WE SAY GOODBYE TO 2023

 This is the final one of the year and thank you for following, commenting and enjoying.

I've had a long time habit of jotting down names of notable people who pass away and try to say goodbye to them thru this blog and I just found the list buried on my desk so here goes:

Sports have always been a big part of my life and saying adios to DICK BUTKUS was tough to do because I was in awe from the time he was in high school at Chicago  Vocational High School, then the University of Illinois followed by the Chicago Bears. Made the Hall of Fame at every level. Just awesome.

No one my age could ever forget WLS radio dj DICK BIONDI, who ruled the air waves in a two station Chicago battle with WCFL in the early 60's. Biondi claimed he worked for 29 different stations and he did seem to pop up everywhere, including emceeing OLDIES DAY at Lamb's Farm in Libertyville. He was, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the first dj to play the Beatles on the radio. A one of a kind but fun to listen to on the dial.

JIMMY BUFFETT created "THE PARROT HEADS" which was a very loyal group of fans who appreciated his Caribbean/Calypso genre and just danced the night away. He never changed his music.

A handful of actors took their final bows....CINDY WILLIAMS from Lavergne & Shirley, SUZANNE SOMERS from Three's Company, MATTHEW PERRY from Friends, MELINDA DILLON, the mom from A CHRISTMAS STORY, RICHARD ROUNDTREE as Shaft, RICHARD BELZER who played Munch on Law & Order, RYAN O'NEAL, TOM SMOTHERS, ANDRE BRAUGHER and BURT YOUNG who played the brother in law Paulie in all the 'Rocky' movies.    

And a special goodbye to NORMAN LEAR, the writer, director and producer who brought us ALL IN THE FAMILY, SANFORD & SON, MAUDE, ONE DAY AT A TIME, THE JEFFERSONS, GOOD TIMES and over 100 more show, specials and movies. I guarantee that at one time you enjoyed his expertise on tv or at the theatre.

And a couple of OOOO-LA-LAS took their final walks and wiggles starting with TINA TURNER 'Left a good job in the city'........ Italian beauty queen GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA and the woman who filled out a bikini VERY WELL, the ultra sexy RAQUEL WELCH.

Now I'm sure I missed a few but every year, it makes me glance at the sands of time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! BE SAFE and stay out of Chicago.

JUST A BUNCH OF STUFF

I have just a few more thoughts rattling around in my brain but just a few so let's mix those with Christmas and some news .

Christmas is fast approaching and I can't wait for that brand new red corvette to be sitting in my driveway.

I worked almost every Christmas Eve and ALWAYS arrested someone who didn't understand the spirit of the holiday and that's a true story. Some of the highlights: A drunken Santa walking down the middle of the road and refusing to move to the sidewalk, two brothers wrestling on top of a fallen Christmas tree in the living room with Mom screaming in the background, a drunken burglar who robbed a house while the family was at mass and staggering down the street carrying the stolen gifts, a DUI for a man who ran into the side of the church while midnight mass was ongoing because he was late for the service, a woman who stabbed her husband because she didn't get the leather coat that she had already seen the receipt for and chased him into the street yelling "who's your whore?" Classic.

Ah, the spirit of the season.

Nat King Cole singing "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" with the actual title being "The Christmas Song."

I told everyone a few weeks back that Matthew Perry was one of the few comedians who could make me laugh out loud and I was glad he had straightened his life out but the news today from the coroner was so disappointing because the report indicates that the "clean & sober" Perry's cause of death was KETAMINE, which put him asleep and led to his drowning in the hot tub. FYI... a first possession of ketamine in Illinois is 4-15 years. So sad that he couldn't slay the dragon.

Remember the 1st grader who brought mom's gun to school and shot his teacher.....TWICE....?? Well, mom got two years in prison today for child neglect on top of another 2 years for lying on her application and lying to investigators when she said the kid got it out of her safe when the facts were the kid climbed on a chair and took the gun out of her purse. Detectives searched the house and found no safe, lock box or even a trigger lock.

I still remember riding that brand new red bike in my pajamas on Christmas morning. Twenty degrees? Who cares because I have a new bike!

Glad my brother Terry is doing much better after his second surgery.

Frank & Bonnie's new place in Florida is awesome.

Outside decorations is a lost activity.

I found 197 feet of LED lights for twenty bucks on Amazon. One string and no blown fuses or circuit breakers. Ah,  the wonder of LED lighting. Hardly any juice required but as bright as can be.

