this is a good icebreaker

The next time you’re at a party, try this fun ice-breaker: ask people what their first concert was. It’s always a delightful conversation topic, and typically the more cringeworthy and one-hit-wonder acts are more fun to discuss than the “cool” bands (if your first show was U2, that’s cool, but Vanilla Ice is almost more special.) I put the question out on Facebook: what was your first concert? Feel free to add your own in the comments. 

Me: CARS   saw them in 1982 in Madison, Wisconsin.  I love the fact that they were cool enough to be at Lolapalooza this year.  Too bad their co-lead singer and bassist, Benjamin Orr weren't still alive.  

Justin: Public Enemy & Anthrax at Aragon!

Joel: Starship and The Outfield, somewhere in Virginia (but not Wolf Trap...). It was 1986 and I was on a teen tour, so maybe that can be my excuse (heh).

Kate Z.: Janet Jackson

Nora: Peter Gabriel at Rosemont Horizon.

Jane: 1988: INXS

Marly: Menudo. I wish I were kidding. They were playing in el Poliedro, in Caracas.

Cheryl: John Denver. ACC Arena. 1974 or 5. Also not my idea -- but when your mom drags you to a concert, you kind of have to go

Rebekah: Liz Phair at the Vic. Fall 1995.

Daniel R.The Monkees at the Rosemont Horizon. Their reunion tour. 1986. I went with my church's teen club. I quit the club after that night.

Andy: Fishbone at Mississippi Nights. It was the nutmeg nineties.

Jonathan: Meatloaf: Rockland Community College, summer of 1978.

Elizabeth J.: Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine at Poplar Creek. I think I was nine. AWW YEAH.

Leonard: The first concert I ever went to was a Beach Boys outdoor show. My best friend's dad took us and someone threw a can of beer at my head. This would have been sometime in the late '70s. 

& someone else:...........The first concert I ever went to of my own choosing was, embarrassingly, Quarterflash. Arizona State Fair, 1982.

& do you recall either the 1st concert or your favorite concert??  you are more than welcome to discuss both.  I  love when you share...........

Isn't this a problem?

Look at Doonesbury cartoon today.

http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/archive/2011/08/21 

You know if one of the major causes of the Great Depression was the MALDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES, then isn’t the fact that 400 families have more than about 150 million people in the United States a problem????!?!?!?!?!?!?!

 & don’t you dare try telling me that rich people work harder b/c that’s bullshit.  Try telling that to the woman working 2 jobs in New York City busting ass to feed her kids.....our a couple BOTH WORKING  in a shitty little apartment in LA or Chicago trying to make ends meet.  

Who works hard?  BOTH RICH & POOR

WHO DOESN’T TAKE A VACATION FOR 4 OR 5 YEARS, BECAUSE THEY CAN’T AFFORD IT??  not the rich……..

recent thoughts

This summer has brought changes - large changes, in fact. 

With the death of my father-in-law, my ex has decided to move out of the 2-bedroom condo we shared, and into her late father's house.  That's pretty understandable considering that she and the kids are able to live in a more spacious house, and each has their own bedroom.  During the school year, however, the kids will spend a lot more time in Oak Forest and at the condo, because that is the school district they prefer and been at for 12 years.

There was an observation that I speak/write about money often.  That may very well be true, yet when your conditions change in a very noticeable way, then why not write about it?? 

If you were a model, wouldn't it seem natural to talk about photo shoots?

If you were a football player, wouldn't it seem natural to talk about the games?

If you are a parent, wouldn't you talk about your kids??

If you were a farmer wouldn't you talk about your crops or livestock?

If you were happily married and in love with your husband, wouldn't it seem right to talk about your husband?

So, it is logical for me to write about what's on my mind.  I read a book about anxiety/worrying.  One of the definitions of worrying is:

repeatedly thinking about the same problem/area of concern & worry over and over without coming up with a solution.

Now, no one is perfect. We all worry.  The book made clear what should happen if I am concerned about money. 

Before the book, and definitely after the book I read, I have been making constructive plans to solve the money dilemma I have.  The kids and Maribeth were surprised I got rid of my cable TV subscription, but it certainly didn't surprise me as I'm saving $50 a month.  So, look for ways to save money.  My utility informed me that I'm using less energy than I was last year.  It helps having your air conditioner set 10 degrees higher than it was last summer as well as turning down the freezer. 

Next, is paying off certain accounts.   Now, the air conditioner doesn't turn on unless the temperature is in the 80s (that's fahrenheit and upper 20s if you live where they measure in celsius/centigrade).

I have paid off 2 credit cards during 2011.  In the next 2 months, I am going to be able to pay off 2 more credit cards.  With my medical problem that I have mentioned previously, I have paid off 2 medical accounts.

Third, is to prioritize my accounts.  The mortgage gets paid first, the insurance is a high priority.  Certain accounts necessitate calling customer service and telling, not asking,  that they won't be paid because there's simply not enough money to go around.  It's advice that was given by my dear close friend, Patricia, and it's worked. 

Speaking of friends, getting help is sometimes necessary.  When you are helped, pay  back the little loan soon as I have.  Or, pay back the help with other non-monetary benefits like giving the helper rides when needed and other types of help as well.

Don't get down about setbacks.  I thought that Google AdSense would help just a little bit (not much, I never thought that!)   as they paid for me showing their ads on this very blog.  However, over a week ago, they decided to not to pay after all, so there's no use crying to a monolithic many-billion-dollar corporate piggish entity.  No, forget them.  Let them think what they want, because piggish corporations and piggish corporate heads think only of profit and have a tendency to hurt not only people but nations.  That's why there was a need for the law in 2010 to order health insurance companies to actually use more money towards providing health benefits rather than the lavish compensation to the pigs who run them.  

One thing that Republicans fail to acknowledge is that the most efficient provider of healthcare among the elderly was MEDICARE, not the private insurance companies. Why?  Because Medicare is not profit driven & there's no rich CEO/pig  that is demanding that the board of directors give him more money. 

Don't take my word for it, because it's documented:

"[T]he Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that administrative costs under the public Medicare plan are less than 2 percent of expenditures, compared with approximately 11 percent of spending by private plans"

Too much politics?  I wouldn't discuss it if it wasn't true !

