this historical venue. I hope it doesn't meet the fate of the Sands.

We went to the Discover America meeting last night. Coco will be gone on his trip for a whole week on his 5th grade trip. I asked if he would be okay being away for a week by himself. He didn't hesitate to shake his head and reply 'yes'. Oh geez, where did my little man go!

Later

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Uber Comes To Key West

I've heard that Uber has come to Key West. They have a whopping three drivers. I'm actually kind of surprised. It's an 8 square mile island, most people just walk or bike everywhere with parking being so tough. We took a bike cab there one year due to Krissy's broken foot. Make sure to ask how much first!

A big welcome to India as they become the 34th country to visit the blog. Thank you so much!

Some interesting observations from Baltimore. I saw a clip of a mother spotting her son in the crowd and she started smacking him around while walking him back home. Kudos to her.

I saw another man watching some buildings burn next to a news crew. He was wearing a build Baltimore t-shirt innocently enough.

The Orioles-White Sox game was cancelled yet again today. They will play in an empty stadium tomorrow at Camden Yards. No members of the public will be allowed in. So sad.

The Bulls played like a bunch of turds last night. Game 6 will be in Milwaukee Thursday night and it will be nuts again. It's also NFL draft night for the first round.

Krissy is in the midst of planning a camping weekend built around the Jimmy Buffett concert at Alpine Valley in August. They have a fish fry on Friday night and a bus to the concert on Saturday. The campground has a bar and restaurant on site. This has the makings of the best Buffett concert yet!

Later




Monday, April 27, 2015

Baltimore Burns

It's such a sad day watching the riots in Baltimore. The city officials seemed almost lackadaisical until the turmoil became really bad. Once night time sets in it could get much worse. A CVS store was burning badly and they didn't do anything to warrant that. 

The Bulls are trailing by 6 at the end of the third quarter. Not playing well with so many turnovers but I'm still holding out hope.

Still toiling around in the 40's. I did see a brave soul in a sailboat yesterday. He was the only one out there.

Mt. Everest is a mess with the earthquakes several base camps were destroyed and climbers stranded. It looks like it will be unstable for a while yet.

Coco suffered a small ankle sprain somehow at school. There's no limit on stupid crap that 11 year old boys do to inadvertently hurt each other trying to be funny.

On a bright note, I did grill tonight. A beef tenderloin and chicken breast and it was great. Peace!

Later

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Clinching Isn't Easy

Well, the Blackhawks clinched their playoff series and  move on while the Bulls still need another win. So much fun so far and this is only the first round!

Krissy and I went for a walk and spent some time at Two Bucks having a couple drinks. Then the Wing Zone for a late lunch or early dinner.

I did manage to do something productive today and make a Devil's Food cake. Pretty good if I do say so myself.

Winding up the weekend watching Anthony Bourdain in Cuba. I love the Cuban food so much and can't wait to go.

All in all a lazy day. Sometimes those are much needed after a busy weekend. I met up with Julie and Krissy at Wolski's last night. The place was jam packed. No wonder I'm tired and dreading monday!

Later

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Downtown Madness

A lot of fans starting early for the playoff game this afternoon and downtown was pure nuts. Unfortunately for Bulls fans like myself the Bucks won on a last second shot. It goes back to Chicago for the fifth game.

The Blackhawks just started and hopefully they will close out their series tonight. I definitely don't want a game 7 as they lead the series 3-2.

Last night was fun as Krissy's workplace had a happy hour at Who's On Third. It was their first year anniversary and they had a free buffet with their legendary wings!

Grocery shopping this morning as we slept in late. Summerfest will be in full swing two months from now. It won't get here soon enough as we're still in the 30's with some brutal wind chill for this time of year.

There's a new show coming on cable which is all the buzz. It's called Fuller House with most of the same cast as Full House. Coco loves that show so it should be interesting.

I'm gonna make some popcorn now. There's a hockey game to watch. Go Hawks!

