The Iron Dream +++ Written by DL

The Iron Dream- 2006 Trivia Championship

Salerno’s was again the site for the trivia championship, as J&B would attempt to avenge the results from the prior two seasons. Live music provided by Ben & Zach (and that would be Zach Benkowski on drums and vocals). Buffet provided by Salerno’s (good grub, though not always replenished on a timely basis).

J&B represented by: Chemical Man, Stix, Hilts, Peppys, Earlynurse and Lazers

The competition: Peeps, Salerno’s, Sally, Tank, Auntie Joannie, Mulligan’s Bar, and Chicago

Defending champs from Lansing Floral- not in attendance.

Hilts's pick for favorite lady: Boots

Benkowski’s cameraman: I think it was the guy who played Eugene in the movie “Grease.”

First Half: All Kinds of Football/2006 Age of Death/Name That Tune

St Rita product who scored TD against Eagles in 2001 playoffs?
NFC team was 1-15 in 2001?
Age of death for Shelley Winters?
1984 playoff game against Redskins- Dunsmore catches TD pass from whom?
Former Bear coaches at his former grade school at 66th & Kildare (name Bear or school)?
Bears were wildcard team in 1979, 1990 and 1994- name wildcard opponents and winner of game?

An early trend for the football category was questions along the lines of “Rams record after 5 games this year.” Fortunately, that trend soon ended.

In both halves, teams seemed to jump on the Name That Tune category (for which the team would have to guess the song being played by Ben & Zach) and did relatively well, despite Ben & Zach.

Despite a good first quarter run for J&B, primarily fueled by Name That Tune, scores at the half: Chicago 1050 Mulligan’s 780 Auntie Joannie 560 Salerno’s 520 J&B 440 Sally 410 Tank 240 Peeps 80

Second Half: Sox & Cubs/Around Chicago, NW Indiana & World/Name That Tune

World’s longest river, over 4000 miles?
Height of the Eiffel Tower, within 16 feet?
Cubs’ series record in the post-season since 1946.

Long-distance throw pits J&B against Chicago. Without the tiled floor of TC Pub to assist measurement, Benkowski pulls out the tape measure. J&B is 19 inches away…Chicago is 20 inches away. J&B gets the points.

Scores going into final question: Mulligan’s Bar 1880 Chicago 1320 J&B 1180
Sally 1080 Auntie Joannie 720 Peeps 650 Salerno’s 620 Tank 340

Teams allowed to choose their final category:
-Better Known As (Benkowski provides real name, teams guess name better known as)
OR
-Birth/Death Years

Four teams select each category. J&B selects Birth/Death Years (as does Mulligan’s and Chicago).

J&B wagers 981- enough to beat 4th place Sally by 1 if they double their score.

Birth/Death Years: within 2 years, list either the year of birth or year of death for each of the following: Selena, Nancy Walker, Curly Howard, Bill Bixby and Kurt Cobain?

Better Known As: what are the better known names of the following: Mary Collins, Dwayne Johnson, Marshall Mathers, Helen Abu, Jerome Silverman?

I didn’t catch specifics, but I think 4 were needed to win wager.

Gentlemen?

Part II

J&B guesses: Selena (died 1993), Walker (died 1990), Howard (died 1953), Bixby (died 1987), Cobain (died 1994).

First half answers:
Ahmad Merritt
Carolina Panthers
85 years old
Walter Payton
Dennis Lick teaches at St Mary Star of the Sea (good answer from Pat on this one)
1979- Bears lose to Eagles
1990- Bears defeat Saints
1994- Bears defeat Vikings

Second half answers:
Nile
984 feet
1 series win and 4 series losses

Final:

Tank- 340- Birth/Death: guesses Selena died 1992 (no), Walker born 1920 (close enough), Howard died 1952 (yes), Bixby born 1935 (close enough), Cobain died 1994 (yes)- 4 correct- wagered 340- double up to 680.

Salerno’s- 620- Better Known As: guesses Joan Collins (no), The Rock (yes), Eminem (yes), Helen Hunt (no), Jerry Seinfeld (no)- only 2 correct- wagered 600- down to 20.

Peeps- 650- Better Known As: guesses Mary Tyler Moore (no), The Rock (yes), Eminem (yes), Paula Abdul (no), BlahBlah Lewis (no)- only 2 correct- wagered 500- down to 150.

Auntie Joannie- 720- Better Known As: guesses Mary Tyler Moore (no), The Rock (yes), Eminem (yes), Erika Badu (no), ?? (no)- only 2 correct- wagered 720- thanks for playing.

Sally- 1080- Better Known As: guesses Mary J Blige (no), The Rock (yes), Eminem (yes), Helen Reddy (no), Jerry Lewis (no)- wagered 0- still have 1080.

J&B- 1180- Birth/Death: guesses Selena died 1993 (close enough), Walker died 1990 (close enough), Howard died 1953 (close enough), Bixby died 1987 (no), Cobain died 1994 (yes)- 4 correct- wagered 981- up to 2161.

Chicago- 1320- Birth/Death: guesses Selena died 1997 (close enough), Walker born 1910 (no), Howard born 1898 (no), Bixby born 1934 (yes), Cobain died 1994 (yes)- 3 correct- wagered 1199- down to 121.

Mulligan’s Bar- 1880- Birth/Death: guesses Selena died 1995 (yes), Walker born 1920 (close enough), Howard died 1952 (yes), Bixby born 1938 (no), Cobain died 1994 (yes)- 4 correct- boldly wagered 1880- up to 3760 and the 2006 Trivia Championship.

Correct Answers:

Birth/Death:
Selena (1971-1995)
Nancy Walker (1922-1992)
Curly Howard (1903-1952)
Bill Bixby (1934-1993)
Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)

Better Known As:
Mary Collins = Bo Derek
Dwayne Johnson = The Rock
Marshall Mathers = Eminem
Helen Abu = Sade
Jerome Silverman = Gene Wilder

Once again, J&B is the bridesmaid but not the bride…although J&B is the only team who had the bride….

Trivia night returns to TC Pub on January 4th.

Ben & Zach
Live Music for Any Occasion
For booking, contact Zach at 217-721-8434

edwardian but no army medic

Long extended early friday brunch party for a particular sisters birthday.............mom enjoyed it and i loved the food..........the two oldest nephews were missing, one in florida with his girlfriend ((( (scandel !!) and (she has him in school all year, why can't he stay @ home @ least on the break?) ))) and the other @ a volleyball tournement........................sat w/gf, #'s 1-3 neices, and 2 sisters.................................the 5 neices did some irish dansing, which we all appreciated......................the oldest one was out of practice and didn't want to do it, but did her duty (but its yr moms bday!! and what about gramma ???); the two youngest were the most eager to danse for the crowd.......................#2 neice is flying to the old sod in febr. for some competition or other............good: travel and the soul...............................so sayth this scribe here that 3 redoubtable and most venerable judges of danse were @ the show gossipping about all before them they were over heard to have stated collectively that: it was indeed the #3 neice that stole the show as Best Danser out of all of them.

Had a powerpoint show as part of the b-day presentation, and it was neat........lots of very old pictures from the 50's and 60's, of the family before me, and one of the only two three pictures that show out whole falimily to-gether..........my bro died in his early years and in my very early years, and cameras were not soemthing that we had a lot of around @ the time, so there's only a very few existing pictures of all eight of us. A bit of water damage or tape damage on then as well. The other picture i remember is a good one one of my young mom (well, she must have been 38 or so), and me thinking man i'm gonna look real olde one of these days.

Clashed quarters again on friday nitee wit teddy boyzee, but mainly let gf yabble away w/'im while i spaced out and had some supeen................................stories leaked through, of army medic, and actions done by him, @ a time earlier in that present nite : of karoke, and singing loudly proudly, of then slurrd banter with the youngsters, then repeated 'blind ears' to all calls to stop, finally, outkicked was he for all the fuss created...........wish id been there for that............my neice was sleep-overing @ coach goodkixx's daughter crib, so we responded to a call from #3 neice that we call up 'kixx and get him to go out .................did do that thing...............'kixx a no-show-though..............................taverns seem to be totally less smokey these days, even the last few years : its something i think about from time to time when im in a typically non smoky bar.........

hawks again

Went to Hawks game again, another win, on Tuesday 26 December ( I feel the duty to report every move I make here)..........................................went w/ #1 neice and #2 nephew..................easy to get student tix, very affordable, think ill go a lot this winters...............we sat in nice seats during last period.........................met up w/ balz again, but only ran into him inbetw 2/3 periods.....................another nice experience, and will be written up more fully in another blog @ another time

horrible cinema

gf and i went to see nite @ the museum, and boy did it suck...................................so bad...................