 The next thing is keep trying.  That's a rather general platitude for many things.  Being a good Christian (we all sin, but we need to keep trying to live a good life), being a good parent (try hard to  say "no" when you have to, even when you said "no" many times before, even when it's hard and even if they have a compelling reason for you to say "yes", but it hurts the long term goal !) 

Having medical billers write to you and tell you that you didn't pay them when you did is stressful.  But I would be more stressed if I didn't have the records to show the payment.  So, being organized with decent record keeping is another key to the money problem dilemma.

 

One of the best options is to find a better job, and that is difficult.  That takes many resumes and trying.  Another option is to find a 2nd source of income.  I have accomplished that, but am seeking better methods and better pay in that regard.

I don't even know for certain that I'll succeed, but I'll try, I'll use what I've written about and then some.  Theft may be on my list of options, if things ever get worse, but let's hope not !  JK !

EXPRESS MONOPOLY

The winged feet are to show that I invented and wanted to share with you a speedy version of Monopoly.  You know how Monopoly can go on 6 hours. Now, some people don't have 6 hours or 5 or however long it takes for you to spare time playing the fun game.  So, I invented a game that shaves time off of Monopoly.  The best aspect of my invention is that Monopoly gets a lot more interesting when there are actually players with MONOPOLIES!  Before that it's not all that eventful.  So here is what you do.  Players (whether you have 3-5 players) get properties at the beginning of the game as follows:  

3 players Monopoly Portfolios




Portfolio 1
Purple monopoly (eg. has Baltic & Mediterranean)
Orange monopoly (eg. has New York and others that are orange)
Park Place
Get Out of Jail Free card
$2,800


Portfolio 2
Baby Blue monopoly (e.g. has Oriental)
Violet monopoly (eg. has States )
Boardwalk
N. Carolina Avenue
$2500


Portfolio 3
Red monopoly
Yellow Monopoly
Pacific and Penn. Aves.
$2200


4 players Monopoly portfolios (EVERYONE GETS $2,500)

Portfolio 1
Purple monopoly
Boardwalk
Marvin Gardens
2 RR2s (1st & 2nd side)


Portfolio 2
Violet Monopoly
Park Place
Ventor & Atlantic Avenues
2 Railroads (3rd & 4th sides)


Portfolio 3
Baby blue Monopoly
N. Carolina Ave
NY & St. James Aves.

Portfolio 4
Red monopoly
Pacific & Penn Ave
Tennesse Ave.


5 players portfolio

Portfolio 1
Purple monopoly
Boardwalk
Marvin Gardens
$2,400
Portfolio 2
Violet monopoly
4 Railroads
$2800



Portfolio 3
Baby blue monopoly
Park Place
Atlantic & Ventor Aves.
$2,200


Portfolio 4
Red monopoly
Utilities
N. Carolina
$2,400

Portfolio 5
Orange monopoly

Pacific & Penn Aves.

$2500


Rules
1. The Sky is the Limit” as far as how many hotels you put on a . You get to put as many hotels as you want.

2. Corollary to Rule 2 You cannot buy 2 hotels (on 1 piece of property) until every player has passed GO once. You cannot buy 3 hotels (on 1 piece of property) until ever player has gone GO twice. Once that has occurred, Rule 2, above, applies

3 “You snooze you lose!” If someone lands on property you own, if you don’t ask for rent he doesn’t have to pay.

Monopoly trivia:  Over 30 years ago, those who lived in the former Soviet Union (what is now Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhistan, and other areas), were forbidden to play Monopoly as it was against the values of that Communist society.  People in North Korea and Cuba STILL are not allowed to play it !

random thoughts

I'm really trying to save money.  I'm no longer living with my ex-wife (MB), because she is inheriting & also working on financing the place that her late father lived.   I am also trying to finance and buy out MB's share of the condo.  I learned, however, that it will not be easy.  Yet, there are solutions.  I have:

• turned the air conditioner so that it's not used as much;
• cleaned the bedrooms and picked areas that have been a bit overlooked.  Now, there is no blaming or criticizing about areas of the condo overlooked.  Yet, with the kids sometimes not at the condo, but over with their mother in the house, I can throw away things that need to be taken out, dust, sweep and vacuum;
• we were very fortunate to have such nice neighbors.  One of Ted's good friends is Jake who lives next door.  His father gave us the very topline Dyson vacuum cleaner which I have put to good use;
• I had to go to MB's house, and I did not want to spend any money on expensive gas, so I biked/walked the 2 1/2 miles.  The first half of the trip, I biked west on the Cook County Forest Preserve bike trail.   I then hid my bike into the forest where people couldn't see it and walked the rest of the way.  Maribeth's tenant, Sal, was kind enough to give me a ride to approximately where my bike was.  More on Sal at   http://25mi-swchicago.blogspot.com/
• On the same night, Ted, my 2nd son, was concerned about me, because I had lived by myself for 2 days with no kids around.  "Are you ok?", he asked that twice ! !  What a good kid ! Then when he knew that I walked over to save money and not burn any gas driving my car, he gave me $3 !
• I broke the news to my kids that we don't need or are required to have cable anymore; Cable is basically entertainment, and we could rent a few movies per month at a much cheaper price.  We will still have about 20 channels anyway through digital broadcast.  The kids were strong and took it in stride.  I was going to get ride of my landline phone too. But the problem is that I would use my cellphone more, go over the allotted 300 minutes and then have to spend more money on my cellphone bill.  I don't need to do that. 

We have to be thankful for what we have.  There has to be an effort to continue to find better opportunities either working at a hospital again, finding a better law firm or a combination of staying at the same law firm and working at the hospital.

& here's  a picture of Ted; I'm very glad he decided to get his hair cut !  The 3 boys decided at Nate's birthday party to have frosting on their face.  That was the cool thing to do !  Now, can't you see that's cool (lol) ?

a winning couple

“Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes, and she’s gone.”

“Lucy and the Sky with Diamonds” - Beatles/ written by Lennon & McCartney

When Jack saw them at Church, they had well-earned, wonderful, white teeth. When Lucy & Ralph went a  party, they lit up the room.

Jack viewed them with envy. He did well with his kids and his hobbies, but about the rest of his life?

Oh well, he’d rather think of the Thompsons, Ralph and Lucy Thompson.

Lucy was a classmate and a childhood friend.  Nearly fifty years ago, Jack saw her Monday through Friday, in school.  On Saturday, they both went to +*+CCD, then attended Church on Sunday.  Jack distinctively remembered in 7th grade having a loving crush on her.  If there were an 8th day of the week after Saturday, and they spent that day with just each other, then Planet Earth and the heavens above would be perfect.

