Road Conditions

Rainy, with a chance of glum...

Busman's Holiday -- Austin, TX

Lovely antique shop in the SOCO area...

The little Dutch boy, who is smaller than my thumb, came home with me.  I just couldn't resist.

Derailment

I have had this blasted song ping-ponging around between my ears for over 24 hours:

... but finally, thanks to Jim Henson's Little Red Book's post today, I have an old familiar ear worm to torture me...

Quite frankly, I'm not sure which one is perkier... or more annoying.

Road Conditions

Looks like it'll be smoother sailing ahead for the Cubs, as they're getting rid of the dead weight.  Carlos Marmol and Ian Stewart -- buh-bye!

Yahoo!

In The Rear View Mirror

Saw this shortly before Father's Day, and thought I'd share with those of you who are missing your father today as much as I miss mine:



The most memorable dance I ever had with my dad?  Get your hankies out...



Yes, we both sniffled and smiled our way through the entire thing.

Miss you, Daddy!

In The Rear View Mirror

Another icon of my disco days has passed on:



Boogie on, Mr. O'Day.  Boogie on!

In the Rear-View Mirror

Seeing this article on women who disguised themselves as men in order to fight in the Civil War brought this old chestnut from Peter Paul & Mary:



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Lyrics:

The Cruel War is raging, Johnny has to fight
I want to be with him from morning to night.
I want to be with him, it grieves my heart so,
Won't you let me go with you?
No, my love, no. 

Tomorrow is Sunday, Monday is the day
That your Captain will call you and you must obey.
Your captain will call you it grieves my heart so,
Won't you let me go with you?
No, my love, no. 

I'll tie back my hair, men's clothing I'll put on,
I'll pass as your comrade, as we march along.
I'll pass as your comrade, no one will ever know.
Won't you let me go with you?
No, my love, no. 

Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, I fear you are unkind
I love you far better than all of mankind.
I love you far better than words can e're express
Won't you let me go with you?
Yes, my love, yes. 

Yes, My Love, Yes.
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I learned this at camp, and there was an additional verse (I have no clue where this came from):

The Cruel War is over and Johnny has come home,
But his head's bowed in sorrow, for he walks alone.
She died in the battle and no one will ever know.
Won't you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.

In the Rear View Mirror

Thanks to my least favorite morning drive guy, I've had the most depressing ear worm ever... all damned day:



Even more depressing?  I was around for this one back in the day when it first came out, and it hasn't improved over time.

Whoa, Nelly!

What happens when I get half way to the train station and realize I've left both my phone AND my Kindle* sitting at home... and I have NOTHING to read?



Yes, indeedy.
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*Love, love, LOVE my Kindle Paperwhite.  Much lighter in weight, adjustable brightness, easy-to-use finger swiping, readable in any light and without the other apps I wasn't using anyway on my Kindle Fire.  If you just want an e-reader, this is absolutely the one for you.

In the Rear-View Mirror

On Father's Day, some things that remind me of my own Darling Daddy:

• The scent of classic original Chapstick, which he always carried in his right front pocket;
• Cross Pen's Classic Century pen and pencil set tucked in a smart sport coat breast pocket;
• Capper & Capper suits;
• A bowl of nuts in the shell and a nutcracker set on a hearth, next to a recliner;
• The drive from Chicago to Boston and back in a Ford Country Squire station wagon;
• Slide rules;
• Elaborate menus for home dinner parties;
• A snore that rattles the walls;
• Fried bologna or fried salami on white bread with yellow mustard;
• Church ushers;
• Grace Kelly, Veronica Lake or Julie Andrews considered a hottie;
• Cotton handkerchiefs, freshly washed and ironed and smelling of spray sizing, in his left front pocket;
• Blenders full of frozen daiquiris at patio parties in the summer;
• Precise printing and cursive handwriting;
• PGA and LPGA golf on television;
• Church league softball games;
• The scent of Right Guard anti-perspirant;
• A deep, steady heartbeat;
• His favorite song, from his favorite movie:

• The phrase, "I'm just resting my eyes."

I miss him on Father's Day and every day.