Here i am, twice to chexxx out

DOUBLE NEWS

1!!I have a baseball post on 26 Dec. and a football one 27 Dec.: both column type commentry

chexxxxxit out if only for the supernames I've tagged these double 'armoured' columns

2!!I have posted below what I did Xmas Nite. Quite new and exciting. Take a bite.

http://dachicagosports.blogspot.com/

Also, here is clowny clown clown, redunne (ego from meparts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsSx5NA6sXw&mode=related&search=

xmas day

Went to gfs family on Xmas

There were tonnes of adults and two small kids. There was a train set that made it easy to play with the kids, as well as being kool for me to play. Lots of good stuff to eat. We were there a long time ("first is to last as come is to go") but i had time to myseld to finish the front sectionof the NYT. That made me happy. Yes, rude. Made myself the duty of erecting the train set in the lib. this xmas season, so I had a bit of interest in this more expensive one. Ran round a track. No special heights, etc... Looked nice metallic, diff. from the plastic goodness I had running in the lib. But made it an easy toy to pay with the kids. Next day got me to thinking about children and specfically play. (I know, yet another rumination on children ? Is this the Oprah Blog ?).

Whenever I am around kids for any lenght of time, I notice I invariably start playing with them. Made me think about it, and came up with following thoughts. When sisters first had kids, the first duty of all adults was "force protection". Everything went into the safty of the children. For example, due to our families cheapness, we had never had air conditioning, but the minute the first kid was born, we got air to insure a comfortable house for visits/babysitting. Plus, the kids must be watched, by multiple adults, @ all times. Everything must be made safe. to this day, I am made nervous by open toilet seats in childrens houses, fearing a child may fall in. So first deal was always protection.

The second thing on the hierarchy of needs was simple play/interaction. However, what I think I recognize, @ least in my play and maybe my families play and maybe just inherent in all play: the importantance in interacting with the kids to take some of the pressure off of the parent. I recognize parenting as an immensily hard job (the hardest), and people need breaks. Breaks means refreshed parents who can be then more attentive to the child.

The third thing on the hierarchy of needs is higher order play/thinking. Play with them to make them stronger in higher order thinking skills. Talking and setting an example are important here.

I totally get into the "It takes a village" concept, being taught it by example. My nephews and neices always had the gaggle of adults hovering about: they still do. It has gotta be genetic. Funny how that stuff works. I was most interested in my thoughts about "adults/kid interaction in play" in the regenrative component of the thoery. At least it seems that there is a sense of 'duty' with me whenever I'm around kids. Kids can wear one out so quick, and i'm the laziest person bar none. Hmmmmm, haven't we covered this already in anothe post??

midnitemass

midnitemass

midnitemassmiddle

orangesharpiescripter

scribble written down

parish bulletin canvas:

"god-what a downer !!"

"get rid of this guy!"

"he's terrible!"

all written :

they must

not have

liked

this

mass

Lulu

Saw the play Lulu @ the Chicago Cenetr for the Performing Arts w/ gf Saturday nite. I'm no superplay person, but I do try and make it to some plays. This was a play that had its opening a while agoand i't registered with me then. After a tour of the country, it came back to give the chance to watch it.

It's based on the Louise Brooks 1920's character from such films as 'Pandora's Box'. I'm not going to go on about its background because i don not knew and i have a dentist appt. in 25m, so look it up yr self. However, Lulu was put out by the Silent Theatre Company of Chicago, and they did well. The conceit wasn't lulu, but the feel of a silent film being presented on stage. I'm sure other groups have done this through time, but this play ws top- notch. Gf and i were on a great great high after witnessing this play. We agreed it was the best play we'd ever seen in out 1 1/2 year to-gether, and we had hit a few. the olde agade of theathe is that only one of three plays generally are good, and less than that great. I'd second that %.

So : No dialouge. To begin and end the play, flickering light on and off, like the old film. Live piano, just like the film!! Colours all black/white/grey. Lots of whiteface. Lots of slap stick/physical comedy. Lots of dansing. And a good cast with characters, like the bald headed doctor, that are of that time and place.

The dominating figure, and what a figure , was Lulu. Think Louise Brooks in the day. I hate to admidt it, but I always love a play more when there is good eye candy. She was the best. beautiful girl. Great costumes to cover that wonder figure. The haircut. The dansing. the faked copulation. The faked oral copulation. The taking off of her panties (i'm sure she had a second pair there). The kissing of other sexy women. Just her overall sluttiness wonderess goodness. Yum. Loved it.

There was lots of dansing in the play. My second favourite character was Rodrigo, the obvious real danser in the group (his part had to some with the headline : DANCER NEEDED). He was one of her lovers by way of meeting in one of the productions designed for her. He was responsible for one of the funniest part in the play. After showing off hissuperior dansing @ all times during the play (like to get the part, get Lulu, show his superiority over the other men, etc..., he was caught (with 3 others) w/ Lulu by the jealous Dr. w/ armed with gun. All made their escape because the Dr. only had his murderous eyes for Lulu, but Rodrigo's retreat, sheepishly dancing off the stage, was a killer. Boy, I'm never not amazed by artists, whatever, their field.

Lulu= great.

Friday nite forgots

Gf and I went to the Local #1 Friday nite and ran into of that bars bigger characters. Gf and I spent a lot of time talking to Tedwardian, a 70 yo guy who i see up there on fridays nursing his beer for hours. A real nice guy who doesn't mind the 99.6% of the time when Freak shows up in our conversations. My favourite is to tell him about my bringing up a high class hooker to the bar, and when he turns around to see its always gf. he is amused.

Then, there's Army Medic. This boys WAAAAAAY out there. WAAAAAAY out. He gets plastered and sticks to the same several topics again and agian (yes, like me). But he's almost impossible to understand, is very demonstrative, and deeply draining to be around. Its just so hard if yr there more than 1/2h. Luckily, he was running about the crowded bar friday nite.

Also, found $20 !! I was able to make myself laugh big time when I got a round for gf, myself, Tedwardian, and Army Medic. I asked Army Medic what he wanted but his jabbering was too incomprehesionable (like my typical blog enteries) to be understood. So I went to the 'keep, jolly St. Nixx, and said " I want a cider, beers (?), and, I'd like to get him a drink but can't understand what he wants." St. Nixx knew.

Two Ciders. Stuuffed.

Saw two films this past week

Part of my effort to give meself time (see earlier post) is to watch films and beg not to be disturbed.............so................saw both wit gf @ the Mt. Greenwood crib..............

Tom's "War o' the Worlds", which we loved,

and

"Meet the Parents" which we loved

I know, you teevee hunkers, what took me so long, but thats the state of my life these days............ws concerned these films would not live up to billing, but gf and i are still doing word lines from the 2d, and im thinkg about the battle secnces from the first

Here come the Hawks/Section 8 / 500 goal scorer Peter Bondra

First hawks game o' the year, a good one that ended up 3-1, including Peter Bondra's 500 goal of his career (cool, to be part of the two standing ovations and the chanting of his name - more on that in a bit).....went w/ gf, #2 nephew and his friend, and, small world, ran into , well, ran into Balz (!!)..........he lives 'round there, and i got his # 'cause i wanna go to tuesday nites 6pm game and he mite as well (see post before and see what a hypocrite i am........just wait till Ithaca)...........game was good, crowd was into it, nice passing, goalies key saves, only had to pay $32 for 4 tix ($8 student tix for me -hey, im a grad student, rite??, 2 hs kids, and the VERY cool ticket guy left gf go as a student as well)..............hawks do sell $10 tix, by which method bals employed........fun, we'll see if the kids can go tuesday

also got 6tix fer 23 feb Bulls, 1/2 price (cheap seats, cost me $120 total), so the kids can also experience a bulls game..............took #'s 1 and 4 neices to an earlier game, and we'll see who goes this time (want #1 nephew , who is named after me, my god child, and i sponsered him for confirmation, to go, but he's also "college boy, so......)

