flic.kr/p/4FgPK The family cabin is slowly collapsing… this photo is from 2005, so things have probably gotten even more dilapidated. My cousins own it and though we used to have access, apparently that’s no longer as simple as asking for the key and checking the calendar. My oldest cousin tried to sell it a few years back, causing shock and dismay. Yet it’s a pretty big tax payment each year, so I can see why he’d want to sell. Reportedly he sold off the piece of the property where I stood to take this… there’s a fancy new vacation home…
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You first have to read this blog post by TV’s Wil Wheaton – he tells a great story about his relationship with Jonathan Frakes, and how important it is to find the family that laughs with you, not at you. I’ll wait. Tagging @annewheaton and @lenperalta I can almost imagine what it must be like to have a dad who loves you – WIL WHEATON dot NET — Read on wilwheaton.net/2021/11/i-can-almost-imagine-what-it-must-be-like-to-have-a-dad-who-loves-you/ First of all, he’s no longer “TV’s Wil Wheaton,” ironic construct. He’s “Wil Wheaton’s Wil Wheaton.” He’s made a good life and career for himself as a writer, voice…
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– Too funny. The wheels are coming off of Joe “Deadbeat Dad” Walsh’s bus. He’s not doing anything for the district, he’s been redistricted into a primary with another GOP Congressman, and he doesn’t deal well with critics. He prefers the “way to go, Joe!” sycophants on his Facebook page – there mostly fromfrom the Cro-Magnon Wing of the Republican Party. I hope this teaches people in the district a lesson: “VOTE. Or the crazies win.” U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) met with some constituents in the Chicago suburb of Gurnee Sunday — and apparently didn’t like what some of…
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This article reminded me of the time Mom dickered with a car dealer on a price for a car, got a firm quote (after discussing loan terms more favorable to the dealership than herself) and then pulled a wad of cash out of her purse to pay for the car on the spot. She meant to pay cash all along, as it was from an insurance settlement — she just wanted to string the guy along and see how low he’d go. The suggestions in the article are pretty good; however what we’ve done with our vehicles is pay them…
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In the last few weeks, I’ve gotten pretty obsessed with the A&E reality show, “Hoarders,” which if you can get past the piles of junk, “treasures,” and poo, is compelling. In the season preview clip above, the newly famous Possum From Hoarders makes her (not his) daring leap for freedom after being poked with a stick. This little clip apparently kept the other obsessed fans talking all summer, but the actual appearance of the Awesome Possum did not disappoint; she hopped in a handy Pet Taxi and lit off for the bright lights of the big city. You can read…
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Padre Mickey tells the thrilling tale of one memorable Christmas, when a flaming dessert burned itself into the memories of everyone present (also the carpet, furniture, the kitchen floor) before being kicked back into the kitchen). He promises 2 more visitations of this memory, as recalled by other, saner heads. It’s a Rashomon Christmas! You owe it to yourself to read the whole thing: I nearly coughed up a lung laughing at it. We had a wonderful meal; lots of good food, and the children opened presents, and oh, what a wonderful Christmas it was! Gramma Connie had prepared a…
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This is just WRONG. I had a red wagon that wasn’t a Radio Flyer, and I was always embarrassed because it wasn’t the classic square shape and brand. It was kind of a weird streamlined shape that was actually ideal for coasting down hills because you could sit in it and dangle your legs over the curved lip while steering. This? It’s just too much. You can’t coast in this thing, it’s designed for a jogging or speed-walking parent to drag two little kids along on a workout. With tunes. Safety belts? Cupholders? GAH! But then, I did break my…
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While putting off the task of adding a personal note to holiday cards that MUST! GO! OUT!, I decided to review My Year In Blogging. January: Today, at Holy Moly, we had some excitement too. I ended up staying for both services just because there was a rehearsal for the big day after the second service. There was lots of laughter, a little girl threw up in front of the choir, Pat Kalicki stood in for Bishop Katharine in the run-through wearing a paper bishop’s mitre, and there was lots of chaos and general anarchy. Later on in February, Presiding…
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St Nicholas is special to me. Not only do I attend a church named after him (he’s our “patronal saint” in liturgical churchspeak) but he’s indirectly responsible for my 20-year career in travel. As he’s the patron saint of children, sailors, and travelers, this seems more than mere coincidence. How’d this happen? When I was still living in Eugene, I was drifting along at a dead end job after I left college, working at a dry cleaners. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or what I could do to improve my circumstances. More schooling…
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Chicago Public Radio just broadcast an amazing documentary about the old Zenith manufacturing plant, which closed 10 years ago. They interviewed several former employees and intercut them in a really compelling, evocative way. I was transported to another time and place as I listened. Somehow, I managed to keep enough attention on the road to get home safely. You’ve got to hear this, because it’s not just people talking about where they used to work. They’re talking about who they used to be, and what this country used to do. Today marks the 10th anniversary of a historic plant closure…