Later


Friday, April 24, 2015

Air Battle In Key West

The air battle is part of the Conch Republic Celebration without actual weapons. They will drop toilet paper rolls and throw bread throw. We were there two years ago for it and the Celebration is a lot of fun. It stems from the brief Key West secession in 1982 and calling themselves the Conch Republic. They were protesting the road blocks out of Key West stemming from the Cubans flooding into Florida and hurting tourism. It worked as the Feds stopped the road blocks!

The Bulls won a big road playoff game in Milwaukee last night. It took overtime but they did it overcoming an 18 point deficit. I see the series ending tomorrow afternoon.

Krissy and I had lunch at Mazos on the Southside today. It's a burger joint that's been around since 1934. Burgers and shakes you can't beat that.

Then we stopped at a huge 3 level antique store. It's in a massive old warehouse. Great stuff! Krissy wouldn't let me buy a wooden beer shoe or a 1971 Jim Beam California bartender of the year award. I'm not sure why? Also, a lot of great old photos in frames ranging from 100 plus years old. A lot of them. They were all somebody's family members, It bugged me to see so many of them.

 It seems like 20 years after someone dies they become irrelevant or forgotten. Unless you're a dead President but even some of those are forgotten. James Polk is buried in downtown Nashville in a small lonely unkept grave.  For historians like myself we try to remember those who came before us. Always write down as much information on the back of a photograph for future generations. Of course, that's tough to do on internet photographs now!

Later

Thursday, April 23, 2015

A Big Thursday Night In Brew City

The Milwaukee Bucks host the Chicago Bulls tonight trying to stay alive in the NBA playoffs. So far it hasn't been much of a  series unlike the Blackhawks NHL series where there's been 2 overtime games. They play tonight also so there will be a lot of channel changing.

The Kentucky Derby is creeping up fast and I'm still not set on a horse. Famed trainer Bob Baffert has two horses entered and I will probably play one of them as Baffert is overdue.

Cold and windy this morning at track practice but Coco was a champ again. Two weeks and a day until the conference meet and I think he will make a good showing in the 6th grade races despite being a year younger.

The weather doesn't break until next Wednesday when we finally hit 60's again. It looks like it takes off from there. Let's hope so as it's 2 months until Summerfest!

Later

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Triple OT

It was a late night for sure. The Blackhawks won in triple overtime to take a 3-1 series lead. The game ended after 1am. Every shot in overtime could be the last one so everybody is sitting on the edge of their seats.

Cold and windy today with some snow showers. It's supposed to drop in the 20's tonight. The thermometer seems to be going the wrong way.

I picked up Coco from school and we went to the track. His idea, not mine. Every week he's looking better.

He has a Discovery America meeting next week for his school trip which he's excited about. He appears a bit short on the fundraising so we're working overtime in that area.

Carly Fiorina is going to announce her Presidential Candidacy on May 4th. Naturally, she has a book coming out May 5th and that's all this is about. As CEO of HP she ran the company into the ground with over 18,000 people losing jobs and the stock price lost 50% before the board forced her out. When others were thinking tablets and smart phones Carly was thinking pagers and bag phones!

A big day in Milwaukee tomorrow. The Brewers play a noon game then the Bucks host the Bulls in game 3 of their playoff match up. Let's hope there's no overtime involved. The ticker can only handle so much.

Later

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

An Irish Wake

I was listening to the Score this morning which is a Chicago sports radio station. In fact, they were the ones that really started sports radio. It's the same station that employed Bear Legend Doug Buffone who passed away yesterday. Sports figures and people who knew Doug called in to tell a lifetime of stories about the man. They did the same thing when Harry Caray passed away. It's a wonderful way to remember someone. Gotta love those Irish!

The Bulls won last night behind a big game from Jimmy Butler. Put a cork in it, the Bulls will sweep this series I predict. The next game is in Milwaukee on Thursday night. The Blackhawks are back at it tomorrow night.

The Cubs won a big game last night. So what do they do? They bring up Addison Russell to play second base. He's highly touted but I didn't expect to see him until July at the earliest if at all this season. He's only 21 years old. They are going all in this year!