#2 nephew wanted to go 'cause the Chicago Fire soccer teams cheering section (collectively know as 'Section 8' ) were going to be @ this hawks game (they have to gather in off season someway).............Section 8 is a lot of fun for the kids (well, for #2 nephew and #1 neice) because S8 acts silly, sings, chants but most importantly, i know, for the sense of community it engenders..................#2 nephew and #1 neice love going to fire games, and i realised this year especially, they REALLY LOVE TO GO TO FIRE GAMES, S8 is the reason......................S8 stands in the so called 'Harlem Stands" (so euro !!), which to me is a fucking drag, because of my swarmy nature, i like buy the cheap seats and sit @ the 50yd line to enjoy the game...................however, i know its very important to the kids, so we stand, chant, choregraphed clapps, fly fire flags that are brought in ((my favourite flag, i love to fly it, is the stylised city of chicago flag that has a 'hammer and sickle' looking thing on it)), rip up programs to throw when the fire score ( a holdover when they were tots and i was taking them, via the el, to soldiers field and they were too young to fully appreciate the game=throwing confetti was a fun kid thing they liked to do to keep'm occupied), get arrested (yes, once, last year, bogus deal, but i just love to spend nites in jail, beat the rap, so........), and gossip about the community......................S8 has leaders from the various groups who take turns leading...sometimes the chants and songs come up naturally from the mass, but the learders job is to incite and lead most of the times...........the diff groups have their rivalries, apparent to this somewhat outsider ("HEY, THIS OUTSIDER HAS BEEN STANDING IN SECTION 8 SINCE THE VERY FIRST, DON'T CALL ME AN OUTSIDER !!! HEY, I'VE BEEN ARRESTED FOR THE CAUSE, DON'T CALL ME AN OUTSIDER !!!") but its always a good show, even @ nadir times (the famous 'coward' chant in the early dark times of '05)..............

We have our favourite leaders:

The Most Glorious Leader of all, the one brushed by the grandeur of time and history, is, of course, "Specs", the drunken Polish guy who the leader in the early 1st 3-4 years (The Best, and whatever happened to him?.....Rumour has it that he got deported). We could never understand why he would start showing up @ halftime of games to start leading. I thought it was becuse of his star power, waiting to make his grand Mick/Morrissey entrance, but, again, as rumour has it, he'd be out in the pkg lot getting drunk on vodka..................damn................simply the best...

The gravelly voiced big Polish guy, extremely silly and who revelled in the sillyness, whose star shone brite, even brighter than Specs, but it crashed and dissappeared fast. You can still see him, shirtless, back to the camera leading the bouncing S8 in some fire commercials). All he left us was with the his phrase (depending on the time in the game ) , all deep and gravelly and horse : "LISTEN TO MEEEEE !!! : VEE ONLY HAVE 20 MINUTES TO MAKE DIS HAPP-PENN !!! "

The present favourite, Marcin (yes, Polish), who has been S8 from the beginning, and who I have shared a jail cell with), whose iconic phrase, when he makes his sudden rush- jump onto the leaders platform is "VAT ISS DEESSS ?!?! PEEK-NEEK?!?!* "

And then there are the ones that.................ah, they're ok.....................the only gringo on the list is Liam..he was @ hawks game last nite.....................now, the Bondra moments from the hawks game.....................i must admidt, im not that up on Hawks news lately (well, lately would mean............um.........15 years ??), but i did know we'd just signed a career 498 goal scorer who had one this year (#499).........and he scored to put us up 2-1 (lot of maple leaf fans there, by the way)..........the crowd gave him a minute standing, then another 1/2 minute, and then S8, in best S8 tradition, got the whole crowd chanting his name with the rythmic claps............very nice.......then @ end of game, S8 got the crowd to start chanting "U!S!A!U!S!A!U!S!A!", which was, well, silly, but @ the same time....................silly...............great night out, im glad this tired and worn out soldier was able to do it....................nice to see balz...........oh, and the hawk ice girls...............more on that another politically incorrect post @ another politically incorrect time.

..................................................................................

*= "picnic"

youbabynobodybutyou

Time to recover from the wear, finally here, time for me to be by myself, selfish..................it occured to me, this morn, that, finally, its ok to just say, this day, i do not want to talk/interact/hear from anyone, i want my time to myself, and if this seems is a wee bit selfish, its really not : the worlds most outgoing man (me) needs also to let the worlds most private man have sway, for the greater good of the world (think : the jungian duality of man- thanks private joker !!). Most know that the central battle of my 2 score is the job thing.....the classroom teaching thing was the hope for a long time, and i'd do well @ it now if i tried, but i scotched that plan of attack to score, and score gloriously, w/ the biblio. thing i'm presently in...........let me tell you, last year, in doing the biblio thing, i was secord and walter and #23 and karl heinz granitza and the entire starting lineup of the '05 Sox (((not to mention the '01, '06 '17, and shoutouts to the '72, '77, '83, '90, '93, '94, and '00 teams as well))) last year..............it was great, but i still found myself on the street @ years end ((i hear of their problems now..................heh heh heh heh.............)).......once again i'm in a really good place, the only place, really, the place i should be (thank you for the Love, jeane, one of the ultimate fighters for me, and i understand, the biggest), and its good.....................i believe that the world revolves on its axis better because of what i do rather than if i ws doing something else, and i feel just great about it; problem solved spectaculary, @ least for the time being (((my pos. is not perm., 'paid rite' and 'benefts' as it is)))................however, its very wearyingbecause i put my all into it = who couldn't, its so much fun and such the experience............however, i need to decompress, and have my time BIG TIME. In previous lives, I've been to Europe, by myself, what, 5x now? I used to travel to N side and do a little lp shopping, a used book pickup or two, a fast food meal, then el down home= a wonderful friday treat for my self............hell, i though i was strange in hs 'cause i used to walk some nites from my 'hood to the interfaces of other neighbouring 'hoods and amble fer hours ((( one drunken nite the old gf (saur kraut) shared secrets, and as the adult i was then laughed when i told her my ambles were considered secret @ the time- then we ex'd real secrets...........she's the only one who knows................)...............anyway, for me to be happy, i need my time---no i really need my time...............i canna be son and teacher and priest and worker and baker and handyman and friend and "talker to strangers who always talk to me on the street'' or even an uncle @ all times: i just get beaten, worn, torn and fray'd and have no effort left to shine when i can.............................................but it makes me feel guilty, like im letting down loved ones or not being like christ...............................told mom today,when she started to ramble on about something when my paper was in front of me , that......... ...i........just..... ....wanted..........to...........relax..........and ........not.............. ...................and i felt bad, but if i get no down time, im dead, i hate it, and i can't do what people love me for the grand majority of the time...............this is quite the pressing problem w/ gf, who insists on 7 days a week, despite my pleadings (((( and these pleadings started, yeeeesh, not the full year and a half, but maybe a year ago,)))). I, like a battalion of armed men, respond better for battle when i/it recieves some R and R..................i know i sound pithy, but i have an important role in the world (i know, i know) and i am determined to play it............................................................................which brings the biggest fear, and the reason for this long, selfserving post (no, this post is not done to glorify that 1990 Sox team)................this downtime thing, when one becomes a father, becomes impossible, which real fears me, because i really understand that, again, for this world to correctly spin on its axis, i need to be father............im kinda scared, but also realise 'context is everything' (or some dang king or other), and well, i've sorta solved the first overarching vexing prob. of my life, the job thing, @ least in a theorethical(sc) way. To return to the military allusions ; when that position(job) is fully taken and fortified w/ machine gun pits and supporting artillery, then the next advance can be made.....................................i do worry, 'cause its very important to me and im just not sure......................................................

"What : no officers?"

News last nite of the alleged massacre of Iraq civilians by our Marines turned my thoughts to one of the great works of war art (and great pieces of art period), the 10h wWW2 movie "Band of Brothers". The episode called "The Last Patrol" takes place in Feb of '45, @ a time when the U.S. armed forces were streched thin (not as thin as die Wermacht, but stress streched heavy none the less). A soldier returning from hospital is stunned to find that the unit he is being activated in is being run not by officers but NCO's. That's all about B.O.B. in this post. But...

From what I've read in NYT and seen on BBC, and I only had time to 65% it, seems that , yes, there were no officers in the unit involved @ the scene. The unit were led by two Staff Sgt.'s. Officers were involved only to cover up the incident.

It brings to mind many different things.

"What : No officers?"