Yet, opposites attract and not a couple that is too much the same.  Both Lucy and Jack were earnest, sensitive kids in 7th grade and stayed that way through adulthood.  Lucy chose a boy with a great sense of humor later in high school and married the quiet and successful Ralph Thompson. 

 

Jack hadn't seen Lucy in ages, 1987 to be exact.  He graduated with Honors in Journalism that year and entered a job market with few takers.  He found more success doing various work with businesses, and his pride in a job well done usually kept his bosses happy. 

Yet, Lucy was smart for picking Ralph over Jack.  Ralph, after all, may not have worked as hard as Jack, but he had a job with the U.S. Government, paid him well, gave him great benefits, and made Lucy and their sons and daughters happy.  Now, think about it.............wasn't that all Lucy could ever ask and hope for?  

 

Jack knew the correct answer and was happy he found a decent place to live and had good kids.  Last month, Jack decided to see his ailing parents and go to Church in his rural hometown.  He knelt down after Communion, saw a woman who walked by him that quickend his pulse and then saw Ralph and felt a lump in his throat.  He stopped kneeling and sat down in the pew stunned as it hit him.  After 25 years, Lucy Schroeder Thompson recognized him.  He acted as if he was earnestly praying but actually felt like crying instead.  He was amazed at how raw she hit his emotions and personal history. 

 

His mind raced as he forced slow, deep breaths to calm down and prevent sobbing.  Are they going to stay?  How fast would he have to walk out of Church to meet both of them.  They were friendly enough glancing at him as they walked by his pew, maybe he could talk to them after Church.  Was she going to leave before the recessional hymn was over?  Was he going to catch up to them?

 

"HELL NO!,"  his pride dictated. 

There would be no running in Church, no beeline toward her, and very little, if any, hint of how badly he wanted to talk to her. "That was exactly how it was going to be!" his pride shouted.  He was no longer a 7th grader, senior or even a 30 year old triumphantly getting married.  No, he earned a nice office working in Joliet, and there would be no provincial excitement of any kind. 

 

Recovering emotionally, he walked calmly over to the Thompsons. 

"It's nice to see you," Jack said with a smile.

"JACK!" exclaimed Ralph, "how have you been?"

"I've been covering sports for Joliet's Herald-News.   I get to see a lot of excellent high school athletes like you used to be!" Jack smiled at Lucy.

"I thought I was ok, but my kids put me to shame," as she smiled and her her husband a knowing wink.

Ralph added, "Mari won a conference title in discus!"

"That's great!  What year is she?" Jack asked.

"She's a junior"

"Wow, still another year left.  Maybe she'll compete at state next year".

"Maybe!" Lucy and Ralph said in unison.  Ralph asked, "Do they treat you well at the newspaper?"  Jack knew he was more interested in how much he was being paid rather than how he was "treated". 

"Well, with all the problems newspapers are having, I am glad things are steady, and I have plenty of work. How is your career going?"

"Ok, I  have been busy too"

"Lucy, are you still working at a clinic?"

"No, I haven't worked there in years, thanks to when Ralph got his promotion," Lucy noted with pride.  Ralph smiled affably at his wife's pride as Jack smiled along.

"Can you believe it will be 40 years since we graduated?" Jack asked Lucy.

"No," replied Lucy, "I can't but when you think about it, so much has happened since we graduated."

"Lots of changes to people and circumstances," Jack observed.

"Yes"

"Are you going to the class reunion when they have Homecoming next fall?"

"No, I haven't gone since the 5th year reunion," Lucy dismissively noted.

"Why?"

"Because Gary grabbed my posterior right in front of Ralph," Lucy replied disdainfully.

"Gary?"

"He was the only guy in our class with blonde hair"

"Oh, right, he was medium height and medium build.  He left our school for awhile, right?"

"Yes, I knew you would remember him"

"And I felt like punching him!" Ralph asserted, "I was in nearly a dozen fights and won them all during college!"

"Except the one with Pete Wilson," Lucy observed.

"Yes, but he was on the college football team!" Ralph stated.

"Your accomplishments later in life are much bigger than any fight you won," Lucy mused.

"And look how well your kids turned out !" Jack noted.

"Thanks, Jack," Lucy replied.  Lucy's gratitude was the furthest thing from Jack's mind as he could not believe how nice Lucy still looked after all these years.

"Are you sure you won't be going?" Jack asked.

"We won't" they said in unison.

"Well, listen, I want to go and see how well my kids are doing with their Grandma, so I probably should get going," Jack said.  He was looking for a smooth, suave departure from the two.

"How have your kids been doing, Jack?" Lucy asked.

"They all made the honor roll last semester.  One son is in basketball and football, and the other is in track.  Both daughters are in cheerleading," he noted.

"Wow, how often do both daughters make the cheerleading team?!?" Lucy wondered.

"Probably not that often, but they have a very good rapport with the cheerleading coach.  She's also the Language Arts teacher, and they do well writing," Jack recalled.

"They take after you then?" Ralph smiled as he asked.

"Maybe," Jack shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, listen, Jack, it was nice to see you," Lucy said and shook his hand.  Jack also shook Ralph's hand, and after the "goodbyes", they left and went to their respective cars.

Jack was happy to see her and talk to her, but felt disappointment that he wouldn't see her at the reunion.  Jack was willing to block Gary or, better yet, occupy Gary from talking or doing anything stupid with Lucy.  But then again, wasn't that what Ralph was supposed to do?

Jack realized that the Thompsons could not be bothered.  He understood that they were more comfortable on a boat with friends they enjoyed sharing fun times with rather than former classmates she grew apart from.  That was all there was to it.  He knew that he was going to have to be content with this chance encounter, there was no use wanting more.  
---------------------------
+*+ CCD = Confraternity of Christian Doctrine is the teaching of Catholic youth the doctrine of The Church.  While many Catholic students go to private schools and learn about Catholicism during school, most kids, sharing the same faith, go to a Catholic education session on Saturdays or 1 weekday evening during the school year. 

more fiction as the 2 talk

Jack had given Brent an excellent documentary on human behavior and social psychology called “This Emotional Life” and Brent saw the 1st part of the 3-part series that Jack bought.