A mall Santa makes $20 an hour in Illinois.

My Aunt Alma had an efficiency apartment in Chicago but we squeezed at least 10 adults in there on Christmas Eve.

I just replaced the halogen bulb in my driveway security light all by myself....on a ladder! YAHOO! I have no idea if it works until tonight.

I still laugh at my Mother buying "Mexican" sarapes for all the adult women one Christmas and then insisting that they all pose together for pictures. Still don't know what she was thinking but every time I see Clint Eastwood in 'Fistful of Dollars' I think of that photo and laugh. My mom was a huge fan of FINGERHUT for bargains. Like sarapes. 😝

The weather looks clear for Christmas weekend. Good for the parents but disappointing for the kids, They'll get over it.

Culver's butter burgers. Yes.

Barb & Tony's Christmas Eve open house.

Mayor Big Teeth of Chicago is finally admitting there is a crime problem in the city. DUH. 13% overall increase in crime. robbery up 14%. Theft up 15%. and my favorite....motor vehicle theft UP 133% !!!!!   And if you go south of Madison Street, you better be in an armored vehicle.

Ladies, as I told Gwen the other day, it should be automatic to lock your doors while you're driving around. The ghetto rats look at a woman as easy prey and when you stop at a traffic light, BINGO. You get yanked out of your car and they take your purse and cell phone and push you down on the street and drive away in your car. If you're lucky, that's all that happens. And no, you won't have time to pull your legal conceal carry weapon out of your purse or glove compartment or console to defend yourself. LOCK YOUR DOORS.

Snow on Christmas Eve is pretty neat.

I haven't been to church since co-vid arrived. Is it time to go back to church? And now I read that co-vid is back in the neighborhood. Arrrrgggh.

Is there such a thing as a GOOD frozen pizza?  LMK please.

I'm still waiting for Danny Pretzel to take me fishing. Maybe this year. Maybe not.

That situation in Texas is horrific. Pregnant lady is told the baby will not survive and her health is in jeopardy if she goes full term but the neo-nazi Texas courts won't allow her to have an abortion because it 'doesn't meet OUR criteria for abortion.' Freaking incredible. She has left Texas to have the procedure done in a more compassionate state.

I wonder why a Democrat wastes any time at all campaigning in that state.

Oberweiss eggnog is the absolute best. Heated with a splash of rum makes it even better.

For a guy with a bad hip, this shopping over the phone and then driving over to the Jewel and have them load it into the car. Awesome.

Ok, I think that's it so if we don't talk before the 25th, have a safe and happy holiday!

 

 

SHAKING MY BRAIN --PART 2

 Real Christmas trees MUST have tinsel.

Bubble lights are the best on a tree.

Waiting for the Thursday newspaper so you knew where the movies were playing.

Ushers in movie theatres.

Walking from Northlake to the York theatre.

Shoveling roofs for $20 after a blizzard. How dumb were we?

The Oasis outdoor theatre.

Hated rainy days as a kid. Love them now.

1966 Mustang convertible. Red.

Aunt Lorraine's fantastic cooking.

My stepmom Florence made the best fried chicken.

Was Franklin Park really better than Northlake?

Amaretto Disaronno

Jack Daniels

My first bar fight.

How sad my Dad was when Florence died.

How sad I was when my sister Barb died.

Warm eggnog with brandy.

Finding out where my parents hid the Christmas gifts. Terry's fault.

Smoking my first two cigarettes...and throwing up.

Finding out that my stepdad's uncle had served time for armed robbery.

Coke was just a beverage.

Pepsi is still best.

My brother showing me how to steal pop from the outside machine at the gas station.

My first kiss with a girl named Donna.

First time I felt a boob. Thank you Donna.

Finding out at the reunion that Donna had 5 kids. 😲

Aquariums are restful.

The Northlake Bank robbery.

First time I heard that a priest was a bad guy.

Moser's bakery.

Merry Christmas, Willie Mays.

Sharks.

Mr. Boyd's corner house dressed in solid blue lights for Christmas.

I hated the 10:00 high mass on Sunday. Took forever.

My Dad insisting that burnt chicken from the grill was "good for your system."

No Kleenex in our house. Use toilet paper.

Carry a hanky if you needed to blow your nose. GAG! 

Aunt Alma always had a hanky up the sleeve of her sweater.

The kid's table for holidays.

