Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy NYE

Krissy made a great dinner and we're getting ready to go out. Traffic is nuts in our neighborhood and parking at a premium. Tomorrow will be just as busy just before a busy weekend. Normal won't begin to Monday!

NFL Hall of Famer Doug Atkins passed away yesterday. All the old timers will swear that he was the best defensive end ever. He actually has the season sack record but technically he doesn't because sacks weren't a statistic until the early 80's. They went back and watched the tapes and old Doug had around 22 in a shortened season. You know he was a tough guy when his fellow team members said ick Butkus was only the second toughest guy on the Bears in the 60's. Another Chicago icon and legend that will be missed. Thanks for being a Monster of the Midway!

Thanks to everyone for reading the blog again this year. Today completes my second full year as I started on January 1st in 2014. So many wonderful people from over 40 countries have been so kind and I wish you all a heartfelt Happy New Year for 2016.

Stay safe out there!

Later

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Auto Correct

It's the night before the NYE storm but you would think it's tonight in Milwaukee. Tons of people out even with poor parking options thanks to terrible snow plowing in the city. Everyone is complaining about it. There's tons of spots but you just can't maneuver over the ice bergs and they are too heavy to move by hand.

Nothing but problems today. I had a insurance bill to pay and it was like an hour plus fiasco. Nothing irritates me more than a company making it difficult for a person to actually give them money. You'll never see that problem in Vegas!

I turned off my auto-correct feature on my phone. It was driving me nuts and always correcting words that didn't need to be corrected. Especially cuss words!

Anyway, I turned it back on after an hour. It seems much more useful after that experiment without it. I'll never be confused with Steve Jobs!

Later

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The Aftermath

My back hurts. Shoveling the wet snow this morning was pretty tough as it was heavy. It was a total mess out there while driving around today and parking is tough. Hopefully they get the roads cleaned up better tomorrow although it appears more snow is in the forecast.

I heard the worst song ever today on satellite radio's 70's channel. Puppy Love by Donny Osmond. How he ever had a career after that hot mess is beyond me.

No formal NYE plans yet but I'm sure it will work itself out.

Drive safely out there!

Later

Monday, December 28, 2015

It's An Ice Storm

We started off with about 3 inches of snow now it's just freezing rain coming down. Our road looks like a giant ice sheet.

Meadowlark Lemon passed away yesterday. I saw the GlobeTrotters as a kid and we stopped after the game for a burger at a fast food joint. The GlobeTrotters stopped in ten minutes later and I met and talked to all of them including Meadowlark. A terrific guy as all of them were. Tired and hungry they signed autographs for the whole crowd. A truly class act. He was legendary!

Speaking of a class act that can't be said for Clay Matthews. I watched the Packers game yesterday and Clay Matthews reached down to help Carson Palmer up but abruptly pulled his hand back. Palmer threw a touchdown pass a minute later. I did something like that my junior year of high school. My coach made me write a letter of apology and hand deliver it the next day. Told me if I did anything like that again I'd be off the team. Nothing will happen to Matthews though but he's a punk in my book.

An excellent holiday party Saturday night. I won a bottle of Mad Dog in the booze exchange. It's bright orange in a cheap bottle and it's on reserve for our summer party. It's going to be iced down and served in shot glasses. Heck, maybe I should just put it outside today!

Later


Saturday, December 26, 2015

The Bavuso Party

Such a busy day and we're getting ready for the Bavuso holiday party. Michelle and Gary always throw a good bash and having it after Christmas this year was a great idea. The booze exchange is often hilarious and somebody will be lucky if they get my gift which I won't disclose until tomorrow!

A belated Happy Birthday to Mr. Jimmy Buffett. He was born on Christmas Day which has to be a bit tough!

Football tomorrow and I'm not sure if I even care that much.

My pants are almost finished in the dryer and I gotta run!

Stay safe.

Later

Friday, December 25, 2015

Coffee Drinks On Christmas Day

We made some excellent coffee drinks today on a lovely and warm Christmas Day without any snow. It was definitely one of the warmest Christmas Day's that I can ever remember!

Coco patted my stomach and suggested that maybe I should consider doing P90X again. He's probably right!

Krissy gave me a lovely 1935 picture of Wrigley Field during their World Series against Detroit. It's much the same yet different.