“This is really good, and I can relate to a lot of what it says,” Brent exclaimed to Jack minutes after Jack entered his apartment.

“It is, you learn a lot when they discuss aspects of relationships between couples”

“Speaking of couples, that’s pretty nice that Karla let Joe (Brent & Jack’s younger brother) play in that band for the past year or so,” Brent stated.

“Yes, she’s a good wife,” Jack replied.

“There were times when she was criticized before”

“True, but you really can’t know success; they’ve been married 20 years.”

“Better than Martha (Jack’s ex)”

“Exactly,” Jack exclaimed, “I think that Karla shares our family’s strength in being resourceful and saving money.”

“Yeah, I heard she’s gone to rummage sales”

“& Martha has never been to one since 1994. She’ll pride herself on spending less than $120 on clothes in a year but then spend too much on groceries and all sorts of crap for the kids,” Jack note.

“& that hurt when you went bankrupt”

“There were a number for the bankrupt. It would be wrong to blame them all on Martha. But those 2 years after the millennium were the 2 worst years of my life. I hope to never go back to those days or the problems that occurred then.”

Brent asked, “Did you want to end it all?” Jack brushed aside the question. “The fact that she can save money well, be a good mother and allow him to do his hobbies, makes her a good wife”

“Yeah, I think so”

you know what's interesting

In the 3 times that I have had surgery (& none of them were serious, extensive surgeries, Thank God), the anesthesiologist was the nicest person in the room. I wonder why? Is it because they're paid well and their job isn't as hard as the surgeon's??  I'm just guessing. 

When they inject the sleeping agent into the IV line, they always tell you to count back from 100.  I'm sure glad I haven't even made it to 80.  I distinctly remember not even making it to 90 last time. 

The GLIB, SUPERFICIAL conversation

It was a good Memorial Day holiday for our condo complex yesterday !  Amid rumors that the pool would not open because of some mysterious slime, the pool opened on time, and the water looked great (without slime).  I was almost, but not quite amused at the conversation I heard yesterday when I went to the pool. 
1=1st man
2=2nd man.  Both men know each other at this condo complex.

1: Things are better than they were last year at this time.
2:  Good! I'm happy for you!  It's about time it's that way for you.
1:  I mean the one thing I have to deal with is this cancer thing and trying to pay for it all, but...
2. (interrupting)  Oh,  snap out of it!
1:  Hey, well, it's good seeing you.
2:  Talk to you later. Nice seeing you too.
Then "2" thought to himself, "Snap out of it?  Like you snap out of a bad mood and become more reasonable? Like you snap out of sadness and become happy?  Glad he figures it's that easy with cancer."  He would go back for clarification with 1 if he thought the other guy knew what he was talking about.  Ah, glibness........there's not too many things like it. 

Part 2 of 2, Andy's Eulogy

There's little that needs to be said to introduce this.  My oldest son Andy who is 15 has nearly completed a successful 1st year of high school. Andy has spent a good deal of time being a caretaker to his grandfather during at least the last two, if not three years of his life.
After his 83 yr. old grandfather died on May 21, the wake, funeral and burial was held Wednesday, May 25.  Here is what Andy said:

--------------------------------------------------

Andy’s Eulogy to His Grandfather, the Late Paul DeMars

We are here today to remember my Grandpa, because he has been with us through good times and bad. And today, he is in heaven to look upon us all to remember him by.

I have always loved my grandfather whether he needed personal care, cooking a delicious meal, grabbing his medical kits-whether it’s blood pressure or blood sugar monitoring, and most of all spending quality time with him.

I remember when my grandpa was bored, and I wanted to spend some quality time with him so I brought out a board game, “LIFE”. When we played, he had 2 daughters, then when he had gotten the boy, he said, “Andy, thanks for helping me. You are like the son I never had”. That was a moment I have never forgotten. Thank you grandpa for always being there for me.

I love you very much.

Andrew V. Schauf, delivered on 5/25/2011

dogs rise to the occasion

Part 1 of 2

Maribeth's father passes away on May 20

Paul DeMars died exactly a week and12 hours ago. He was my ex-wife's father.  I was surprised to learn that part of the reason he died was from dehydration (according to the Death Certificate).  However, we knew about the other problems.  He had renal failure and was finished when his heart gave out.  He did not even live 1 day at the nursing home he was at.  Maribeth said that he acted like he didn't want to be there.  I don't think there was any malpractice with respect to his dehydration. It was a matter that the kidneys worked so bad that they didn't allow the rest of the body to get liquid.  That's my theory. I'm no doctor, so I am not sure.  

Before, I laughed myself silly when the 2 dogs above got together.  No, I'm kidding.  Yet, Maribeth owner of Minnie, black gentle pit bull, and Faith, my Late Father-in-Law's dog (black & white Border Collie/Sheepdog mix) didn't get along very well.  It was a pattern.  Minnie, age 1, would bounce around Faith (age 8) and the older dog would feel her space was violated and bark at Minnie.  Minnie is about the opposite of the stereotype of a nasty fighting pit bull.  My dear friend, Patricia, has a dachsund, (this breed is illustrated below).  Minnie, backs down to a damn dachsund! 

It was like I told my son, Andy, "I have good news and bad news for you, son.  The good news is we don't have to worry about Minnie tearing up anything but my old cowboy boots. She gets along great with other dogs.  The bad news is that if another person or animal attacked you; Minnie would sit and watch or  get herself killed trying to save you ". 

& Brianna found someone to play baseball with.....

Parental talk

A conversation; making it quicker, I'm not using quotes but more like a play which I don't do often

D: father

T: 2nd son

Ma

---------------------

D: You have 3 Cs and you nearly had straight As last quarter and the quarter before. Can you bring it up?

T: I hope so, I know I’ll do well in the fraction test on May 20

D: I know you had a growth spurt in 5 months you went from a size 9 ½ adult shoe to a 11 ½ shoe now. & you’ve gotten 8 ½ hrs. of sleep

T: Yeah, but it didn’t take much out of me until now.

D: Things are harder now. Each quarter of school is different from the last. Maybe you better put some Mountain Dew with your lunch from now on (both laugh, enter Mom).

Enter Ma

D: We were talking about his lousy grades (T makes no facial expression b/c he expects better from himself).

Ma: You have to go to bed earlier get more than 9 hrs. of sleep.