Wouldn't it be nice if there were "officers" to lead our country? Bush ? Draft Doger who still supported the Vietnam War. 50m AMERICANS voted for that person. Horrible. We should ALL know better. Rumsfeld ? No one took that person seriously, correct ?? No, many AMERICANS do/did (good riddence, by the way). Clinton, Kennedy, Truman, Lincoln etc... : good riddence to all of them; not a true Patriot among them. America is the best, and we deserve better than people who pursue Anti-American policies like them. This war has made Haliburton a wealth of money. The rise in oil prices have made the families of Osama Bin Ladin and George W. Bush far richer than they were before. Hopefully the next president and the 535 congresspeople will work for the good of the country, and not for whatever they do work for. I guess we'll see.

"What : No officers?"

24 Iraqi's were killed. An 70 yr old man in a wheelchair (my mom, sans wheelchair?). Little kids (my neices and nephews?). Three concerned men who came over to see what was the matter (any concerned good American citizen?). Could any American kid actually do what they are accused of? My 20yo nephew has frenz he went to school that are in the military. Could my wonderful nephew actually take part in such an atrocity? My friend S. who I went to Grad school with (and Lanigans and Cubs games and...) was in Baghdad for a year. Can it be that these good people could be reduced to such barbism. No, its impossible....and its not. Our poor children, be they privates or Sgts. or whatever, are put into these horrible situations, to kill or be killed, and are scarred forever. No one could ever love America more than I, but I do not want our children put in these situation. And I'm not saying our kids in the Marines, if they are guilty, are not @ fault. But if our military is used, use it in a patriotic manner. I am a pacifist, nodding to my Catholic upbringing and being a Jesus Freak. But I also nod to my countries revolutionary past. The dilema in the Beatles "Revolution" ("But if you want destruction/ Don't you know that you can count me out/in") resonates with me. Don't lie to the American public and decieve us. Try to honour the label "American".

"What : No officers?"

Our military, our wonderful weapon of potential good, is being misused and overstreched. We needed soldiers in New Orleans; but they were in Asia, far away from where America needed them. We need soldiers in the neighbourhoods, in the schools, in humanitarian work in foreign countries. I know that officers are not above barbism, but I can only think that if officers were present-- officers the caliber of WW2 vet and Silver Star winner Maj. Richard Winters (I know, I know)-- that what the marines are alleged of doing would not happen. Instead, the powers that be have streched out military too thin, making them to weakened and ineffiecient to succeed in any mission.

fun with bugles is the rite way use it

Interesting stories on the writing of TAPS (good song) : well, same story, but...wit a difference

http://www.militaryfuneralhonors.osd.mil/intro.html

and

http://bands.army.mil/music/bugle/tapsperspective.asp

Thoughts on the school / Titanic connexion I can finally publish

There is that scene in "Titanic" near the end when the rich guys bodyguard warns that they better stop looking for the wayward wife and start concentrating on getting off the ship because (something to the effect of) 'things are starting to fall apart'.........I've always loved to use this allusion when describing the 'end of' period in a school before a vacation, be it Xmas (oops ! sorry ! 'Winter Break') or Easter (oops ! sorry ! 'Spring Cleaning') , or, of course, the big one, Pok-A-Tok (oops! sorry! 'Baseball Season'). What happens, especially @ the more challenged schools, is that the students start to take their vacations early-the more challenged, the earlier the vacation.

Totally stunned : when this first appeared to me. It wasn't the worst school I've ever been @ (it was the 3d worst), but the monday before Xmas they started to go. By Wednesday, I'd have 3-4 kids a class, so I'd just put up a sign on my door for the kids to go to Mr. M.'s, and we'd sit and chill the entire day. The kids enjoyed our company: they caught the friendship vibe about us. Kids like it when the teachers like each other. Good feelings always beget good feelings, unless 'jealousy rears its ugly head'.

This school, the one i'm @ now ?

I don't think a single kid has quit yet, and its late on a the Thursday.

Mr. M. and I were good frenz for the time we were colleagues, but he ended up moving to Cali. He had married a ghetto girl, and they would have vicious fites all the time. I hung @ their crib a lot: we'd go there after school, go downstairs to talk, jangle books, jackel looks, and the likes, then go upsatirs and play wit da kids. He had three, one born while we hung, and were very wilde. They were a lot of fun, and i miss the whole lot of them. Mr. M., i think, eventually got divorced

Mr. M. had the bad habit of never having money. Totally cash strapped, @ all times. I had to buy him drinks, food, etc... It was hard to say no, because i was rolling @ the time (no car, no bills, no mortage, no kids, cheap living = all into the bank). Worse ws the large cash lendings. I do not mind lending people $, as some know. Totally kool, since i know i'll get it back. But I had to lend this guy close to $2k @ times, and again and again. He eventually disappeared w/ $200 of mine. It's gone, and i'm fine wit that; he was a good friend otherwise.

Good luck, where-ever you are, M.

ready

steady

go !

double site saw'd to-day, doublepleasueplus good

double site saw'd to-day, doublepleasueplus good

rock doves, violent manuveres above 111th and pulaski look look look look look look

there!!! :

somthing big, must be an accipiter, alighting on the lamppost after not corralling breakfast

drv'g n. on pulaski, about 1 kilometer short of the midway line, the sun golding the entire broadside of the 8 car train sauntering slow east by northeast towards the loop

more , sure later, maybe, but getting up @ 5 am means extra time to blog.................!!

its not me, oh no, oh no no no, can't you see it must be, another scorpio ?

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/061213/K121311AU.html


from roxxxxxy muzak

was ist falsch?

so much werke to do do, and its mostly gettin' done, in my porfessional life @ least.........have to finish an app. to a nice north shore school (The north shore hs school, if you know the one what i mean- they have an opening), who would be very lucky to get me, but i doublt ill get the job, anbd would prefer a perm job rite here.........i really don't want to teach rich subarbarn kids, i'd rather stay in city and teach city kids (yes, i would, id rather).......plus, they love me here, and i love it as well.......im sure putting off my personal life again, much to the detrement of gf, but my guess is is that she would perfer i was unemployed and able to spend all moments with her................so forget work, mom, frenz, nyt, da bears, just forget it.........................or not.........must be a happy medium somewhere

last nite hung wit coach goodkixx and gf...............watched a football game i had no interest in 'cause goodkixxx wanted company, and im it.....................but had to ordeal him drunkly hitting on my girlfriend, until i just pointed it out, and he embaressingly stopped.............jackass, sometimes, goodfriend @ others

had two ciders, gf had BEER, not cider, 'cause Lanigans don't serve Magners

stupid nite, why do people have to act that way ???

Ithaca is coming..........

My favourite post of all time, ithaca, will be posted , but time has to renew me........i worked so hard on it, worked to try and balance reporting a random conversation with not offending everyone (except for the one person who is complimented in it)- and i mean a real fear of offending everyone and the fooking thing disappeared on me.........................i worked from 4.31p to 6.30, and it just........went..............and it was lyrical, it flowed, punciation(sc) and setting were good; it said what both of us wanted to say in that part of the post ((( i'm sure he won't mind, because the things he said im sure he wanted to convey to an audience @ large ( i have a blog, and i got his meaning........i think-- its that phone conversation we had saturday, bro- i liked it and i did good things wit it-hackneyed, im sure, but so what)))

it was a hard struggle to write, but in bewteen being offended, im sure most will enjoy..........and be offended...................i'll work on it, but back to regular stuff

just give me a fkg minute

wait, give me another 2 hours to complete the post ive been wkg on and has just been 70% erased!

ill never make/that/mistake/ again/ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

birthdays and bears

So, as it turns out, i can play the freak in many different contexts..........

on friday, i played @ the dapper man about town, full of confidence and the strenght of fury, making arrangements that i staked my 'good offices ' on and knowing that, like @ that place that pays me money for my spirit, my word carries something in the context that i'm in, i went to another birthday party sunday afternoon.