We gave Coco a television for his room. We somehow lost our WII which we had packed up during some rearranging. Then all of a sudden Krissy remembered where it was and it's all hooked up and we've been playing all day.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and good tidings to all!

Later

Thursday, December 24, 2015

A Merry Christmas Eve

It's always a busy 24th. From last minute shopping, to church, to eating and spending time with family members. We woke up early and dropped off Coco then out to Krissy's moms and we just got back. Thank you to all for such a nice day!

I see where Robert Downey Jr. received a Christmas Eve pardon stemming from his troubles back in the 90's. I guess being Iron Man really did payoff!

Hitting the hay! Have fun tomorrow everyone!

Later

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Don Julio Coma

You have to love the Holiday season. Krissy tried out here new Don Julio last night in some of her homemade margaritas. It's her own recipe through trial and error and it's pretty darn good. Anyway, she slept well last night. Much better than me!

John and I went to Jack's Pub for lunch around 2 then met the girls at the Roman Coin for happy hour with the puggles Frank and Pete. Such a great afternoon then when Coco came over I grabbed him and we played 3 games of pool. He had a blast and he thinks we should do that every Wednesday night!

Then home eating leftovers and watching Adele Live from New York for the second time. I've heard a lot of great singers and entertainers in my time but I have to say she just might be the best there ever was at the ripe old age of 27. Such a talented and likeable person also. I don't say that lightly as legends such as Sinatra, Dean Martin and Etta James were fantastic and legendary. But, she just might seal the deal for generations to come she's that damn good!

I'm making tea and going to bed. Coco just asked if he could play video games and fall asleep on the couch. Sure, why not, it's Christmas time!

Later

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Red Arrow Park

Somehow ice skating at Red Arrow Park is now open and I saw people skating. It's supposed to be 50 plus degrees tomorrow tying a record for the most 50 plus days in the month of December ever in Milwaukee.

The Bulls are losing to bad teams now and it's starting to look ugly. Baseball season can't get here fast enough.

I'm stuck on two shows right now. The Curse of Oak Island and Chasing Hitler both on the History Channel. The Hitler show is really very interesting with ex CIA people investigating his death and FBI classified documents where they obviously didn't think he was dead neither and believed he was living underground in Argentina.

Anyway, shopping is all done. Yay!!

Later

Monday, December 21, 2015

Officially Winter

It's officially the winter season but I didn't even need a coat today and it's only getting warmer this week. No snow in the immediate forecast neither.

The 5 Card Stud show saturday night at The Knick was fantastic as always. They threw in a few Christmas songs that I've never heard them perform before. Very nice and the keyboard guy gave us a free concert DVD. They've been around for 20 years and they are certainly a hard working band.

Lindsey Graham dropped out of the Presidential race today. He was never really in it and his mantra is throwing a ton of our troops in the Middle East to solve all our problems.

Milwaukee lost an icon this week in Safe House founder Dave Baldwin who just sold it this past summer after 50 years of running this unique and fabulous joint. His spy theme was definitely 007 James Bond inspired and it's a star attraction in the city. I've never seen anything like it anywhere including Las Vegas. It's a barrage of small rooms, bars, secret rooms and specialty drinks. It lasted 50 years and the Marcus Corporation will leave it unchanged lasting another 50 years I'm sure. He will be missed!

Later

Illinois Day

A busy day in Illinois but everyone had a great time at my sister Sharon's house. My Dad and Dee leave for Arizona on thursday and will settle in for the winter even though we're going to hit higher temps here again. I'm sure January will be hard month here in Milwaukee.

The Bears got beat up pretty good today. Not fun to watch but everybody is clamoring for baseball season already with all the Cubs big moves.

It's going to be a busy Christmas week. At times it gets exhausting with all the places and events we have to go to. Power on!

Later

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Four Minute Blog

Such a busy day and so pressed for time. Up early taking Krissy to her spin class then running errands all day. I did make it to Otto's Beverage Center for a Cannonball. It's a Captain Morgan rum in a cannonball for a gift. If I had my way I would give a cannonball t everybody as a gift. The heck with boots and sweaters and video games.

Coco had a birthday/skating party to attend. He never skated before but held his own. He grew an inch the last couple days and his shins hurt before skating. Maybe there's a couple more coming!