D: You have to eat more earlier in the day, T, you skimp on breakfast, lunch and eat a big supper.

T: I want to lose weight.

D: Weight shouldn’t be a factor. & that’s precisely the wrong way to lose weight ! You’re growing. Look at Andy, gets enough rest, gets good grades and he’s taller and more slender! !

Ma:  YOU GOTTA GET MORE SLEEP !

D: But Ma, we really should take him to a Dr.

Ma: That’s fine as long as you take time off work and handle it.

D. Yeah, but you work full time, 12 hr. shifts & you work 3 times a week.

Ma. HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING! He’ll get more sleep. If that don’t work, we take him to Dr. NOW THAT’S ENOUGH, MY FATHER IS DYING !

(Ma storms out of room T & Dad were in)

D: She gets angry, but she’s right. And she’s going through a lot now. We have both options,   sleep now and maybe later we'll get blood tests.  You should be fine by June, sometime.

T: Yeah, I’m not that worried about it.

There was a rather angry debate in my neighborhood at a garage sale.


God & salvation are on the minds of many people.

There was a COUPLE of people that said we should live simple like the Apostles and the Early Disciples as discussed in Acts and the Epistles. But a group that goes to church regularly and give much money in philanthropy ridiculed the idea. They said and laughed, "How are you going to live simply when we are almost required in the US to have a computer, Internet and cellphone??"

Some suggested getting good information and not live too luxioursly.

One person in the COUPLE said that Internet was evil and that the Apostles didn't need that to be a success in life.

What do you feel? Is either side right? What is the middle way??

If there is a middle way, please explain how you negotiate your time between praying, the Internet and the challenges of lack of money and the difficulties of living in 2011

fast life

Are you happy at the big task you recently did?  Did something make you angry this week?  Can you plan better? 

Life seems to be going faster, not 55 mph (88.5  km per hour), but more like 74 mph  (119 km per hour) 

 This past week:

1. kids were upset last night and took an extra 45 min. to get to bed because it was 90 F  for a high temperature. By the time they were going to bed, it was still in the 80s. 
2. checking account needs to be balanced
3. looking on the 'Net for things very important.  The search is difficult ! ! 
4. waiting for the next writing assignment that will pay... the magazine I applied for thanked me Monday after I submitted several writing samples.............now I wait ..............

I am using my drive & motivation to my advantage.

Easter ! (happiness is w/ family)

the captions on the pictures above  will be added later, busy @ work

this is the rest of my family before my father went to the nursing home 3-11-11

bigger and better things

I'm feeling better about writing, but I wanted to put out certain things that I have done before.

The point is reviewing what I did before  The posts between now and Easter will be pertaining to 3 different genres. 

I. Expository Writing - this type of writing relates to a objective, sharp observational narrative.  Sometimes, I love pretending I'm Spock and just writing in the most logical, sometimes professorial fashion.  I've done this for a dozen Wikipedia articles.  The other aspect that I love about those type of articles are there short, concise style (not unlike some of the writing where I work). 

II. Reminiscing. I've given a lot of thought about the terrible, old firm I used to work at.  Coincidentally, my first 3 months writing the blog covered some of those dreadful times on Jackson, near Halsted Street.

III. Tales of LeftWing.  Some people live wild lives.  I know of certain people like that when I was a young man of the 80s & 90s. 

Let's go with what's interesting first.  I can't promise sex but good ole' Left Wing knew a thing about drinking, drugging and rock and roll.  In those days, Left Wing was a bit socially backward, so he wasn't so great with the ladies. 

Here's one article,  and there will be more that are better about him.

There was a oil gas shock way back in the late 70s. My friend that used to get the football players (like me) in the fall and basketball players our beer in the winter was good ole Left Wing. In the year of 1979, there was a terrible shock of high prices. Why they were paying way over $1.00/per gallon ! Isn’t that terrible?  (yeah don’t laugh too hard at the 70s)

LeftWing was a man who had great glory as a beer-barrelled defensive lineman. He was 5’7” and 200 lbs. He was Mr. All-Conference Southwestern Wisconsin Ridge & Valley defensive tackle of 1976 (the nation’s bicentennial). Have you ever heard of athletes getting women easy? The funny thing was; Left Wing didn’t ! It’s hell blocking a guy that’s built like a tough hard-charging beer barrel. But guys that look like beer barrels don’t get laid a lot.

So he told a story, “You know Vince, I am getting tired of spending a ton of money on gas. I’ve gotten toughened up like the good ole 1976s when I was an Ithaca Bulldog DT All Conference”

“Yeah Lefty, can you get to the point???” I asked.

“Well, you see I’m tired of farming and I can get health insurance working at the hospital”

“No shit?” I asked encouragingly, “How’s that working out for you?”

As we drank from the keg after a hard fought win over Wauzeka 24-0, he smiled with the admiration you show a victorious Ithaca Bulldog and warmed up to the subject.

“I walk to work, the hospital is 3 miles away; it takes 45 min. Tough shit if the hospital is in a rough neighborhood, riven w/ gangs and low-life drug dealers. If I don’t bother them, the odds are low of them bothering me. Then I found this Schwepper’s tavern near the other end of town and that’s 6 miles away so it takes about an 1 1/2 hours to get there. When I walked home to my apartment something kind of special happened. To get from Schweppers’ place to my place, I go through a forest preserve (so named because it has bike paths and is patrolled by the county police). It was such a beautiful night out, and the temperature was perfect. The coolness killed off all those damn insects, yet it was warm enough so that you didn't have to worry about your hands or feet getting cold. All I had to do was follow the yellow line of the bike path, and I had no problem whatsoever in finding my way home. I saw white-tailed deer that would get close enough to try and figure out who I was, then run off as I walked next to them on the trail. It was fun trying to guess what the strange noises were.”

“That sounds pretty cool, Lefty”, I encouragingly observed.

”You know, Vince, I couldn't help but think how much more fun it would be to have a girlfriend, two sleeping bags and just being "one with nature". It was a great night to be outdoors! There was a slight bit of apprehension because I was actually breaking the rules. The County Rules are that no one is supposed to be in the forest after sundown. (It was 8 pm) I couldn't imagine them throwing me in jail for walking home, minding my own business. Just as I was less than a 1/4 mile away from leaving the Forest Preserve, there was this white light shining on my back. "Oh shit," I thought, "The County Mounties!".