SO : woke up, cafe, walk BOLO fer an hour (i'll say it==dogs could not give a fucking shit about people = all they care about is other dogs, playing with other dogs, sniffing other dogs butts, snarling when jealous of other dogs att'n to its owners, etc.. ), and this after a tremper tantrum when i discovered that I could not get into stX's lib to update this blog, could not get into Z # 2's crib (kids had a sleep over), get into Z #1's (@ mass?) , nor fill up my slow leak tyre' cause "out of order"

then went to St. Valentines 60th b-day party (20y until mine !!!), which was @ a neighbourhood bar........(Quigleys's).....and val's friend was the owner (FREE dRINKS !!! FREE FOOOD !!! bears win!!!)................gardening was good, hester no TD's ( I watched every kick return ), and me loud as hell, which i took to be enjoyable for my frenz as per their comments when i walked up out of that place....................good time, new people, old people, all good (2 were cub fans)

But the comments, good comments meant in the best way and added to the glow in my heart, were

" man, that guys a freak"

Ole !!

sent by roxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6178659.stm

come on is such a joy / come on get in the car

Again, i rem. that i was doubleplustired in last posters, but i made it through the nite, yammering and chatting and worried that my wildewinters mode would just be too much for the peoples about me...................i dunno

But practice was after school (which i left an hour late: its nice ....etc............), and after yelling @ the girls ( the normal stuff: c'mon, lets go! or switch sides !! and, of course NOWWWWW !!! etc -isn't it a great thing to be a coach-and esp in that enviroment) i played, say 5m before i got too tired to play (and me/ cigerette free/for all this time)......

afters, i gave rides home to 3 of the boys, another 'duty' for the adults of the program; its also a duty of the kids, since i was dropped off many times when i 'bussed it back in the day'

then i went to the 2d best thrift store in the world, the one on 26th near pulaski, that has a great selection of books..............i didn't want to pile up too many, but i got about 15 ($4.60 !!)......i like to get books @ thrift stores and put them into the collectiom; its enables me to expand the collections fer cheap,, and the kids get a lot of expanded reading/studying options...........................once, joker said, in my deepest time of personal trouble ((i quit a gigg in-season once and decided the classroom was no place for me, and decided the library was the place for me)), that he always (did he say always??- i doubt it) thought i'd make a good librarian, and i do believe he was very rite-thank God.

before i went into thrift store, i wanted to change back from my shorts, soccer shoes, and Man U jersey back into my professional clothes that were bundled up in the back of the car...........i did it on a side street, rite in front of= what were they in that area, 2-6? Kings ?=whatever, they were obv. all ganged up....felt a little unease, but im pretty much @ home in most 'hoods here in city, so they must have realised, after sending out scouts on both sides of the street, that i was harmless.they were gone when i came back out........................

tried to connect w/ coach goodkixx on my way north..............he's from pilsen back in the day, and he has stunningly great gang stories (he was a good kid and 0% ganged up, but he grew up with it all around)............he's a bit of a character (A BIT ??? Wait, everybody i hang wit is a character in some way).........anyway, he wasn't home (he's 22d/damen), so i decided to stop for a tired killing coffee(well, it turned out to be a hot choc, wit lots of cream) @ jumping bean cafe,a favoured place, on 18th near blue island, where we will bring his kids and my neices & nephews when we can (some are frenz wit each other).........ran into a teacher @ my school, who was rapping wit a female..............i thought twice, said hello, then left them alone 'cause it looked like , maybe, a first date ?? ill see him monday and ask and tell him that's why i sat away away

sparred north up ashland, spotted a pkg space that turned out to be 1/2 m away from the party place (jakes), and went in.................it was full swing, with 10 or so of my people there

and a list :

B-day boy

Gunners

Guitars

The Rogers Park Bobsey Twins

Lord Snowden (of roger park)

The Newlyweds

Chartman

Dragon

and others , some left before me got dere mon..........

again, i was in a yammering mood, so i went on and on about the science fair, hawks, eagles, starlings, monk parakeets, the old neighbourhood, back to accipiters, etc..................me guess i was talking to much, but people didn't seem to mind...............i think

final, it seems a done deal....................trying to get an old fashion party going, and since i have no real rank (((BUT, AS THOSE IN THE KNOW KNOW, I FINALLY HAVE ASSUMED THE MANTLE OF..............................................WINTERS...........so yes, i have ultimate rank, in my soul and in my werkes, and the world is the better for it............say, check out my profile, updated 8-9x a week))) in certain areas, i had to dragoon gunners and joker into saying "yes, were wit you, we'll support yr plan for a perty" during the week==if they said no, then i wasn't going to lend Dragon support for this plarty plan of ours....................but, they fell in, and the next step was to get 2 of the other major players, Mr. newlywed and chartman, to fall in....

.....................here's the deal.......we 4 all have our b-days 'round the same time, and instead of going to a bar, we're going to have it @ dragons.............for me, it was ultimately this === i wanted to make sure, if i was going to put myself out in my very very very busy life, that people would respond and come to the party..............................i needed that initial support from gunner and lipton ((( these two are close to me, one closer than the other, but both deeply loved and deeply appreciated for all they have brought to my life==enriched it in many ways== to me and i have leaned on both in the past, but they have busy lives as well, busier than mine, really <> ))) to say "ok, i'm into it" =they gave it= the next step was approved when the other 2 b-days boys said "KOOL"..................................so, it's 99% sure that its to be 10 Feb, in the uptown neighbourhood(OOPS<>

the easy part comes next...................to gunners and joker i sent this ridicilouse pompous email basically begging them for their support, with lines like "we've been frenz for decades now, will you do this for me........please...........?"...................that part is over, and im hoping that my frenz will respond to the regular party call..........................so, readers, its 2m off, its a saturday, i'd like you to come......................i was gonna pull the "frenz fer 2 decades" on 2 other frenz to get them to go and use their good offices to pull in others, but maybe i won't...............one is great about making things and can be counted on (that would be gallo), and the other has a wonderfully social wife, so with a minimum of pressure i bet they'll go.....anyone else, y'll just be treated as normal party goers, but please do come.................if i may: ive been to so many of yr fucking tv shows, b-day parties, concerts, ass wipings, shit cleanings, ammoinia spill cleanups, picking through garbage dumps to glean copper to be resold in recycling centers, and stuck with you w/ counsel and i hope good cheer (((though i know i fucked up so and let you down so so so many times))) etc etc etc etc etc etc etc.........that i kinda hope you will respond to this :

I'M HELPING THROW A PARTY THAT IN PART CELEBRATES MY BIRTHDAY, BUT FAR MORE

IMPORTANTLY HOPES TO FOSTER AND CELEBRATES HUMAN TO-GETHERNESS

ITS TWO MONTHS AWAY STILL -

THE 10TH OF FEBUARY

CAN YOU PLAN AHEAD AND PLEASE MAKE, SAY 2-4 HOURS AVAILABLE TO BE WITH US ??

IF YOU READ THIS BLOG, YES YOU ARE INVITED

OH, AND YES, YOU HAVE ALL REPAID ME FOR all OF WHAT I SAID ABOVE, AGAIN AND AGAIN and again, and i know i sound snippy and petty and little and, I KNOW, BUT.....I WANT YOU TO COMEON COMEON

such a joy

Day of Days/ Somewhere over Normandy

GO GO GO................

surprisesometime

maybe its just the end of the century..........er, day/week, but im guzzling tired rite now, and i just got some practice to go to, some soccer to play against girls who will nock me over, then a b-day party all the way on the other side of town, then............................i need some winds to wake me.......................so, maybe, to-morrow will bring lots of wonder news of patriots joining to-gether, toasting absent frenz, or it maybe about some broken down soccerplayer wearing wannabe teacher who was able to jump the first one clean but the rest was not to be.................

au contraire..............

.....it seems...............

catastrophe

so, it now seems of this morning that my werke no longer allows blogspot (what yr reading now) in its system............................be ready for long waits for updates on 'security out', or whatever this blog is called today (or, for that point, @ this point today) from here on out.....on the other hand, i'm getting a new laptop soon, so i will have longer, even more prolix, idiosyncratic, and abstruse posts for you to enjoy........................................but just more erratic


Seems a good time to also warn ::: check back on my posts, as up to now i usually flip about the language and timings and ideas and etc'er's back and forth, and add add add........................however, since i kinna werke @ werke now, maybe thatb phase of the blog is , in the werke of helmut somebody or other ((((helmut langer? or is he the fashion designer that gallo once laughingly said i looked all dressed up in his clothes once @ a danse.......or........helmet kohl ? nah, vest deusth polit guy)))) that both blackie and political friend #56 turned me onto + the words would be, a fave expression of mine that the song captured perfectly ((in the lingo of the day, it was @ 101% ))==='gone forever'===great song, great atmospherics, great !!

b. PULP

my name isa pulpat and i like this a Very much



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWt-m4bgwMw



mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good, this was the one i was refering to in a earlier post yesterdays as the dancer....................good danser

yesternites

home to catch some ABC unt BBC news, and since it was a wednesday, i even got to enjoy some RTE (irelands broadcasting network)....RTE had a tommy gorman piece, and some bits w/ that old grey haired protesten guy and Gerry Adams.......seems paisley has finally given in to the inevitable, but now people in his party are going to stall..............

went to lib to return stuff, then bf came over and we watched one of our 3 shows (one has disappeared==cancelled??), daybreak.......................it was oklast nite, but had two slite moments where i loved it==hey, thats al this old man needs...................................then, bf let me read, et se dorme

oh, and..............