My book is a work in progress still. The final re-write is slow going as I hem and haw over every single paragraph. I'll keep plugging away a bit every day and forget about a hard deadline.

Tim Tebow is making a comeback with the Eagles. The guy is a great athlete but a crappy quarterback. I wish he would concentrate on another position and truly help a team.

Track practice this morning with Coco. Despite the bitter cold he really went after it and had a great workout. I'm loving the moxie!

Later



Monday, April 20, 2015

RIP Doug Buffone

I was having such a good afternoon until I heard that Chicago Bears legend Doug Buffone passed away this afternoon. He and Dick Butkus put a bruising on many a running backs in the 1960's. Doug was involved in radio broadcasting and nightclubs after his retirement. He was also a good friend of a fellow Italian named Frank Sinatra who he hit the town with whenever Sinatra was in Chicago. His radio shows were classic and he lived for the Orange and Blue. He was offered several coaching jobs after retirement but he never took any of the offers. Personally, I think being that close to the game after he retired was just too painful. Deep down, he'd always want to be on the field throwing his body around. Some guys miss the action forever and Doug was one of those guys. He will be missed!

Jimmy Buffett is coming to Alpine Valley on August 22nd as expected. It put me in such a good mood until I heard of Doug's passing. Anyway, camping arrangements are being made and texts are being exchanged. The event of the summer will be legendary!

Another Boston Marathon took place today. The winning time was just over 2 hours and 9 minutes. The whole town comes out for this yearly tradition. I've had many a friends run this marathon over the years and it's always been their favorite race.

Summerfest announces 2 more headliners which just leaves 2 more time slots. Stevie Wonder appears June 27th and Neil Young closes the festival out on July 5th.

It's game 2 of the Bulls-Bucks series tonight in Chicago. If the Bulls play as hard as Doug Buffone did they should win easily!

Later

Sunday, April 19, 2015

A Four Spot Night

We started at the Wicked Hop last night for dinner. The hanger steak was great. Strange though, when I asked for a dessert menu I was told that the dessert lady just had a baby so no dessert options. Geez, maybe I should offer my baking services there. I can whip up at least a half dozen good desserts.

We hit the Ale House second to see Family Business, a band up north that Krissy and the girls saw last week. Pretty good sets.

Then we headed across the street to Flappers. They toned down the dancers, probably due to the strip club atmosphere that some people complained about. Xeno, the original lead singer from Cheap Trick before they hit it big was performing. It's a fun little place.

We actually hit Wolski's for bar close before calling it a night. It's been a while since I've made it to bar close or even hit 4 spots. Obviously the company is a bad influence on me, fun but a bad influence! Thanks again to all for a great night!!!!

The Blackhawks are leading 4-2 deep into the 3rd period. They still aren't looking sharp but appear to be playing better. The Bulls on the other hand looked pretty good last night. I'm hoping May is a busy month for Chicago sports fans!

Later

Gary and Michelle, Dave and Amy

Holly and Steve Far Right


My Biker Girl


Saturday, April 18, 2015

A Bolt Cutter Saturday

A busy day of doing not much. Steve and Holly just got here and Steve walked in with bolt cutters. Steve took care of my rusted padlock in about 3 seconds. What's sad is that the content value in that outside lock box is maybe 15 bucks. I'll just leave it unlocked from now on.

Grocery store shopping this morning tested my patience, It took the guy checking out ahead of us ten minutes to pack his 3 bags. He needed them just right apparently. Earlier he was heard bitching about the lettuce content. I just kept staring at him but he never looked over at me. The wrath of Todd kept him at bay.

Still no Jimmy Buffett announcement. I'm guessing by Wednesday so keeping our fingers crossed.

The Cubs won in 11 innings today. I've got a good feeling and it's only April.

I'm sure I will be posing plenty of photos tomorrow. It's cocktail hour while we wait for everyone at our house. Oh look, a Red Stripe with my name on it!

Later

Friday, April 17, 2015

Calm Before The Storm

I'm not sure if I'm talking about the calm before the NBA playoffs tomorrow or the fact that house cleaning for company will be hectic tomorrow. Probably the later.