Off to The Knick with Angela and John to see Five Card Stud. Then up early to visit relatives in Illinois. It's that time of year and if something important in the world happened today then I missed it!

Later

Friday, December 18, 2015

Moe, Larry, Cheese

I said the above referenced title to Krissy last night and she had no idea what I was talking. No idea! Naturally, everybody else knows that it's a line from a 3 Stooges episode. Everybody knows that!!!

There's a Broadway musical coming out in 2017 based on the music of Jimmy Buffett. His venture titled 'Don't Stop the Carnival' didn't do so well. It was based on the Herman Wouk novel which was among Jimmy's favorite books. I have a copy but it's still in my to read pile. Maybe I'll start that one next. Wouk also wrote the Caine Mutiny.

I saw on television this morning that they have a new 'earthquake' bed out. It actually folds up like a box with you in it if you press a button and it saves you from falling debris. It actually looked more dangerous than an actual earthquake!

I see where Congress passed a bill to allow U.S companies to export oil. We finally produce more than enough oil for our own use and now we're sending it overseas so oil companies can make more money internationally, lower the supply here and gauge us again. Gas prices finally went under 2 bucks a gallon and these clowns in Congress wouldn't let their oil buddies down. Say hello to a 3 handle again next year folks!

Later

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Steve Miller Flying Like An Eagle

Another busy day but I was glad to see Milwaukee native Steve Miller finally inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. His godfather is Les Paul the Waukesha legend who was the innovative leader for everything guitar. They played together in some bars in the very neighborhood I live in.

Cheap Trick is also getting inducted. Ironically, their original lead singer Xeno who quit just before their first album release plays in the local bars in Milwaukee. He's quite good also.

I attended Coco's Christmas Pageant today. That school really has some fine singers and a new drumming corp. A marvelous job by all and a very fine event.

I just entered a contest to win 2 tickets to Jimmy Buffett's NYE concert in Brooklyn, NY. Why not? We don't have any plans yet!!!

Later

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

I Stepped In It

Yep, I stepped in dog crap this evening and I'd like to give a big shout out to the idiot who didn't pick it up. The shoe part wasn't that hard to clean up but unfortunately I was in the Jeep before I noticed it. What a mess!

Bo Ryan won his last basketball game and promptly retired. He was coming off 2 Final Four appearances in a row but this team wasn't nearly as good this year. He was planning on going the entire year then walked it back and talked about next year. I guess he felt it was time and a mighty fine career at the University of Wisconsin so congrats on going out with a win.

The Federal Reserve Bank finally raised rates a quarter point. This should be the start of some gradual increases after 8 years of low rates. Rates are still historically low so don't panic my friends!

We went shopping at the mall tonight. Not too crowded. I'm thinking a lot of people are online shopping this year. If not then you might want to panic about that!!!

Later

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

The Debate

I finally tired of watching the debate. Not one of those people seem like a decent human being except Kasich. Not all of them are currently in Congress but I saw that the congressional approval rate is 16% and you can certainly see why as it's a sad lot of human beings.

St. Marcus extended their winning streak and Coco started and played a good first half. A few traveling calls and sloppy play in the second half but 6th grade basketball is certainly entertaining and they play so hard with excellent sportsmanship.

I went to the post office again today. The workers are great and helpful but the people in line are obnoxious.

Later

Monday, December 14, 2015

Adele Is Coming

What a busy day. An oil change, bed bath and beyond for Krissy, post office, UPS, basketball practice and some writing. I knew I was tired when I walked to the back door and tried to open it with the car fob!

On the news today I heard coat sales were way down. They'll practically be giving them away after Christmas which at this rate is when it might get cold. It was in the 50's here today and I saw tons of people without a coat. I'm talking short sleeve t-shirts. Last year it was single digits I believe at this point!

Cherry trees in the D.C area are even blooming. I'm hoping I can still get cherries next year.

Big game for Coco and the Mustangs tomorrow night as they put their 2 1/2 year unbeaten string on the line!

Adele just announced her North American tour. The closest dates to us are in Chicago and St. Paul where she opens. I noted that she plays in Arizona in the middle of August very close to Angela and John. She plays indoors so maybe I could ignore the 110 outside!