“What the hell happened, Lefty?” I exclaimed excitedly.

“Well, Vince, here's how the conversation went after I turned around and saw this biker with a light beam coming from his helmet.

--------

"Uh-oh!", he exclaimed

"I'm just about ready to leave at the next exit," I explained.

"That's cool; I'm just biking", he said.

"Oh, I thought you were a County Mounty! "

"No, we just scared each other"
----------
I remember telling Left Wing, "That's not as good a story as you taking acid. Tell us what happened, Lefty".

Ok, well, Vince, a year or so after I graduated from IHS, I had the good luck to have a fun roommate named Greg who was from the Milwaukee area. We were roommates in LaCrosse, WI going to UW-LaCrosse. Greg was fun because he played guitar, had similar musical interests than I and knew where to get good pot. During the summer, I found a job and was able to stay in town. Greg moved out after the school year, but, as friends, we still saw a lot of each other.

Greg and his laconic friend went to a Grateful Dead concert. He asked me if I wanted any acid. I had to say yes. Ever since 8th grade I wondered what acid would do to a person. I was proud of the fact that Ithaca did an excellent job of educating me on the different types of drugs. Sometimes, you’ll hear some old fart say, "One kind of drug is just as bad as the other." My education showed that was total and complete nonsense. The other reason I thought that my education was excellent was because they made a very important distinction. Certain drugs like alcohol and opoid class drugs (heroin, opium, then Vicodin) are addictive. Other drugs like marijuana and acid were not addictive, but a person could develop a "psychologic dependence" . That’s an important distinction, because these days, "addiction" is one of the most overused words you hear.
"I second that, Left Wing", I smiled.
I can’t help but recall in 8th grade reading about LSD with some amazement and curiosity. It stunned me that someone could actually get a flashback. I wondered what it would be like to see something that wasn’t really there. Every so often, someone would talk about taking acid. I would "pepper" them with questions about it, because of my curiosity.

Greg came back from the Twin Cities concert with acid. I called him up and told him to come and bring it over. He questioned me as to whether I should take it, because it was 10 pm. The acid would keep me going for 6 hours. I said that’s ok. I figured since I weighed more than Greg, it would probably not last as long for me. Once he came over, he said that this guy was walking around the Grateful Dead concert saying, "Trips! Trips! Anyone want any trips?". The way Greg described it, I always get this image of a guy comparable to the vendor at the the baseball games that shouts, "Get your peeeeeea-nuts!" Anyway, that’s who they bought the LSD from.

Greg gave me very detailed directions on how to consume LSD (right down to "put it in your mouth"). I guess I was a little slow in those days. Instead of licking the small piece of paper it was on as he recommended, I simply ate the paper so that I would get every bit of acid I paid for. Right after he came over, we also smoked some hash. We listened to Beatles (circa Magical Mystery Tour) and I always thought listening to any John Lennon vocal was the best thing to listen to when one is high. He sounds so compelling! Then we walked over to Greg’s apartment and we saw a tape of either the Grateful Dead concert that Greg and his laconic friend went to or another Dead concert. I remember sitting there in my happy high looking and saying, "That Jerry Garcia looks like a puppy singing!" Just imagine a puppy, your pet or any dog and imagine them up at the microphone singing. Then you know why I had such a shit-eating grin on my face.

So did that mental image come from the hash or the LSD?" I asked.

"Who knows?  
Anyway, by midnight the hash had most definitely worn off, and I was feeling effects of the acid. I recall that things that I imagined seeing/hallucinating weren’t actual visions but things that looked like a negative just taken out of a camera. Or if you ever saw the CD Let It Be...Naked, you know?  that cover?  I saw ribs and images of monkeys as negatives, not really images. I remember laying in bed and rhyming words with nonsense words (EX skeleton, skeletar, skela, etc. ).

Greg was right, and I was wrong. The acid lasted until 5:30 am inspite my attempts to try sleeping it off and futilely "honeymooning with my hand". My impression is that it was slightly similar to pot, but with the added kick of keeping you going for an extended period of time. I didn’t like the fact that it would not allow me to sleep which made me resolve, as I did later with coke, that I wouldn’t take it again.

I also confessed to the Monsignor in LaCrosse that I took a drug. & he said that it’s a big problem out there and that I should not want to be part of the crowd that is afflicted with that problem. That was the only time I ever confessed to taking a drug. Honestly, I don’t think of smoking marijuana to be a sin.

Anyway, acid was a much more interesting experience than coke, but did not give me the fun times that I’ve had with pot.
----------------------
I chimed with, "That was pretty good, next time you'll have to tell us about the ‘shroom that got stuck in your throat".
"It won't be as fun as the blow by blow summary of smoking dope." Left Wing said with his glowingly drunk, shit-eating grin from drinking 108 oz. of beer. 

THE COMING ATTRACTIONS !

rock music

I'm coming out with the best of rock articles that I've authored through the years on Wikipedia and the anonymous DS. 
It will be posted prior to the morning of April 22.  There may even be some new ones.

STAY TUNED !

a little afterthought.....INSTANT JUSTICE

I spoke about bullying.  The link herein shows some instant justice to a punk who bullies someone else.



http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1949282

An amazing, emotional show (Part 1 of 2)

I saw an amazing and very interesting show (part of a series) on PBS called This Emotional Life.  &, yes, it was very emotional to watch and drew a strong reaction to my own feelings.  You can see the website at http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/home   This is a 2 part post.  I will discuss the other part later in a week or 2. 

There was an episode where a student was cyberbullied and belittled at school.  They never give any personal details of the bully (to protect him, I would imagine), but it was terrible and heart-breaking what he did !   Seeing this emotionally crushing, tragic episode, all I could think about was hurting this bully back - literally breaking his bones and forcing him to understand the immense damage he did to this poor 8th grade boy. I knew from the start of the episode the victim would die and had a sinking feeling through the whole episode, b/c they referred to the victim in the past tense.

What's interesting was that I was bullied when I was younger. But it never reached the humiliation and soul-crushing deeds that occurred in the episode I watched. & when I watched the episode, I was never like, "Yeah that's what Paul, Marty or Dean did to me".  When I think of what was done to me way in the past, I just shrug my shoulders with no emotion at all, it was part of my childhood, part of me growing up.  More importantly, the kids who messed with me are completely different now. What I watched on This Emotional Life may have drew a strong reaction b/c of what happened and what I witnessed recently about 6-8 years ago (first in 2003 and again even worse in 2005; I did not recall or relate either problems from either year while I watched this sad episode).  Sadly, I can't discuss too much of it, b/c people can do background searches on me and use it in the wrong context. 