Carrie Underwood singing "Oh, Holy Night" (google it) In-freaking-credible 

Yes, I still sing Christmas carols as loud as I can out on the deck facing the cemetery. I figure they will appreciate the songs. My speakers are at top volume and so am I. It's normally an hour concert and I have never received a single complaint.

Downsizing.

Is there Christmas in the ghetto?

How do you live with rats and cockroaches?

The Christmas Song is one of my favorites. "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...."

What the hell is a chestnut?

Why does Carrie Underwood always wear boots?

"I'll be home for Christmas"

Beignets with cold milk.

Biscuits & gravy. One of my all time favorites.

Liver & onions. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Surprising someone you care about with a nice Christmas gift.

Bosch on Netflix.

Too many surgeries. 26 and counting.

Don't let your kids play tackle football.

I just re-counted. 27 surgeries.

Golfing with nephew Frank.

Sebastian Maniscalco.

Jimmy Kimmel.

Robert de Niro.

New Christmas commercial that I hate: a choir singing on the front porch about Verizon's new phone. Lead singer is a bulgy eyed woman with a red beret. Obnoxious.

OK, I think I have freed my brain enough for now. I want everyone to enjoy the weather and have SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS. And of course, stay out of Chicago where car thefts are up 108% this year. 😦😬😲

SHAKING MY BRAIN OUT

 Every once in a while, I have to empty my skull of all the random thoughts rolling around so please indulge me as we enter December.

I love Christmas songs and sing them all the time--sometimes even in the summer.

I hate that commercial, 1-877-Kars for Kids. Hate the song and the kids singing it and the guy who wrote the original commercial.

I love when people decorate outside for the holidays.

I do not like it when the Bears lose or have a sucky team. Both this year.

Why are ALL the Chicago sports teams bad at the same time? 

Gaza and Ukraine now have the same problem. Rebuilding will take decades and it's not done yet in either place.

I totally understand the anger of Israel.

Where are the American hostages?

I think pumpkin pie is still the best at Thanksgiving but pecan is a close second.

NO SUCH THING as good stuffing. Close behind are green bean casseroles and cheesy potatoes. Even the dog leaves the area when he smells those god-awful creations.

How lucky have we been with the weather?

Give me 3 inches of snow on the 23rd and 50 degrees and sunny for a couple of days right after Christmas and the roads and sidewalks are clear for New Year's Eve. Perfect.

Remember how exciting Christmas Eve was as a kid?

My father making split pea soup with a large hambone in a huge pot and the flame on 'low' all day long until he got home. I hated that too.

Small towns still do it best for major holidays.

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, should be closed on Christmas Day.

Smelling the pasta and gravy being cooked at Mrs. Cervone's house. Almost every day.

Being invited to eat at the Cervone house. A kid's delight.

Climbing on top of Whittier School to collect tennis and rubber balls that went up there while playing 'up against the wall' and fouling a pitch up on the roof.

Being greeted by one of Northlake's finest when I was climbing down. A stiff warning and he let me keep the bag of balls. And no call to my parents.

Catching my sister coming home from a date past curfew.

Babysitting for 50 cents an hour. Not a lot of pay but unlimited Pepsi and chips.

My first car. 1956 Ford Fairlane. Paid $100 and it lasted almost two years. fair deal.

Failing miserably at learning the guitar.

ditto for the keyboard.

ditto again for reading music. But I can sing and carry a tune with no problem.

"THRILLER" was 40 freaking years ago.

"ROCKY" was 46 years ago.

Why are pears always so hard?

Medicare appears to be a pretty good deal.

Toasted coconut ice cream bars.

Jerry Reinsdorf should sell. Everything.

The White Sox will lose 100 games again.

It's almost impossible to buy a good Christmas present for a man over the age of 50.

I love my electric palm tree because it signals warm weather is here.

Women, no matter the age, are much easier for which to buy a present.

I really like torches on a warm summer night.

I miss the voice of VIN SCULLY on a summer night.

Thom Mcan shoes.

Robert Hall clothes.

My surgeon is the grandson of Robert Hall.

My great niece playing hockey at the age of 10. What?

Cats have interesting personalities.

My Dad hated cats. Said they were sneaky. How else do you catch a mouse?

Sitting right behind home plate on a summer day. Cold beverage. Hot dog.

The price of tickets.....to anything.

I like picnics but nobody has them anymore.

The old Chicago Stadium.

Ok, I think that's enough for today but I only emptied about half of what's running around up there. Stay warm and stay out of Chicago.