Thanksgiving and Stuff Afterwards

Brilliant title.

I must be running out or something.

Naw, I'll never run out of stupid.

Spent time in Lockport and Oak Forrest on Thanksgiving Day. At some point in the evening Kim and I realized we'd been drinking coffee since 5am or so. For us, that's way more dangerous than being drunk. In spite of all the potential for trouble, there was only one caffeine induced dust up among the lovers so that was a good thing.

Cookie got in a few fights with the other dogs present at the feast but other than that it was a peaceful evening. After dinner and visiting, Alex and Kim were the big winners in our Texas Hold 'Em and 7 Card Stud festivities. I'm just thankful to still have a shirt.

I suck at cards.

Headed west at about 10pm. Worked in DK on Friday. Got home late and did not get as much done for my licensing test as I originally planned. Believe it or not, I enjoy studying this stuff. It is different and infinitely more practical than the things I have read or thrown myself into in the past.

Yes Lord, they have ears but do not hear.

Saturday I drove back to the OF and picked up Kim, Alex and Cookie. Made the 4:30 mass and attended Newman's Family Game Night. Played 21 and 31 with Christopher & Brandon's family. More fun and Alex really worked on his math skills when we bumped things up from 21 with 3 cards to 31 with 4 cards in hand. I had to cut out early and run errands. Was not able to get my shit together in time to meet Johnny and M at Eduardo's. D'oh. Would have loved to see those guys.

Sunday - BEARS!!!! The boy and I had great fun watching the game. We also did rebounding and ball handling practice.

NOT THAT YOU SICK BASTARDS!

Studied late Sunday and tried to make up for the time I didn't take advantage of earlier in the weekend.

Did that make any sense?

I think not.

Pick Your Destiny

First hoops practice of the year. All the usual suspects were out and all about basketball. Alex has put in daily practice on his ball handling and passing skills and we are getting some positive results. His head was up the whole time he was out there and that's good. In basketball, as in most of life, only bad things can happen when your head is down all the time.

uh, unless you are one of those famous shoe-gazer rock guys

They may be better guitar players and more famous than me, but I bet they suck at basketball.

Coach Dennis worked with the boys on setting picks and Alex is finally getting the idea that he has to keep his hands in, resisting the temptation to grab the defender and slow him down that way. His original strategy was effective, just not legal....kind of like insider trading. The boy loves hoops and I think he can really help his team this year. I'm not concerned with them winning any or all of the games. There are two or three kids who can really handle the ball on his team. If he can learn to come up near the top of the key, get in position to set a pick, these kids learn how to find the pick and use it drive to the hoop the boys can be playing a fine brand of basketball this season.

This is one of the few lessons in sports that can be helpful in the rest of life. See the big picture of the play, see your part in it and try your best to do it so that everybody can achieve the goal.

Then go for ice cream afterward.

More Celebrity News from...DeKalb?!?

We missed Family Movie Night on Friday (due to rock show) but we more than made up for it with Family Movie Morning on Saturday. We watched Star Trek (the JJ Abrams flick) and Saturday evening we watched the Tenth Inning.

Alex and I also did a lot of bummin' and errands this weekend. Dentist on Saturday and then we drove all around N. Aurora looking for this video game joint we both heard about....legend has it the place still has original Xbox and Dreamcast games. The boy loves his Dreamcast and I don't blame him. We've had some fun with that machine.

Also, I bought the intermediate size basketball. This year the coaches are encouraging the kids to use the smaller ball to help them with their ball handling and to keep them away from the bad habit of pushing the shot up. The 28.5 ball reinforces the proper form for raising and releasing.

Hey, my shot is rife with bad habits, and sometimes the ball goes in no matter what I do or how horrendous it looks.

I might not be the best example here.

Finally, there is no truth to the rumor I started that Kate Winslet tried to smootch the Old Dog at the show on Friday. There is a more true rumor that she is making a movie somewhere within diving distance of Otto's and she, like a lot of fans of rock 'n roll came out for a couple of great bands in a small, not to say crappy, venue.

Maybe James Cameron is making Titanic II on the cheap and filming it in the Kish.

Swell. Now that digital tree-huggin' cocksucker'll never leave.

Hold Steady Barb City

The Hold Steady came to DK on Friday. OD, KJ and I met Josh from work at Rob's for sushi, Jamie and some weird Indian beer. Then met up w/ Ladi Di and Eli at Otto's for PBR and rock and roll. Saw more people I haven't seen in forever

It was his first day off in forever

Waitaminute...