I called for a oil change appointment today. None necessary, just come in this afternoon. So, we went to lunch at Chancery then headed over to get the oil changed.  Can't fit us in, too busy. Really, two hours later and all of a sudden it's a rush. Or, nobody wants to work on a sunny Friday afternoon. That's fine, just don't tell me to come in then asshole. My Yelp review has been duly noted and I'm not one to complain much as I set such a low bar.

Krissy is out riding her motorcycle today. I 'm hoping to post some photos tomorrow.

Krissy worked a half day as she attended a seminar. When she came home and took off her coat I noticed an extremely long price tag hanging halfway down her back just dangling off her shirt. Someone had to notice that tag. Next time say something people! Enjoy your Friday night.

Later

Thursday, April 16, 2015

What A Comeback

It took double overtime but the Hawks won last night 4-3. They were down 3-0 after the first period which is fatal in hockey. I kind of threw in the towel but they changed goaltenders and the rookie didn't let in a goal. I was doing stuff around the house and kept the game on fortunately.

I was doing some writing today and none of the software programs I've downloaded for my book work very well. I ended up just using regular Microsoft Word. I tried to double check a spelling with my paperback dictionary which I haven't used in years as I was sure the spellcheck was wrong. It's safe to say that I will never use the paperback version ever again. The print was so stinking small that I couldn't read it even with glasses. I have no idea how I ever used it back in the school days.

Jimmy Buffett is coming to Detroit June 25th so I have a better alternative if he doesn't come to Alpine Valley. Although rumors out today point to a August 22nd date being announced within the next week. Hopefully these sources are better than the one that told me U2 was definitely playing the Harley 100th surprise concert. I shelled out a hundred bucks to see Elton John. I'm still pissed about that 12 years later and if I ever see that guy..........................

Later

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

NHL Playoff Time

The Blackhawks take on Nashville tonight in playoff hockey and Patrick Kane will be in the lineup. He's been out since February with a broken collarbone from a cheap shot or he very well might have ended up with the MVP award this season. He on top of the leader boards in every statistical category at the time.

I started researching some likely Kentucky Derby horses and trainer Bob Baffert has two gems that might take first place. Last year I was way off in my predictions so I've vowed to do better this year!

I picked Coco up from school and we went to the park to do some sprint pickups. His calf tightened up on the second one. He has race horse legs which isn't a good thing when things keep hurting. We have some heat rub and sweat pants on hoping to loosen it up some.

We have friends coming over saturday night. That means house cleaning to the max as Krissy gets a little neurotic when guests come over. Oh well.

Tennessee has voted to make the Bible the official state book. So nice to trivialize it along with the state tree and state bird. I guess the separation of church and state is just a suggestion down there.

I found one more reason not to get a face tattoo. A North Carolina shooting suspect was found asleep on a Florida beach because he couldn't go into town or out in public due to his very distinct face tattoo.  I saw a photo, trust me, Dog the Bounty Hunter wasn't needed to track this clown down!

Later

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Street Vendor Galore

Two nice days in a row and the food vendors are out in full force. Some of them do extremely well downtown in nice weather.

Coco and I were up at 6am for track practice. It's the first year of the program and there will be some kinks to workout. I'm still not sure why we had the kids running the opposite way on the track for one. Some fast kids though and a short season so the participation will be key.

The Rolling Stones sold out their Milwaukee concert in 7 minutes. I'm not sure if it's possible to sell out an decent size arena any faster than that. I'm guessing that a lot of people think it's their last chance to see the iconic Stones. I'm guessing they will be wrong. These guys will keep going to be relevant now as it's not all about the money. They know no other way. They will play in some fashion until they drop dead. That's why they are the best there is or ever will be!

It's the 150th anniversary of Lincoln taking a bullet at Ford's Theatre. In these modern times the great man would have a hard time getting elected. Historians say he had a weird squeaky voice and he was too progressive for this era. Fox News would bash him from sunrise to sunset. Maybe television is the worst invention ever made!