The victim was an 8th grader, Jeffrey Johnston, who was smart, nice, and understanding (like they all are, it seems).  He had friends and was not a loner.  More poignantly, in the last weblink below, it explains that Jeffrey never demonized the bully and repeatedly, frequently tried to make peace with him.  Jeffrey's friends worked on their own computer project, I'm not sure if it was a blog but it was a project to show their writing and artistic talents.  The only way to get into the project and make a contribution to it (as the victim did) was to know a password.

  Somehow the bully found out the password.  He promptly erased all of the victim's hard work, his articulate, well-thought out work and wiped it out. Then in a perverse coup' de gras'  he added insult to injury and wrote a bunch of insults about him ("Billy is a fag" "He should just give up and die" sort of remarks).  It makes me physically sick writing about this.  How someone would take something that meant so much to this artistic adolescent and totally shit on it and ruin it. This turned out to be a cataclysmic turning point for the victim.  The victim's friends were interviewed.  They all stated that after that incident, the 8th grade kid withdrew.  He stopped reaching out to his friends.  The episode pointed out a sad irony - when he needed his friends the most, he withdrew, and he never got the help he needed.  His personality literally changed after the bully attacked the artistic work he did on his special website.  His parents saw the change and tried but could not do enough to save him.

He graduated from 8th grade.  The summer came.  His mom made plans to one day to go to an amusement park and it almost seemed like the victim looked forward to it. 

But the very day that he was to go to the amusement park, his poor mother woke up in the morning.  She opened the door to his room, and there he was........Jeffrey Johnston hung himself.  He was dead, and his poor mother quickly realized it was too late to try and save his life.  The mother, that courageous, amazing woman was the one who described going in there and seeing her dear son dead. This kind, sweet artistic adolescent killed himself.

He wrote a suicide note.  Don't blame the bully he said.  It blew me away that he showed little bitterness towards his tormenter.  Nearly similar to  when someone everyone knows said 1078 yrs. ago, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do!" 

Jeffrey Johnston said, blame NO ONE.  Don't blame him, because that's the way life is.  People getting hurt by those who are stronger is a fact of life, it happens millions of times in millions of places.  Yet, that amazing, world-changing mother, Debbie Johnston, proved him wrong in one respect.  She called her legislators, she called then-Governor Jeb Bush, she testified, she held rallies.  Through all her hard work, Debbie Johnston helped pass "Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act" (Fla. Stat. section 1006.147).  It was signed by Governor Crist in April, 2008.  (See http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?id=2109&s=latestnews ) Debbie Johnston showed that bullying isn't a fact of life or an inevitable right of passage for susceptible kids in Florida. 

The great unanswered question was this:  what happened to the bully??    What was his reaction when he heard of the boy he tormented hanging himself?  Did he take any responsibility whatsoever?  Did someone get revenge on him? (I highly doubt it)  Did someone's horrible, UNNECESSARY death change him in any way, shape or form ? ? ? ? ?  Is it possible that he watched the episode showing the harm he committed?

Is there anything we can do to minimize bullying ?

Clearly, this is an amazing story what happened in Florida.  If you have an interest, please see

http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/home  -this actually relates to the series I saw on PBS

http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?id=2109&s=latestnews

http://jeffreyjohnston.org/docs/Debbie%20Johnston%20Vita.pdf

http://jeffreyjohnston.org/

Jeffrey, I hope you are in heaven as we recall the tragic end of your life.

HERE'S WHY !

It's bad manners (in fact it's distasteful) to air "your dirty laundry" and explain problems/issues that go on in the privacy of your home.  Through unique circumstances  that yields more advantage than disadvantage, I live with my ex, MB.   In so doing, we more easily raise our kids together; when one person is gone to work, the other person only has to go home in order to take care of the kids (as opposed to arrangements made when you're both divorced and separated).  The arrangement we have enables us to pay our bills where we were unable to when we were apart.  Prior to the time I lived with my ex, we were behind on our mortgage and dreadfully and dangerously behind in our home equity loan.  Today, our home equity loan and mortgage are up to date in payments (thanks to MB & I working together). 

To MB's credit, she has grown emotionally, has grown as an adult (as we all must do) it's easier to get along with her than it was in 2002. I am grateful for that and for many of the things she does. 

So why am I discussing personal problems and "airing dirty laundry"? 

Because from time to time, I am asked:

"Why can't you remarry?"

"Why can't you work harder on the relationship, work things out and get back together as a full-fledged couple?"

"What went wrong in your marriage?"

It also answers the question of why I have sought affection elsewhere.  To MB's credit, she didn't freak out when I first explained the situation with her.  & when I go to my dear friend's place in Berwyn, MB doesn't make snide remarks or raise a fuss.  2 weekends ago, she even suggested I go to my dear friend's place inspite the fact I had not made plans to do so before she made the suggestion. 

So, this past week, 2 incidents have occurred that make it all crystal clear why I've been divorced and am with someone else.  This morning I informed MB that I was paying for my oldest son, Andy's school lunch.  MB thanked me.  My daughter, Brianna, then asked why Andy didn't pay lunch from the allowance he receives.  I said, "Because a kid's allowance should not be spent on that.  Parents should be responsible for a kids school lunch". 

Then MB inexplicably said, "So what's the problem with you paying for his lunch?"

I replied, "Did it sound like I objected to paying for his lunch??"

"Yes" she answered.

Stop, dear reader, stop right there and comprehend what was just said ! When I say parents should pay for their kids lunch, does that really sound like I didn't want to pay for Andy's lunch? 

The same thing happened last Sunday.  The kids were complaining far too harshly and were directing their complaints against their Mom-MB (but not me).   I told them that they were absolutely wrong for 2 reasons.  First, they should show their Mom more respect, and 2ndly their complaints were wrong because they expected too much.  What was MB's reaction??

She criticized me and completely misinterpreted and misconstrued what I was saying.  This inspite of the fact that what I said could be understood by a 5th grader, was not complex & shouldn't have been misunderstood. 