Stunning thing being an alive human being, with all this love all over.......................

seems there is to be a BATTLE coming up, an olde fashioned one, hopefully to rival the last Great House Battle, which in my mind was Crankface /English Patient one from 2-3y ago (((and yes, where have all the flowers gone ??)))

it is being made possible by the self sacrifice of two brave soldiers, Johnny Gunners and Sgt. Lipton, who , by themselves,advanced on the enemy position under heavy fire, took the position, then ..........well, whatever, they did this olde mans heart proud..........................details soon, since there are those who will also have to sacrifice, but not to the tune that these two soldiers did


a nation thanks you............................

i really like steely dan

and yes, i fully understand , you people who sit in front of computer screens all day, im a year late on this, but...............


http://abcnews.go.com/Amanda/

youtube it, sons and daughters of the revolution

as promised, but on this day, and not the last few, are some excellent videos from B.p.'s........................search no more, for here 'tis

(plus, im glad he's not mad @ me for what i blogged the other day..very tricky thing, this is.....)



me likes this a lot, that warm revelation rolled over me when proud daddy showing newborn ::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQmQst6MX18

treated like addenduem on devin hester nite, but i do believe this is one of the beat beats, also melikes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzlTw9pTnEQ


oh, and big frank ?? FUCK BIG FRANK...........

There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see,

last nite


to olde school werke
livres for sale
some sale
some beuno


bf visits
nyt reddish
bbc watched
sleep cometh

more roxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

funny he's a real bear fan

oh, the game

http://dachicagosports.blogspot.com/

how the memory plays trix, and the glory of the internet

fer the longest time i fondly remembered one of my parts in Chicago cub history = I remember that game i the early '80's when frergie jenkins threw his last shutout -v- the cardnials in front of 7,000 of us kids....................................well, it was v cards, it was his last, but there were 37,000 there.............check it out

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198306100.shtml

another great cub memory was the Losos incident -v- SFG's, this time...............gotta be 1980, i'm sure.........

background:

when we were young, we used to show up to Sox and cub games early as hell to shag foul balls down the sideline.....................Comisky was far superior to Wrigley in shagging fouls @ batting practice==Old Comisky had those short walls down the foul lines, whearas Wrigly (i do love the place) has those huge walls far down the line (the best place to catch fouls during BP===think bartman moment) that are impossible to just lean over to collect a ball running down the line

note : i do love Wrigley, but it always obviously took second place to The Baseball Palace of the World for places to enjoy a ballgame...............remember what Harry used to say about taking in a Sox game @ Comisky : "Ah yeh can't beat fun at the old ballpark"

So : -v- the giants, during the game , we were wandering down the 1st base side , and a foul pop went into the stands........................massive scrum, i see 2 little legs sticking out under the pile, and thinks me "shit that poor guy, trammeled to death beneath that pile"................and yes, it turns out not to be a stranger, but rather one of the crew: losos.................

is all

yr my best friend

went to the roxx house to watch the game on rox's new telly....roxx also has tivo...roxx tivo is nice , and we used roxx's tivo to watch the game on roxx's telly quite nicely.....................ive a lot more to say on this nite, a lot more as it ws fun and several things of interest popped up, but more on that, maybe on lunch but prob later in day (4.40p)

a big point of interest is the upcoming party ................more later.............

later is now.................

It was "good" roxx last nite.....we were @ his crib, so of course he had an interest in behaving, unlike, say, being @ crankfaces or @ rain, where he can be on the jackass kick....sorry, that rain incident IS going to be weilded fro time to time, or all the time, just so roxx knows it made me, of all people, deeply angry ..............and yes, i used 'deeply'................................but then this brings us to the 'rocky double standard', whearas, he feels, some people get off lightly for whatever actions they do while his dumb shit stuff gets written up in blogs.............................in truth, i always kinda enjoyed his stupid stuff, understanding the humour where others just didn't or couldn't..........however, im so olde @ this point, that sometimes even i think "calm down, while it is slitely amusing, its very not appreciated"..........................................so, again, the double standard.......sorry, roxx, i'm feeding the hype.............................

speaking of the hype, rox played me some unfinished music and even video clips.............................he seemed very proud of the video (on youtube , he'll send me the links to be posted here in a few hours/days unless he's mad @ me for above), maybe prouder of the eye than the ear, but both were great. I think the video is hs new toy, so that's why..........music sounded good, unfinished, but a few..............alrite, ill say it...............dansable beats in there..............please, roxx & frenz examine the more dansable stuff...........................

Homes was there as well, glad he showed up....................known this dude for a long bit and am, while not best frenz or anything, really glad of his existence.....quality man, peaceful, dude................

MORE ON THE NITE NEXT TIME I HAVE TIME (4.45p) >>>>>>>

<<<<<<<<<<

Took the long ride back, took forever and a school nite and all tired and shit............................

however, the biggest news of the nite, terribly shaking when i realised it, was when it just occured to me, driving home, with a singing wonderful thing full of life next to me, that gf is also bf...........................very humbling, nice, and scary...................I'll tell y about Johnny Gunners smiling comments on a different situation from 4y ago soon...................

i just mite die with a smile on my face after all

went home, Bolo slept elsewhere so i got a good nites sleep, albeit a short one...............................

The Mindworms are @ it again

Art’s Music Holiday Party
By Capt. Lewis Nixon

(Nixon, Pn)

An obnoxious, TC Pub sausage-fest was the setting for the “Art’s Music Holiday Party.” Saxman Grill provided decent, if soggy, nachos for this last TC Pub trivia night for 2006.

J&B represented by Chemical Man, Hilts, Stix, Dragon, Gf and Lazers

The Competition: Bar, White Sox, Hitmen, and $5 (which I think originally wanted a longer version that I’m sure included the word “whore”)

First Half: Chicago Locations/Celebrity Birth Years/Sunday Sports Section

Date of birth for Gwen Stefani?
Date of birth for Kelsey Grammar? (brought up only because an exact correct answer by one team led to a response of “that’s gay” by another team)
First 2 running backs to rush for 1300 yards in 2006?

I didn’t catch all of the scores at the half. J&B was second or third with 870. Hitmen and/or $5 had a larger score.

Second Half: Sports Mix/Celebrity Stuff/Music Mix

Who hit the first Cub homer in 2006?
Played Mrs Claus to John Goodman’s Santa Claus in a movie titled something along the lines of “Year Without a Christmas”?
1991 Bulls went 15-2 in the postseason- what team(s) beat them for the two losses?

After a correct Backstreet Boys answer by $5, Benkowski: “That’s insight into your CD collection.”

$5 follows up by selecting “Gay Music” for 1000.

There was a tremendous amount of name- calling in the gay/homo arena, and surprisingly, most of it did not involve J&B.

Scores going into Final: $5 2400 J&B 1750 Bar 1380 Hitmen 1120 White Sox 510

Final Category: 1990s Movies
2 of 3 wins wager. All 3 correct will win 3000 bonus points.

J&B wagers 1011 (enough to defeat the third place team should they double)

Only 1990s movie to win Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress?
1992 Best Supporting Actress (from “My Cousin Vinny”)?
On a list of the 1990s winners for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, the only two actors whose names would appear twice?

Part II

J&B guesses Silence of the Lambs, Marisa Tomei, Tom Hanks and Anthony Hopkins. Moments after turning in their answer card, J&B realizes that the third part is not correct- should be Kevin Spacey instead of Hopkins.

First Half:
1969
1955
LaDainlian Thomlinson and Larry Johnson

Second Half:
Matt Murton
Delta Burke
Philadelphia and Los Angeles

Final:

White Sox- 510- guess A Beautiful Mind (no), Marisa Tomei (yes), Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino (no and no)- wagered 510- thanks for playing.

Hitmen- 1120- guess Silence of the Lambs (yes), Tomei (yes), Tom Hanks and Kevin Spacey (yes and yes)- wagered 1120- with bonus, up to 5240.