Later

Monday, April 13, 2015

It's Track Time

What a beautiful day. Coco has his first track practice tomorrow morning and I'm the assistant coach. It starts at 6:30 and I'm looking so forward to getting up even earlier than that. Little man was riding his scooter and took it upon himself to go to Walgreens without telling me for Skittles. He's mature now he says. I said he's 11 and there's too many whackos who hangout there at night. He said he only saw hippies so he felt safe. A valid argument regarding the safe part, I kinda guess.

Back to the world's problems, or more importantly my summer problem. Still no Jimmy Buffett announcement for Alpine Valley. After 27 years he isn't going to Indianapolis this year. The rumor mill has it something to do with the recent silly Indiana law that was passed. I hope that isn't the case as we have enough silly politics in Wisconsin to send every band packing. There's no shortage of stupid anywhere it seems lately.

Hall and Oates is on my summer radar. They will be in Madison on July 30th for a concert.

Both the Cubs and the Bulls are winning as I write. The hockey playoffs start wednesday. Patrick Kane might be healthy and available earlier than predicted. They should win the first round either way so hopefully they don't rush him. I'm looking forward to watching the games at Jack's Pub but will probably hold off until the second round. A guy has to pace himself these days!

Later

Sunday, April 12, 2015

It's Grilling Season

A pretty decent day. Coco and I slept in until mid-morning as we didn't get home until 1am. My Dad and Dee were back from Arizona this week and it was good to see them again.

Coco and I went running. Poor guy was pretty tired but it's track season so he pushed through it.

Pretty much a lazy day. Krissy finally made it home from Oshkosh and we went grocery shopping. Mid 50's and sunny so we had our first grilling session. BBQ chicken and a beef tenderloin and it was great. Now we're going to eat ice cream and watch the season finale of Shameless in bed. It's good to see that I still have the grilling touch and I didn't even need a spring training!

Later




Cheese

the girls in Osh Vegas 

1st grill of the season

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Tiger Woods Pouring It On

The sun is shining and Tiger Woods is playing some incredible golf which some people didn't think he had it in him. He's in 6th place at the moment and is 8 strokes behind the leader at the Masters Tournament. I usually don't watch golf closely but I'm watching Tiger closely and I'm glad he's back!

After two days of rain this mid 50's is nice. Coco and I are taking a trip to Illinois in a few to see family and Krissy is with friends in Sheboygan.

Coco made third quarter honor roll. It's not the high honor roll as we became accustomed to but I'll give him a pass for missing so much school with illness.

The Cubs play tonight and still no Jimmy Buffett Alpine Valley announcement. Yes, it is bothering me as I've been mentioning that a lot lately. I can't help it. It's the highlight of my summer. If he does come to Wisconsin I will take a road trip to see him though. I've heard nothing but good things about Cincinnati! Stay safe.

Later

Friday, April 10, 2015

The River Is High

As I was running over the bridge today the Milwaukee River by the dam looked like the Colorado Rapids. This afternoon's hard rain upped the water level even more. We were having burgers at Sobelman's when it started coming down hard.

Richard Dysart passed away after a long illness. He was a brilliant actor in LA Law which was a great series twenty years ago.

A lot of sports action today. Tiger Woods played a brilliant round at Augusta to make the cut for the Master's. Sam Dekker leaves a year early for the NBA draft after playing a great tournament for the Wisconsin Badgers. His stock is probably at it's all time highest so I can't blame the kid for cashing in on guaranteed millions.

Charles Tillman the former Bear signed with the Carolina Panthers. One of the few guys to play well against Aaron Rodgers who wished him well.

John and Angela are in Arizona so we had to pick up the puggles at doggie day care. When I was a kid they didn't even have these facilties for children. We went to a neighbor's or dug up our latch key in the backyard and stayed home by ourselves with the doors locked until our parents came home from work. Frank and Pete sure seemed to enjoy the car ride. Come to think of it, a dogs world doesn't seem half bad these days!