Highland siblings, Swaffords (well at least a Swafford of the drumming variety), people from Kim's work and mine were there and it was fun to see them all.

What a great night for our shitty little town.

Our Treasure for Treasurer

Alex's class is holding elections and the boy has decided to run for treasurer. He remembered right before bedtime that he had to compose a speech. I think he may've been looking for an excuse to stay up past late, but the extra 20 minutes was worth it. Here is the final product:

"You should vote for me for treasurer. I will be honst and trustwerthy. I turn my homework in on time. I try to come to school every day I can. I try to not get in trouble. So that's why you should vote for me. But if you don't it's okay."

Great speech. If only he'd worked for Goldman Sachs in 2nd grade or something, he'd be a shoe in for the job.

Stupid Paulsen, stupid Geithner

Fox Trot

Played my semi-regular (or is it more like an "every so often") accordion gig at Oak Crest retirement facility.

I think it went well. The audience sang most of the songs so I didn't have to. I use two or sometimes three fake books my parents got for me from the shadiest of sources back in the day. I take much delight in that for some reason.

Sometimes these fake books have little notes like "Pennies from Heaven - from the musical Pennies from Heaven"...but a few of the notes are less obvious. "If I Had You" is followed by these remarks: "The Prince of Wales' Favorite Fox Trot"

I've been playing the song for years and never really thought about this. It made me nervous. Never having danced the fox trot myself, I don't know if I am qualified in any way to play the favorite fox trot of the Prince of Wales. For all I know, members of the audience could be huge fox trot fans or fans of the Prince of Wales, or someone in the house may even be the non-specific Prince of Wales in question. Here's hoping one of the seven tempos I played during the song approached "fox trot" status.

Raccoon Wars

Damned masked rodents figured out how to pry open my new, but clearly not vermin-proof garbage can with their filthy little fingers.

Stupid mf'ers

And now thanks to the election there will be no chance of getting proper garbage can tightness regulations through both houses of Congress!

Sorry

I'll have to fight these bastards on my own like they did in the frontier days. Hopefully I manifest the same courage and determination as our past American frontiersmen.

Otherwise some raccoon will end up wearing me on his head.

Audi Alteram Partem

I let the boy go into the voting booth with me. I made a point to mention that one of the judges on the ballot was former Bears place kicker Bob Thomas. He responded, "Well you have to vote 'Yes' on him."

And I did.

Our polling place was packed for a midterm and I guess that's a good thing. Those who know me know I am not the first person standing on the mountain shouting "More voters equals better government!"

Besides if the foot of that mountain was less than 100 feet from the polling place, my shouting might be construed as electioneering.

On the electioneering front, I wore a name tag that read "I'm you."

Probably would've stirred up trouble in Delaware...but in DeKalb's 4th Ward in Illinois' 14th District, people don't give a shit if I claim to be them.

Regarding the 14th District and witchcraft, Bill Foster can practice his mad sciencetry away from the peoples' freedoms.

I don't know where that came from, Foster seemed like a nice enough fellow.

Hultgren smash puny incumbent!

Sorry.

Randy Hultgren does sort of look like a white (or at least, non-green and not so Incredible Hulk)

I don't know if the last two midterms are a sign of some sort of new trend where the House (and sometimes the Senate) is going to shift back and forth.

The Tea Party movement interested me insofar as it reminded me of Al Quaeda...

...with its lack of centralized authority and support (in the form of short, scary films) from a variety of secret but well-funded sources.

Let's hear it for Citizen's United!

uh, whoever the hell they are

I hope Boehner is not going to use this opportunity to propose a bunch of shit that will never pass in the Senate or get shot down by the President just to enhance his party's chances in 2012...the odds are that is probably what is going to happen.

But every midterm when one house or the other (or both) change hands I feel some unfounded (and usually unproved) excitement. I want to believe there is a chance for different sides in America to at least take note of each other and the effect their arguments (or rhetoric) have on the American people.

I am usually proved wrong.

In looking up info for a scrapped, but theoretically funnier post on former Bear and current Justice Bob Thomas I found this phrase on the header of the Illinois Supreme Court homepage:

"Audi Alteram Partem"

"Hear the other side"

Usually there's not much chance to hear anything amid the noise of modern, public life -

But here's hoping