Bar- 1380- guess As Good As It Gets (no), Tomei (yes), Tom Hanks and Jack Nicholson (yes and no)- wagered 1380- thanks for playing.

J&B- 1750- not a lot of anticipation here- Silence of the Lambs (yes), Tomei (yes), Hanks and Hopkins (yes and no)- wagered 1011- up to 2761.

$5- 2400- guess American Beauty (no), Tomei (yes), Hanks and Tim Robbins (yes and no)- wagered 2100 or so- left with a couple of hundred.

Hitmen come from behind to win the final trivia night at TC Pub for 2006.

Championship Notes: The 2006 Trivia Championship at Salerno’s on December 28th will start at 7:30. We put in a deposit of $100. We need minimum 7 players and maximum of 10 players.

Benkowski was soliciting suggestions for categories. We provided a nice laundry list, many tongue-in-cheek (including “What’s in Benkowski’s Wallet?”), but Benkowski did seem intrigued by the “White Sox Stolen Base Leaders” suggestion. Considering the final will be a mixed bag of teams, I suggest research of the stolen base leaders of both the Sox and Cubs.

Benkowski said he would not use “Early 80s Porn” as a category for the Championship since he’ll have the live musicians, which will include his son. Apparently, the father/son relationship has not crossed the border over which porn is a comfortable topic. However, I would not rule it out for TC Pub in 2007.

TC Pub in 2007: trivia will kick off in 2007 on the very first Thursday, which I believe will be January 4th.

Other Trivia: the MIA team Save the Chief has been attending a cumulative trivia at Mama Luigi’s on 75th and Harlem (they have locked up the first prize of a trip to Las Vegas- J&B missed out on that one!). Stix suggested that J&B could probably show up for the final one on Tuesday, December 19th and still win the cumulative prize. Hmmmm? I’m sure that couldn’t be done in one night, but J&B very much likes the idea of attending that trivia event just to rattle the Chief. Starting time of 8:00 for that one. Who’s “in”?

Security out !

It was a long weekend, long, long ,long...............

friday i really can't remember what i did rite now, but read this blog to-morrow and maybe my memory will have been ran.......................oh, i do remember !!!

friday was good..........................i spotted and ancipitor, racing through the rock doves near 22d & Ashland.............see pic of a sharp shinned hawk

it could have been a coopers hawk, i'm not 100% sure, but notice the 'slim slender or sleek' (this phrase a favourite of my first love.....well, shw used it once, but i remember ) body type and the tite compact wings means in this area, it was one or the other.................the real pros could know fer sure, but i am but a fledgeling, still learning how to fly...........whatever, i had to pull over on ashland, bearing the deeply important documents i was charged to deliver, just to watch the dogfight................rock doves and the 'murderous intent ' bird flew out f site without me noticing a kill....................didn't want to see it........................

friday nite was also great...........................i drove home, all exhausted, but stopped off @ the greatest thrift store of all time, the one @ 65th and kedzie (what don't believe me ?? try it, then gert back to me)....... got some cheap books and a few vcr tapes, inc a brian wilson one (wasn't made......) for $.90...............went home, and had to immed. dash because i got a "late book" letter from st. x's...........book was 4d late, and they wanted to charge me $2.50 !!!!!........i had that rather new history of the 3rd reich (micheal burleigh wrote it?? / 2003 or 2003), that i had for 2m, and i'd only gotten through the first few pages...........................it high lights the violence of the 3d reich.....read about yr self, i have to race to finish this...............since i was near, i went to #2 sister to say hello...............wanted to stay for 25m @ most, but the kids are irreastible, and they offered me pizza.....................picked off the pepperoni, and treated it like cheese...........................yum..............................then decided to stop by Z#1's, and only #2 nephew was there.............and BOLO !!!!!!!.....seems my sister was there w/ him, so upon entering, Bo jumped on me, all licking and wagging and happy and stuff....where am i , MY house ???

Then went home for the nite, no gf this nite (how did that happen ???), and i watched another of the tapes that i got, a new SNL best of w/ dana carvey........so damn tired, i only 1/2 watched it.l.....................ots of good skits, hans unt frans......also got a mike myers one, never opened as well, and monty's meaning/life in same condition........................

next day woke @ some ungodly hour, read the nyt, jammed music...............................walked mummy to mass, hoping for guidence in the readings and sermons, and it told me the WRONG THING..........................something about it being in front of you, you just have to open your eyes, while i had wanted the Holy Spirit to say "just go......."

Wasn't a bad mass, some good stuff, but my mind wandered enough to compile a list of

CHURCH SONGS I WANT PLAYED @ MY FUNERAL

(and some other church songs i really like)

"Gather us in", a mad mad mad fave from my Loyola church days, sung beautifully only by the LU choir...first church song i fell in love with, and LU a lot of times would open up with it @ the old 10.15p mass (then the 10, now #1 neice says its the 9.30p mass....................)

"3/4 allulieugh (sc)", as used by that punk band General strikes for that one song......you know.........not really a song, but should be played @ my funeral..................

"Our Father" sung as it was (still is ??) @ St. Patricks church in San Francisco c. 2000 or so..................i was there for a sunday mass then the xmas mass on the monday, then the next wkd did the double header again..they had one organist and one female singer, and it ws deeply powerful..........to this day, i do not say the "O.F.", i sing it silently in my soul so as not to distirb those who haven't been visited by the Holy Spirit in that way (and that way only)

"Immaculate Mary"................your praises we sing/you reign now in splender with jesus our king/ ave/ave/ave maria / ave/ave/ave mari-aaaaaaaaaa.reminds me of growing up in St rita parish, and jane seblewski's mom was the organist, and she had such a beautiful voice..................i wrote up about it in our Grammer schools 25y reunion booklets, and i hope she saw it and appreciated it.........................

"Someone's knocking @ the door", a spiritual brought to me by Lu's sunday nite masses..........

"Damed for all time ", wait, i want this played @ my funeral ???

"Prepare ye the way of the Lord", 1st JC Superstar, now Godspell ??

"Let it be "........the Beatles ?? well, there is the lines about Mother Mary

"O come emmanuel", except change the line "Isreal" to "Palestine"

"people look east"

"Were you there when they crucified the Lord?", spiritual, thanks LU

and finally, a funeral blues song, just for me, but for us all:

"Gory, Gory, what a hell of a way to die", an old marching song of the 101st Airborne, sung to me in my time of need from the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers"..................there was a time when this song was deeply important to me, all 10 verses of it (ill post it here when i find it.....refer back to this page in future), and since i include it in funeral section, you can guess it was a hard time for me......................i hate churchhill, but i thought what was kool was that he had "the Battle Hymn of the republic" played @ his funeral....................this song is the same tune.......................

there are many others, but i can't rem all now, but maybe revisit this post in future for updates.........................like that one about walking on the beach w/ jesus..................and the one about being blind, but now can see....

SAT NITE WAS A NIGHTMARE

....

went to see a frenz band play on north side, and had a bad nite...........................

did get mexican for mom and self, and boy did it.........................smell..................great.....................

band was good.................i guess...............had a cider..............................went home

sunday was great

........got up 8.30, walked the dog for 1 1/2 h in park, ran into tonnes of other walkers, and they all want'd to talk while i just want to exercise to dog and read the sunday NY times..............bolo did his business twice, i was so proud of him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! one dog we ran into was a giant 7mo boxer of some sort or other, who just wag wag wags his tail, and wants to play w/ 1/8 his size Bole.............so the mini dog growls meanly and snappishlt @ this lovable but frightenly large killing machine....................it was bo's secong run inw/ Achilles......nice dog and own'rs...................

.....had a great sunday nite w/ gf and the Mindworms, all fun and fantastic, @ the J & B drome..............see next post ..............shit, I'm done, i can go home........................whew..........................!!!!!!!!!

Take Off Your Shirt = Todays defination of "The Day of Days"

I'va been a wiating fer this day==finally, my friend of 26y, Captain Lewis Nixon, allows me to publish the battle report from last nites action.....................comes in two parts.................................
Part the first (Nixon types):
names edited by Hilts

Take Off Your Shirt

After a nearly month-long hiatus, trivia returned to a new look TC Pub last night. Tables were rearranged, the dartboards moved (or removed), and a raised dance floor highlight the changes. Sounds to me like the dance floor presents a golden opportunity for some “ladies only” challenges.