Later

Thursday, April 9, 2015

April Mega Showers

It rained most of the night and most of the morning. The parkway in front of our house has standing water and water is backing up from the curb drainage as they never sweep up the leaves in the fall. They brought a big suction truck and sucked out the leaves two days ago. However, they left they wet leave piles five feet from the curb and it ran back into the drains. Pure genius and I wonder why people are always bashing the government then I see something like that.

Coco is on spring break still and we went for a hill workout during a brief respite from the rain. He's improving every time out so I'm anxious to see what he does on May 8th at the conference meet.

Neil Diamond is in town tonight. I've seen him twice a long time ago and he really puts on a good show.

Bob Schieffer is retiring from CBS News at the age of 78 with around 50 years of service. He flies under the radar because he isn't flashy and just tells the truth like he sees it. I'm sure he would have rather starved to death than ever work for the clown circus at Fox!

One out of three games has been cancelled already at Wrigley Field. I say the same thing the first week of April every single damn year. Why do they schedule baseball the first two weeks in northern cities? Half the games get cancelled and the crowd nor the players find it entertaining in 30 some odd degree weather sitting next to one of the Great Lakes. Who makes that decision every year? Probably the same guy sucking up the leaves and letting them get washed back down the drain!

Later

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

It's A Hot Chocolate Night

It's winter like cold out so we made hot chocolate tonight. The forecast seems good though so maybe this is it for the damp thirty degree days.

The Cubs won today on a chilly day at Wrigley Field but the Bulls lost despite the return of Derrick Rose. Time will tell on both of these teams.

It was a big day for Milwaukee as they unveiled a 1 Billion dollar entertainment district for the city which included a 500 million dollar new basketball arena. I will be surprised if the State Legislature will let this happen as they really despise Milwaukee. They're a bunch of clowns who won't be happy until everyone is working on the old minimum wage standard as they receive kickbacks from the state's old industrialist crowd.

It was 87 years ago that Ernest Hemingway stopped in Key West for a few days to take delivery of an automobile. The vehicle arrived later than expected and Hemingway ended up staying on the island for ten years. His home is now a museum and is a must see on any Key West visit.

Stay warm!

Later

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Bad Monday's

Yesterday should have been a glorious day in the Badger state and it started out that way. A beautiful sunny morning but it started going downhill fast in the afternoon. The Brewers just got slaughtered and more fans were outside tailgating than inside the stadium at about the halfway point. Then the Badgers lose the championship game in the last 5 minutes and it started raining with nobody celebrating in the streets.

Coach K was just brilliant in winning his 5th title. The game came down to coaching and he out coached Ryan plain and simple. No slight to Ryan as Coach K is just that good in big games.

Coco and I went to the track today. He did fairly well for the first hard workout with the first meet a little over the month away.

Bloodline has been renewed for another season. I still haven't seen the series that was filmed in the Keys but it's getting rave reviews.

I made a crockpot roast today. It still has an hour to go but it sure smells good. Maybe I should go to chef school!

Later

Monday, April 6, 2015

The Badger Buzz

It's anybody's game at halftime. Most of Milwaukee is watching the game. Duke won't be a pushover. Coco and I parked blocks away as everyone seems to be in our neighborhood.

Krissy is feeling a bit under the weather today. She did make her first selling transaction though today on EBay.

A big kudos for Switzerland being the 33rd country to visit the blog. Thank you so much!

Legendary musician, B.B King is in the hospital. Wishing you a speedy recovery. At 89 years old you still have some great music in you.

Still no Jimmy Buffett announcement yet for the Alpine Valley date. Come on Jimmy, announce it soon please. I know there isn't an Indianapolis show this year and you have been cutting back on the dates a bit. But you played a free sidewalk show a couple weeks ago in Havana with just a guitar and a mojito. Come back to the Badger state please????

Later

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Easter And Opening Night

What a game last night as the Badgers beat Kentucky in a great game to go to the championship game tomorrow night. People poured onto the streets right after the game and the police put up barricades so fast it wasn't funny. Expect more of the same monday night and it's opening day for the Brewers in the afternoon.

