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My Hair
 Posted
2/22/2012 6:00:00 AM
The other day I found an old photo album at the bottom of an old chest. In there were many pictures of me in my late teens and early twenties. Many made me laugh at the styles, the awkwardness but one thing made me want to cry. I don’t really miss the carefree days all that much, even though all I had to worry about was where I could find quarter beer night. I don’t think about old cars or girlfriends. I do miss greatly what was on top of my head.
I know my hair used to take a lot of extra work. It’s been a good fifteen years since I required the use of a hair dryer. I miss that dry air and the smell of burnt follicles. I miss trying to avoid looking like the guy in A Flock of Seagulls on a day with forty mile-per-hour ...
Whitney Houston 1963-2012
Posted
2/15/2012 6:00:00 AM
I was watching MTV one day in 1985. I had to go into the other room (okay it was the bathroom). Blaring from the little TV speaker was a voice that made me run back as soon as I possible could to watch what I was hearing. The voice was Whitney Houston singing “Saving All My Love for You”.
Within a year, Whitney was an International Superstar burning up the charts and selling out stadiums. She appeared in interviews to be someone who wasn’t fazed by this sudden fame. She wasn’t party/crazy and often cited the values her Mother Cissy instilled in her as the reason she was so grounded.
Whitney released hit song after hit song and then became a movie star in The Bodyguard, Waiting To Exhale, and The Preachers Wife. She seemed destined to top herself over and over again.
Something happened in the 2000’s.Many blame Bobby ...
Barnaby's
Posted
2/8/2012 6:00:00 AM
My childhood memories of something happening every week might have actually happened more than two weeks consecutively. With that said, every Friday night my family would make the trip to Barnaby’s at around 6:30ish. We’d get our pitcher of root beer and order our cheese and sausage pizza. Sometimes, as the rest of the family would retire to a wooden booth against a crooked brick wall, I’d linger by the pizza-maker’s window. I’d watch him toss and shape the dough and spread on the toppings, hoping that I just witnessed the beginning of our pizza. I don’t remember Mr. Pizza Maker ever wearing the latex gloves while handling the delicacy and that was okay with me.
Just as we polished off three quarters of our pitcher and dad chugged the last bit of his beer mug, the deepest voice I had ever heard (up until then) would call off the ...
Superbowl XX
Posted
2/1/2012 6:00:00 AM
Let me first say, referring to the title,” who doesn’t remember”? It was a long time coming for the Chicago Bears. They had a legendary 15-1 season and by December of ’05 became, for many, America’s team. Ditka and ‘Da Bears could do no wrong, especially the “46 Zone”.
Thanks to the Superbowl Shuffle the names were rapidly well-known: Dent, Payton, McMahon, The Fridge, Singletary, Hampton, Wilson, Gualt. Yes there are more names, perhaps for part two. The Bears were favored by 10, but there was still anxiety about the Cinderella team: The Patriots. It had been too almost-perfect of a season.
Yeah, you know the story, but do you remember the full-throttle euphoria that lasted until...well... a few games into the following season? It’s profoundly poetic that the ’85 Bears lineup only captured one Lombardi trophy before the endorsements, trades and firings. It was their time in history. Unless ...
Rock Cut Winter Carvinal
Posted
1/25/2012 6:00:00 AM
Time was every winter was snow-covered with more of a chance of snow tomorrow. A least that’s the way I remember the season as a kid. I had a second-hand snowmobile, several sleds, a dented aluminum saucer, and two pair of ice skates: one hockey, one figure. Eventually I took up cross-country skiing and my favorite place to go was Rock Cut.
This weekend would be when the annual Winter Carnival would take place. I spent most of the time skating around the lake. It wasn’t the Zambonied surface we’re used to today. There were rough spots, a snow drift here and there as well as a few half-frozen old ice fishing holes. Joining our fun were ice boats-sail boats with a long board across them and three blades.
Even though no swimming has been allowed, there were divers out on Pierce Lake. I thought they were nuts. They cut ...
Must See TV
Posted
1/18/2012 6:00:00 AM
Okay, the title sounds like I'm reminiscing about a certain night of tube on a certain network that service marked the above term. I just miss looking forward to a show or night of shows. Remember when nothing was more important than that?
For me I believe the first show for me was Adam 12. One day my whole family made me watch the black and white TV in the den while they viewed this new hot show called Happy Days. Soon Malloy and Reed were on their last code 3 and I was watching The Fonz. That night was suddenly filled with Laverne and Shirley, Welcome Back Kotter and even Mork and Mindy.
This would be a very long blog if I named all the shows that I just had to see. I'll list just a few: Hill Street Blues, LA Law, ER (natural order of succession), ...
Hypercolor Shirts
Posted
1/11/2012 6:00:00 AM
I’m often late to the party when it comes to fads. In 1991 I fully expected to completely ignore the latest trend. My girlfriend-at-the-time stepped in and bought me the latest thing: A Hypercolor shirt from Chest King in the Machesney Park Mall.
These shirts used lenco dyes that could change color when exposed to a higher temperature. They were great at dance clubs, because for a few minutes you could see exactly where a dance partner’s hands had been. When the action got really hot, there was also a noticeable streak of color under the armpits. Now that’s attractive!
I remember my Hypercolor as being a bit different because it was a button-down shirt. A couple weeks after receiving this “gift” I permanently ruined the effect with a machine wash on “hot” followed by a tumble dry. The end of my relationship could be described as similar.
Aladdin's Castle
Posted
1/4/2012 6:00:00 AM
(Okay one more re-run 'cause the other day I played Pacman at Nickelworld for two hour straight. It's one of the free games there. I also was excited to see an Arcade at Cherryvale again. Now it's suddenly gone)
I caught my PACMAN FEVER at Aladdin’s Castle at Cherry Vale. I didn’t care much for the song by Buckner and Garcia, but you could often see me there playing Pac-Man, Asteroids, Frogger, Gorf... the list goes on.
I remember thinking that the guy who worked there making change and fixing games looked familiar. One day I saw him on Channel 13. It was their Farm Director Gene Hines!
What were your arcade memories?
What were your favorite games?
Geri's
Posted
12/28/2011 6:00:00 AM
(Editor's note-I'm taking the week off from this blog, so here's a re-post of one alot of people talked to me about)
Beginning at the age of seven, I remember being in this ongoing argument with my friend Chris: McDonalds or Geri’s? I always took the Mickey D’s side just to let him have Geri’s. Back when both were little buildings with a counter and a few seats, they were both the same to me.
To this day people speak fondly with salivation of the local Geri’s chain or call it an “attempt to be like McDonalds with a blue color scheme”. That’s it! Here in Rockford the “red vs. blue” debate was born. Red won the battle in the business world, but remains a martyr for the cause of anything that isn’t red.
I actually went to Geri’s more often when Beloit had the last joint standing. We’d hang ...
Snow for Christmas
Posted
12/21/2011 11:30:00 AM
This isn't an essay about the evils of global warming. I won't be posting pictures of baby polar bears floating on small melting icebergs. I must say, though, that every childhood Christmas I remember featured lots of snow. That doesn't seem to be the case this year.
I recall the neighborhood snowball fights. One kid would always run home crying because of the occasional piece of ice mixed in. I had many sledding hills to choose from in which to swoosh down aboard my dented aluminum saucer. Dad's car would get us there on the snowiest of days thanks to his studded tires. The poor guy that bought the old house probably wonders about the mystery indentations on the garage floor.
Before the advent of the moon boot, our felt-lined snow boots would get filled with snow and either freeze inside or melt, soaking our socks. All was well by ...
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