Later

Saturday, December 12, 2015

12 Bars of Christmas

Leave it to Milwaukee to think of great festive pub crawls. Today was packed by 11am with people dressed up for the 12 Bars of Christmas sponsored by 12 bars naturally. I'm just wondering if anybody actually makes it to all 12! That's the goal for most people but it's hard if you're having a lot of fun at one particular place to leave. It was mid 40's and foggy for the entire day today. That's ok though. As I recall it was single digits early December last year.

I'm getting the itch to make my own Chex mix. I like to sauce it up some and lately I've read that the original recipe had lime juice in it.

The Bears play Washington tomorrow. We shall see.

It looks like Jenny and Joe are coming over tonight and we're heading to the Up and Under to see King Solomon play.

Dinner looks to be good tonight. We're having a ribeye as I had a hunkering for a hunk of red meat!

Later


Friday, December 11, 2015

Heyward Signs

Jason Heyward signed with the Cubs today for slightly less money than he could have signed for at a couple other places. The Cubs are just stacked offensively now and a pretty good staff. I can't wait for spring training to start!

We stopped at Spitfire for a happy hour party. I kept my eye on the tv and watched the Warriors stay undefeated in overtime.

 Other than that a pretty uneventful day. Possibly seeing King Solomon tomorrow night.

Later

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Hoverboard

I was going to buy Coco a Hoverboard for his birthday in January then I see where the batteries are exploding and burning down houses so it looks like I'll be shopping for something different now.

The Cubs are making a hard push for Jason Heyward. A tremendous young player and the free agent market isn't very strong next year so it looks like the Cubs are trying to strike while the iron is hot.

It was 17 years ago that the Space Station was launched and set up in orbit. Since then hundreds of people have been in it. I will never be one of them. I've never had a desire to go into space or go scuba diving. I like to breathe naturally I guess. I've skydived twice in my life. Believe me, I was breathing just fine hoping on the way down that it wouldn't be my last breathe.

We hit 57 degrees today but a terrible wind storm brewed up later in the afternoon. I'm not complaining though. Unseasonably warm is certainly an understatement.

Happy hour at Spitfire tomorrow for Krissy's work. If you can find me there I'll buy you a drink!

Later


Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Boss Is Coming

It's been a busy day and the whole house smells like pork. Krissy slow roasted one in the crockpot today and it was delicious.

The weather remains great as we hit 50 degrees today. It's been the warmest December I can ever remember 9 days into the month. We hit a record for November and October also.

It's official. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are making a stop in Milwaukee in March. We might have a conflict depending on Arizona plans if we can afford to go. Ironically he plays in Arizona March 10th. I'm waiting to see if he plays a stadium summer tour also. I've seen him many of times but it's been about 5 years it seems but I did see him twice during that tour.

Later

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Anglin Brothers

You know it' a weird wild day when a guy like Dick Cheney won't even stand up for Donald Trump and his whacky mouth. Trump still looks like the favorite to win the GOP and even if he doesn't he'll run as a third party I predict.

The Cubs traded Starlin Castro to the Yankees for a decent pitcher and signed free agent Ben Zobrist who can play just about every position. I'm going to miss Starlin but in Theo I trust because he's turned the Cubs around very quickly.

I watched a new special on the Alcatraz prison escape on the History Channel I believe and it was a good one. There's some decent proof especially photographs that an expert believes to be the brothers long after the escape living in Brazil.

Apparently, they body surfed using stolen cables hooked to the midnight guard boats rudder and made their way to shore quite easily. Get this, there was a witness at the time who saw people coming ashore in Frisco but he was quickly dismissed as not being reliable. The U.S Marshall in charge looked at all the evidence and concluded on the photograph evidence that he believed it to be the Anglin Brothers, John and Clarence living in Brazil. The FBI had received tips that the brothers were living there 3 years after the escape but never followed up due to extradition laws. Fascinating stuff!

Later

Monday, December 7, 2015

Pearl Harbor Day

Pearl Harbor happened on this day in 1941. My friends mother was actually born that very day. There's still a few vets around from that day and they are all in their 90's.

There's a new snow leopard in the Milwaukee Zoo. He should love this weather and I'm sure the snow will come soon!