The Cubs just opened up the baseball season a few minutes ago. The Wrigley Field bleachers are still under construction for another month and it's a truly weird site. It's time like these that I miss my season tickets.

I'm so full. Two dinners today and I'm stuffed. Going to kick back and watch the game. Go Cubs Go!

Later

Coco and Simone

Looking Sharp

What's that???

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Good Luck Badgers

It's going to be a crazy night in Milwaukee. The Duke-Michigan State game starts around 5pm followed by the Badgers-Kentucky game. My neighbor played for Coach Rizzo at Michigan State about 20 years ago so no doubt who he is rooting for.

Congrats to Dom for his recent college award. Keep up the good work!

Thanks to everybody at the Ale House last night as a good time was had by all. Five Card Stud put on a great show last night and had a bundle of new songs. We actually made it past midnight which made it tough to go grocery shopping this morning. Stay safe tonight and don't overturn any cabs if the Badgers win!

Later

3 wild & crazy guys at the Ale House

Big congrats to Dom for his Certificate of Excellence award at UWSP!

Friday, April 3, 2015

Bad Statues

There's no shortage of ugly statues out there. The Fonzi statue in Milwaukee near the river is under 5 feet tall and he's wearing green pants. Today, I saw a picture of the Lucille Ball statue in Jamestown, NY, her hometown and it's down right hideous. There's already a petition to replace it with a new one and I can understand why. Totally hideous!

The temperature dropped like a rock today and it's about 30 degrees with a chilly wind. The weekend looks good though.

Tiger Woods is playing in the Masters Tournament after all. Hopefully he makes a strong showing as the man has took a beating the last 5 or 6 years and it's time he came up for some air.

Krissy and I had lunch with Jim at the Riverwest Filling Station today. A pretty good burger and we'll have to go back. After that I took the Ford to a car wash and it looking like new, almost.

Tonight we are heading to the Ale House with John and Angela to see Five Card Stud. Hopefully, nobody takes a bad pic and uses it to make my statue. Stay safe!

Later


Thursday, April 2, 2015

J.B. Was Great

It was a long night as we stayed up and watched the Jimmy Buffett concert on the internet, live from the San Carlos Theater in Key West. He played his 27 song set list then did another 3 for an encore all the time telling stories about the songs that he wrote while living in Key West. He'll go down in history as perhaps the biggest Key West legend, even bigger than Ernest Hemingway I predict and I'm a huge Papa fan. The Hemingway museum is a must stop for anyone visiting Key West.

Only 3 days away from opening day for the Cubs. Monday is opening day for most teams and coupled with the NCAA Championship game it will be quite a sports day.

The Ford Escape is back and running good. With 93,000 miles, it feels almost new now.

We hit 55 degrees by the lake today and all the snow is gone on our block. Last year it took until the 8th so we're ahead of schedule. We walked to the Italian grocer then to the Roman Coin for a cocktail.

Krissy is making a pork loin in the oven right now as I'm munching on Italian bread as an appetizer. I'm looking at my grills as I type. Yes, I have 2 set up and they look lonely. It's almost time my friends, be patient!

Later

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

No Fools Today

No April Fools jokes today but Coco played a few on the kids at school. They were pretty bad so I won't dignify them here. We did see a turkey on the walk home from school though. Seriously, it almost ran into us. I've never seen a turkey in the city. Deer yes but turkeys no.

It's the Jimmy Buffett concert night in Key West tonight. I'm sure the Beach Party near Salute at Higgs Beach will be something else!

Coco is getting ready for spring track at St. Marcus. The new athletic director is really doing a great job getting more students involved in more sports.

Cynthia Lennon passed away today in Spain. She was married to John Lennon of the Beatles before he became famous.

Derrick Rose is participating on contact practices for the Chicago Bulls and looks close to returning. A lot of people in baseball are upset that Kris Bryant will play the first 12 games in the minor leagues to keep his contract reasonable 6 years from now. It's complicated how it works but understandable. There's some hard feelings now but a couple of World Series Championships will heal that!

Later