So, there's a principle defect clearly indicated.  Even when I try to help MB & support her, I get criticized.  My good intentions are impugned.  It's so frustrating ! ! ! !   & this has definitely happened a number of times in the past; it happened a number of times while I was married to her.  The fact that I have tried to help her only to be criticized and demeaned for my support, has alienated me.

Another problem in our relationship is that we both have bad tempers.  Our worst moments are when we are feeding off each other's anger while we fight with each other.  Our kids have to break up our arguments.  I don't blame them at all for being upset at our fighting ! For my part, I should control my anger better, now and definitely in the past. 

Basically, my problem and how I hurt the marriage is that I should have acted more like MB's father.  My father-in-law is very good at brushing aside and not getting mad at unreasonable remarks even when they're directed at him.  Now and in the past, when MB said something objectionable, I should have shrugged them off. 

I never or very rarely let MB's unfair remarks slide; I always get upset.  I can count on 1 hand and almost remember each time I ever just let what she said go.  It calls to mind Sarah McLachlan's song "Push" where she sings,

I get mad so easy but you give me room to breathe

No matter what I say or do 'cause you're too good to fight about it

Even when I have to push just to see how far you'll go

You wont stoop down to battle but you never turn to go

No, that doesn't describe me at all.  But I learned as a young adult that when you say something unfair or wrong against someone else, you should be corrected for it, you should be "brought to task".  But when I rigidly upheld this principle, it led to, was one of a number of reasons why  MB divorced me.  Was standing up for a reasonable principle worth it?  

I would even correct her or get upset with MB when she said something unfair and she was in pain, pregnant or really upset with what occurred at her very stressful job as a nurse at a very large hospital, Loyola.  I was wrong, and it hurt our marriage.

We had a good deal of adversity.  In a later  post, I'm going to discuss an outstanding program on PBS called This Emotional Life.  (See http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topics  )  One of the things said is when a couple goes through big problems their communication skills are put to the test.  How  true.  How very true!

Guess what happened on the day way back in 1999 when MB first learned that Andy had a mental problem when he was only 3 years old ? ?  She called me and stated very clearly that we now had a serious problem with our son and if I wanted to, I could leave and she would deal with the problem.  Never mind that doing so was unthinkable in my view. That everything my parents taught and held up as their example to us as parents and a married couple indicated that I should remain faithful,  loyal, true to MB for better or worse. 

I am backed up by the facts.  I helped MB financially anyway I could.  Through nearly all of our marriage, I worked 2 jobs.  I never ever came close to cheating on her with another woman.  In any minute of any day, MB basically knew where I was.  

It didn't matter.  It just didn't matter.  My actions, my intentions as a husband were impugned.  MB didn't believe in me and thought the worst of me.  Therein was and continues to be the problem...................

My trip to Cleveland & the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

From 2/25 - 2/28/11, I went to Cleveland. They have the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. I have a major passion for rock music learning as much as I can about the songs, artists I love. I have a subscription to Rolling Stone. I decided to use part of my tax refund for going to Cleveland. The trip ended up being very affordable.

Friday, the day the trip began didn't start too well. That morning, I got a ticket for speeding. I was the only car on the road, and I seemed to be driving safe, but was speeding. We got a late start. I wanted to start late morning but we didn't start until 1 pm. The night before the trip was very ominous b/c there was a snowstorm predicted which actually occurred in Cleveland before we got there. I was very worried that we would be hitting very slow traffic jams. But, the trip took 5 hrs. to get to the Cleveland area, and I was very happy with the fact that we could travel as fast as we wanted on the Interstate and there were NO traffic jams.

We stayed at the Red Roof Inn. The hotel had a very convenient location, just off the interstate. The hotel itself did not have too many amenities. But I was very conscious of price, and when you are conscious of price, you aren't going to get all the amenities.

As I said, the main reason I traveled to Cleveland was to see the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Here were the highlights:

-saw a 3D movie on U2

-listened to a song by Jimi Hendrix, "Bold as Love". I had never heard the song before, and I absolutely loved it. It was amazing.

-They showed the actual clothes or outfits people in rock wore at certain famous, memorable times. They had quite a few from Prince, Elvis, Rolling Stones.

-They had the actual notebook or paper the artists used to write the lyrics. THey had this for Jim Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix and others.

-They had a movie that highlighted the career of Hall of Fame inductees. Not all of them. People like producers or a guitar maker like Leo Fender were listed but no footage on them. But it was fun seeing Rolling Stones, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the note from the Sex Pistols telling the Hall of Fame to go to hell and rejecting their invitation to the Hall of FAme ceremony inducting them. It was a pretty long movie as they started placing people in the HOF in 1986.

-Saw a pretty extensive "Women in Rock" exhibit.

-Saw the ZZ Top vintage 1940s car that they used in their most famous videos like "Sharp Dressed Man".

-They had a Bruce Springsteen exhibit on the top 2 floors of the Hall of Fame. This was a temporary exhibit and I saw it on one of the last days it was up. They had a brief movie on Springsteen as he explained some of the songs on the album BORN TO RUN.

-It had a very large store for selling memorabalia and CDs.  I bought Maribeth and the kids T-shirts.

My faith is very important so, prior to going to Cleveland, I was able to find a church near the hotel. It was a very good Mass, and the priest gave an excellent sermon. We also were able to go to a nice restaurant where I enjoyed steak and order the next afternoon with my favorite topics - Canadian bacon and pineapple.

The trip was eye-opening, perspective-expanding time, the kids and Maribeth liked the shirts that I got them. The trip was a wonderful experience ! ! !

See also   http://rockhall.com/

listening to the radio

I don't want to "toot my own horn" or boast, but I still wanted to share a special moment I had last night, that put a smile on my face.

We have a classic rock station in Chicago, 97.1 "THE DRIVE". On Thursday, they played nothing but LP album sides. It was really fun to listen to.

Anyway, I turned my car radio on. I heard a keyboard part, just a FEW seconds of it. I said to myself, "That's a Genesis song." There was no vocals, guitar part, just the keyboard. Lo and behold, in a minute, I heard Phil Collins vocals. I was pretty pleased that I could recognize a song with so little to go on. There may have been some skill involved but, then again, maybe it was a matter of luck, dumb luck. It still made me pretty happy.

The song is not one I can remember but it was from the album Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and the song was on the same side as the title track. It's too bad that I couldn't hear "Carpet Crawlers" as I absolutely LOVE that song, and that's on the same album but a different side of the double album.