Revving The Engine

If Mr. Rogers had to be autotuned, this is a loving and lovely way to do it:



(Yes, a snippet or two in there are a bit creepy, but overall a cool thing.)
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Glad to see there's another warm-hearted, generous person who isn't bamboozled by panhandlers.  For example:

"My brother-in-law works at a hospital and EMS there brought in a 'homeless' man that needed treatment for a minor injury. This man placed his belongings in a hospital locker and among those belongings was $2,367 in singles. He was, as he described it, 'A Professional Panhandler.' He made that figure in two days. That's more than what the doctor treating him makes in two days and he's saving lives and Sh#t."

Seriously, be choosy about your generosity.
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This story just plain pisses me off.  There's a special place in hell for people who steal pets, and I truly hope that bitch karma catches up with this thief.

If you know someone in the Chicagoland area who has just acquired a red Macaw, keep in mind that Sam can say "Nick!" and "I can talk.  Can you fly?"  If you hear those words, you might just recommend that your friend get the bird checked for a microchip -- they may just have purchased a purloined parrot.
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What's the real fallout from the Wisconsin recall election?  According to Peggy Noonan:

"By the way, the single most interesting number in the whole race was 28,785. That is how many dues-paying members of the American Federation of State, County and Municiple Employees were left in Wisconsin after Mr. Walker allowed them to choose whether union dues would be taken from their paychecks each week. Before that, Afscme had 62,218 dues-paying members in Wisconsin. There is a degree to which public union involvement is, simply, coerced."

That's huge.
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Blast From The Past

Anybody remember Eddie and the Cruisers?



Go buy the DVD here... then prepare to be unable to sit still in your chair. Bad 80's movie with a fantastic cast and great music.

Down Memory Lane

This ear worm has been stuck in my head for three full days now:



Just thought I'd pass it on...

Night Moves

I woke up at 3 a.m. with the jingle from the old Holsum Bread commercial running at full ear worm through my skull:

The Holsum Bread Song

At three in the morning
When you're in bed
The Holsum bakers
Are baking bread

And that is the reason
It tastes so good
Like oven baked Holsum Bread should

H O L S U M
H O L S U M
H O L S U M
Holsum Bread 

If you grew up in Chicago, you won't get that little number out of your head for days. I blame Mike, who drove me right by the Holsum outlet on Milwaukee New Years Day and teased up that morsel of nostalgia from the back of my psyche.  Consider yourself lucky that I couldn't find it on Youtube.

In the Rearview Mirror

Two ancient memories dredged up within the last 24 hours:



And...

Jackie Gleason...



What I'm really looking for is the "Harry Vederci" episode of The Honeymooners. Anybody know where I can find it? (And if you know which one I'm talking about, you're officially old.)

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

Officials believe the man was using the portable toilet (also known as a port-a-potty) at Rockhampton Airport, in the state of Queensland, when he lit a cigarette.

Go here to find out what happened next.
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Can you answer the Miracle Question?
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What a cool way to customize your carpeting! (If I didn't have hardwood floors, this would be tempting. And I might just pick up an inexpensive area rug and give it a try anyway.)
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For anyone who thinks ol' Rusty Rockets is a flake, go read his tribute to Amy Winehouse. Beautiful, sensitive stuff.
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Just because it's so darned cool:



Blame Cordovan for turning me on to this seriously addictive blog.
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Just a little shout-out to the folks at Sean's Original Designs -- I LOVE my Welsh Dragon pendant! It's beautiful.
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Hardee's is making me miss my Darling Daddy, who was chief cook and bottle washer whenever the Princess Mom headed off to parts unknown with my favorite auntie/fairy godmother for a week or so each year:

To partake of Hardee's latest round of breakfast promotions, you'll have to road trip to Wisconsin, say, or the Southeast and promise to exercise a couple hours extra post-consumption of the items: A Double Loaded Omelet Biscuit and Fried Bologna Biscuit.

OMG! Fried balogna!

This was one of the goodies that Daddy, who'd been a short order cook way back in history when dinosaurs roamed the earth, liked to whip up for dinner. The Princess Mom would have had heart failure, had she but known. And you can bet that we kids were zippered-lipped about this particular secret, because if we told, we'd never have fried balogna sandwiches for dinner ever again.