Summerfest has a new 5 day pass special that costs the same as a 3 day pass. I think we'll jump on that deal. Last year we paid twice as much for the season pass and went 7 times but the lineup wasn't particularly strong for us so we'll try the 5 and see how that works out.

The Cubs re-signed Trevor Cahill after a stron October showing. I feel good about the team even if they don't make another move. Sometimes you're best move is the one that you don't do.

All the talk lately about the Iowa Caucuses. An awful lot of importance placed for about 122,000 that actually vote. It can make or break a candidate and as far as I'm concerned it's an antique of a way to vote if it even made sense back then. You actually have to show up at a person's house, hang around the entire evening then stand up and announce your vote. Really???? What jackass invented this method, Donald Trump!!!

Later

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Sinatra 100th

We just drove back from soccer practice to catch the end of the Frank Sinatra 100th Celebration concert. Good thing I taped it. It looks great from what I've seen so far. One of my few regrets in life. I had a chance to see him in Chicago but I did something else and figured I'd catch him next time in town. There was no next time!

The Bears blew a big game today that they should have won. The kicker blew two field goals today and he's been struggling this year. Not sure if they'll draft one this year or not but I'd consider it.

Coco and I watched the game at the new Rosati's and had pizza. It was a great afternoon until the overtime.

Enjoy your week!

Later

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Beyond The Sea

We watched a Kevin Spacey movie today called Beyond The Sea. It's about the singer Bobby Darin. A very interesting movie. His older sister was actually his mother. Unfortunately he died at age 37 with heart problems. I never knew he was the first singer that made Mack the Knife into a really big hit.

The Cubs signed John Lackey to a free agent contract. He's been a solid pitcher and his playoff record is outstanding. Nice signing!

Character actor Robert Loggia passed away at the age of 85. He was fabulous in Scarface.

Last night was fun. The girls love the Amy Schumer show. David, Gary and I hung around the house then we all went to The Standard across the street. Unfortunately Steve couldn't make it last night. The life of a UPS driver is no joke in December!!!

Later

Friday, December 4, 2015

A Schumer Friday

Amy Schumer is in town tonight at the Bradley Center. The girls are going while the guys hit a bar or two. Should be interesting.

The Packers pulled out a last second win last night on a Hail Mary pass. It sure silenced the Detroit crowd.

The officially rescheduled their October concert for March. Tickets actually went on sale last October. So, for people who bought them right away it will be a 17 month lag until the actual concert. Somebody is having fun sitting on all that cash.

Coldplay was announced as the Super Bowl halftime show. I actually saw them at the Rave in 2001 before they were huge and they are a great band and I've seen them since.

Stay safe and happy tonight!

Later

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Busy Day and A Big Game

Oh what a game! Coco started and played 29 minutes. Scored a real nice bucket at the end with stingy defense again. He missed his two free throws in the second half though. We had a little talk about that as we worked on it all summer and he changed his second shot after missing the first which he did last year without good results. They won big though and he had a ton of fun. A little winded playing all those minutes so he'll be doing some running on Saturday!

We're cleaning house and watching the Packers game. The crew is coming to see Amy Schumer tomorrow night.

It looks like Tiger Woods might miss the upcoming golf season. Nerve damage to the back is slowing him down and he's had a couple procedures. Right now he's just limited to walking. Once the knees gave him problems he seemed to change his swing a bit and messed up his back. Now he's a big underdog when he plays and if he ever plays again. I'm betting on a decent return and maybe taking off next year would be a blessing. Gotta keep rooting for the old guys!

Later

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Foggy Memory

Holy cow! I completely forgot my blog yesterday. I once ran for 6 1/2 years every single day until one day I just forgot. Last night we had a basketball game and St. Marcus won. Coco played his best game ever making a tough bucket surrounded by 3 guys and his defense was astounding. Some kid became a little frustrated and grabbed his shirt and Coco actually threw him down to the ground. No foul called by the refs and you gotta love that!

The Downer Theater turns 100 this month. It's another classic gem just small but does a great business. I plan on going there to see Trumbo as it looks like an astounding movie.

Saw part of a special on the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. They actually installed a net under part of it to minimize worker's falling to their death. Note that they stressed minimize not eliminate. Corporations are always about dollars and sense and never about heart and souls!

Later