J&B represented by Chemical Man, Hilts, Stix, Gf and Joe Montana.

TC Pub represented by Glasses (and not the lying Earth Mother).

The competition: Bar, Bada Bing, Tres Senoritas Ho Ho Ho, and Bovine Beauties (led by an obnoxious, cleavage-baring, pony-tailed brunette who apparently received cries of “take off your shirt” from the Bar prior to my arrival).

First Half: Music/Movies/Sports

Best Actress from 2005 Academy Awards?
Year Ava Gardner died?

Within 0.2 what is Ted Lilly’s best single-season ERA?

The last question lead to controversy after the Bar gave the exact answer but were caught looking in the newspaper. Benkowski disallows the question: “You’ve got 48 people at the bar, but I know, only 6 are playing.”

Scores at the half: Bar 1040 Bovine 1010 Senoritas 620 Bada Bing 520 and shockingly J&B will have control to begin the second half: 490

Second Half: Chicago Streets & Places/Sports/Music Then & Now

What town if you are at 1200 N Central?
(guess from Senoritas for the above: Lake Forest)

J&B has a nice roll during the second half, including an accusation by Bovines that we have GPS systems in our wallets.

Scores going into Final question: Bar 2430 J&B 2030 Bovines 1120 Senoritas 910
Bada Bing 600

Final Category: due to complaints that recent music questions were from eras too far back, the final category would be more contemporary: U2 and Mariah Carey.

J&B wagers 900. 2 of 3 wins wager. 3000 bonus for all 3 correct.

U2- 2000- Record of the Year?
Carey- 2001- hit “Lover Boy” came from her movie, titled?
Carey- 1998- number one hit, 2-word title, “none of her rap-ish helpers…no Snoop…no Whitney.”

Do you even want to take a shot at those?

Part II

J&B guesses: Beautiful Day, Glitter and Lover Boy. Yeah, we know Lover Boy was already attributed to 2001 in the previous question, but we didn’t have anything else.

First Half:
Hilary Swank
1990
3.69

Second Half:
Chicago

Bada Bing- 600- guesses Achtung Baby (no), Glitter (yes) and no guess for the third- wagered 600- thanks for playing.

Tres Senoritas- 910- guess Beautiful Day (yes), Glitter (yes) and Angel Baby (no)- wagered 910- up to 1820.

Bovines- 1120- guess Pop Art (no), Glitter (yes) and Dream Lover (no)- wagered 1001- left with 119.

J&B- 2030- guesses Beautiful Day (yes), Glitter (yes) and Lover Boy (no)- wagered 900- up to 2930.

The Bar is already taunting us.

Bar- 2430- guesses Beautiful Day (yes), Glitter (yes) and Dream Lover (no)- wagered 1631- up to 4061.

Quote from Bar: “That’s a lot of f****** points.”
Benkowski: “We might need an inquest soon.”

Only answer that nobody had correct was the Mariah Carey song: My All.

Notes:

The next trivia (and last trivia of 2006 at TC Pub) will be this Sunday,
December 10th at 6:00. This trivia night will also be “Stix’s Music Christmas Party” with the rest of J&B declared unofficial employees of Stix’s for the night. Early indications are that most of J&B is already “in” for this holiday event.

From the above, deduce that there will not be trivia at TC Pub on Thursday,
December 21st.

The trivia championship is still set for Thursday, December 28th at Salerno’s (Grand and Racine). J&Bers who will be in attendance this Sunday at TC Pub will need to come up with a deposit for at least 5 players. Fee is $19 per player (assumed to include dinner buffet, as in the past). I don’t recall if there was a limit on the number of players for the championship. Who is in for the Championship?

for all you Sox fans who wanna know.............

http://dachicagosports.blogspot.com/

The Mindworms Now !

ON THE RUN !!!!!

Saw it last nite, on the telly/DVD.................its a french cinema film, one of three that, i think, tell the same story but from various movie types..................i know last nites was a thriller, and i will admidt IT WAS THRILLING ( i loved it), and one is a romantic comedy.............i never have time anymore (i know, my refrain from the last 2 years, and the more amt of time i have this year -v- last year is mind boggling ) so i could only watch one of the three before returning the dvd to the library..............d'accord, i'd wanted to watch the movies in the cinema when they had their chicago release last year, but 'time is against me now' , and then, so its dvd or no..............now, the funny funny i want to impart to you is my total love of the french language, and rite after i finished the movie, i immedily (SC) started my pidgin french, as in calling the dog to come "aller !!" and "vite ! vite !".....i also started to imitate the main actor , swift and sure in his actions, when i took The Attack On Foy ("aller ! vite ! vite !" )to the lib to return the DVD......................loved it, great movie..........................saw also, w/ gf, daybreak, on the telly........................great, again

and is there any point in ever having children................

I've been helping several classes do research projects on the civil war...class after class after class day after day after day..................................ok..............................its very much like im a classroom teacher in some ways (though not in any way all ways, with the preparation, the grading, the parents, the cleaning and the washing.............wait, i'm sounding like Ringo now.......) and it has been fantastic.....................here's the deal : 6-8 times a day this whole week iv'e been able to clarify the difference betwixt line -v- column, muskets -v- rifles, calvery in 1860 -v- calvery in 1815, shells -v- cannon balls, and field pieces -v- howitzers, etc...........there’s also been a lot of ruff stuff, like poetry and music in the civil war that is just so hard to find good stuff that secondary school kids can use (don’t give me any 400 page manuscripts written in 1878, please)…………………it’s nice to be appreciated, by the kids and the teachers..........…love is all around and all that, y know, no need to waste it etc………….

@@@ some point, veddy veddy veddy soon (is now?)

i will be changing my address, unless some communist nazis have taken my dear address i want so bad.............................more to come

give it a rest won't ya................

spent the whole of this wonderous day hutched (not huntched) in front of a computer writing and writing and writing for $$$ grants for the school...................one of my c-werkers had a basic outline, and since i dn't have to START the project, i ripped through hrs of adding, resorting, editing, etc....

and here i find myself , ifront of a computer, writing......................................um.................say, here's a kool picture of myself !!!!!!!

the olde president school yesterday

stopped by girls practice yesterday, but didnt bring my gear 'cause i had the hangover when i woke................................pito, one of the coaches, young guy, had this strange mark on his neck (yeah, he's young, wonder who she is).......the team , the kids, the coaches, such a great program, a happy program, @ the olde presidents school.......saw a few teachers, tossed lots of love and comiseration, which always makes me feel great ==albeit w/o a position.................saw the englishman and the italian/venuazelian (sp) frenz od mine..such dedicated people we have in this world

will practice friday wit de girls, but probably only fridays

wilde about the civil war

todays, its all about the c.w., muey classes in fer it, so im all doing the civil war women, the aetillery, and endlessly talking about muskets -v- rifles, and shrapnel -v-cannonballs -v- howitzers, hard tack, etc...........................

hung out wit this guy........................and ate the gooo shit......

lots of my frenz are goumet cooks, and take real pride in it, and ive been treated to a variety of meals over a variety of years in a variety of locals, but last nite ws top 5 of all my 2 score years.................went over to: the gallo/layla crib (see somewhat stylized snap of the male criminal off to rite)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

we had a simple meal, spg/meatballs, but made unlike anyother sp/wtblls I

have ever eaten...............................i have to learn to cook.................i was playing wit the little ones while gallo kooked , so i missed it, of course, though i know pasta isn't the hardest thig to do....................Vinnie made fun of the other guest, our very own Blackie (also known as Blackshaft), because of the whole "jar" -v- homemade argument................i also drank too much, having a wee bit too much vino, and also did a little HUNTING while i was there (the german for hunter is...........um.......Jaeger...................yeah ??....didn't think there'd be any..............guns about.............)

Listen, lots of my frenz are kookers, and ive had lots of grate shit over the years (incl the sloppy joes wit cheese top), so to all, this pbj jackass loves all yr kookings, its just that last nite was unbel. tasty...........i fear offending thos ewho have stuffed my gullet in the past................i think it beats the guiness stew, or that stuff with the bacon, or........say, whatever happen to the regular Gallo's salad?? i haven't had that shit in years/months...............and then there was the time that i said i really didnt't like bioled potatoes, haven eaten that bland bland bland fare , over the years, so many time s @ home, and then one/other of the gallos boiled it up next time just to show me i was rong...........and i was rong............and clock youse