I like mine on soft white bread with a generous schmear of yellow mustard and nothing else. Mayo and foo-foo stuff on a fried balogna sandwich is for sissies. And biscuits? No. Just... *shudder*... no.
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Quote of the Day:

You may know two men that you think would be perfect as a couple except one likes leather daddies and the other is into twinks----and they’re both tops. If you don’t know what that means, then you shouldn’t play cupid.

Yup.
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Lingering would be a colossal waste of love and money.

Go read the whole thing.

Since the passing of the Princess Mom and Darling Daddy, I think about stuff like this pretty often, and I agree entirely with the author's perspective. There's nothing wrong with me now, but I've already started having conversations about this with my daughter so that when the time comes, she'll know exactly where I'm coming from and there'll be no surprises.
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My friend Lisa's got a new album out. She wants you to Come Dancing:



Yes, she is that disgustingly gorgeous in person. And a real sweetheart, too.
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Update: Searches that turned up on my site meter today: "ass burgers," "color of puss" and "boobs licker."

Lovely.

Road Trip Eats

This article on favorite road trip snacks... and the recent spate of hot summer weather... got me more than a little nostalgic for the days when the Princess Mom and Darling Daddy loaded up the Ford station wagon and hauled us all to Nana's house in South Harwich, MA for our summer vacation.

So what were the top 10 snacking highlights of our road trips as we lounged in the "way back" of the wagon? (Nope -- no seat belts.)

In the cooler:

1. The Princess Mom's oven-fried chicken, served cold for a picnic lunch.
2. Home made potato salad, ditto.
   

Miscellaneous:

1. Regal Crown Sours sour cherry candies, purchased from a machine at an Indiana or Ohio tollway oasis -- the best sour candy ever. (And they don't make 'em any more. Wah!)
2. Kraft Easy Cheese. 'Nuff said.
3. Ritz Crackers.
4. An economy-sized box of Cheez-Its.
5. A big ol' gallon thermos jug of cherry Kool-Aid.
6. Keebler Pecan Sandies. (A Darling Daddy fave.)
7. Mother's Iced Oatmeal Cookies. (The Princess Mom loved 'em.)
8. Ice cream cones from the restaurant at the HoJo hotel we always stayed at in or near Schenectady, NY. (Pistachio for me!)

So what top 10 edibles figured in your childhood road trips?

Stuck in the Middle (Ear)

Back in the '70s I was in a high school theater production that involved interpretations of a number of children's books. "May I Bring a Friend?" was done as a spoken chorus with high and low voices, boys and girls voices and a triangle.

Today I have had a running chorus of:

The King and Queen invited me

To come to their house on Monday (Ding!)

For Tea.

I told the Queen

And the Queen told the King

I had a friend

I wanted to bring.

The King told the Queen,

"My dear, my dear...

Any friend of our friend

Is (Ding!) welllllllllllllcome here.

So

I brought

My friend.

Why, after more than 30 years, has this popped up amidst the flotsam and jetsam of my psyche?

Drive-Bys

A fixture from my childhood here in Chicago has turned 90. Happy Birthday to Dr. Lester Fisher, who introduced us to The Ark in the Park at Lincoln Park Zoo!

And since my most persistent ear worm has returned due to these memories, I'm passing it on to you:


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Mark your calendars for November, when Rob Kroese's next book in the Mercury series lands! I loved the first one, and can't wait for the new one to arrive!
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Things I won't be doing this weekend? Going to WingFest (Wah! No PB&J wings!) or to the IKC Dog Show, where I'll bet you Hickory and several of the best in Group from Westminster will put in an appearance.

I will, however, be at the Irish American Heritage Center working the box office for That Was Then on Saturday and Sunday. See you there?

Traveling Companions

The Divine Miss Marilyn wore the feline equivalent of Lee Press-On Nails to discourage her predilection for shredding the sofa. When I saw these new offerings from Soft Claws, it brought her immediately to mind:



The little booger really did love showing off her "pawdicure" and would have looked fabulous in these!