Why I Oughta...

While I didn't get to 365 posts here on the blog for 2014 (this will be post #94 for the year), I did write almost 1000 posts on a different blog and 33 more posts on the family blog.  So...I did leave a mark online in plenty of places. I figured I'd flex those blogging muscles on this new year's eve so I can hit the ground running quickly tomorrow and try to get back on track for 365 posts for 2015.  The last time I did that was 2011 and 2010 when I wrote a post every day.  I got to 30 posts in January of last year but then with the primary election I quickly lost steam on this personal blog when my other writing (can we call it that?!?) picked up. We're going to be celebrating the way we celebrate every year with ice cream sundaes, but this time we'll have a fifth participant.  Well...he won't exactly be participating, but he'll be here.

There's nothing quite like washing the sap off your hands in the retro 50's-inspired washroom of the Polk-A-Dot Drive Inn (notice...the 2nd 'n') before hoss'ing down on a big platter of cheese fries to kick-off the Christmas season. Here's to family traditions!

Nat and I were out on Black Friday and the fine folks at Toys R Us did everyone a favor and dropped the price of this toy submarine exactly $0.00.  What an amazing deal!

Found this 'alternate footage' on YouTube this am of The Last Waltz.  Sound is pretty great. Keeping the tradition alive.  This is the 10th year of 'documenting' it via this here blog.  Well...not 10 posts, but the first one was back in 2004, so this is the 10th year of sorts.  Looks like this makes 8 of 10 years.  Not too bad. Here's my post from 2013 on The Last Waltz . Here's my post from 2012 on The Last Waltz . Here's my post from 2011 on The Last Waltz . Here's my post from 2010 on The Last Waltz . Here's my post from 2007 on The Last Waltz . Here's my post from 2005 on The Last Waltz . Here's my post from 2004 on The Last Waltz .

The first thing I bought this weekend at the Randolph Street Market was this Santa with a big bulb red nose.  He'll go great right next to our light up tree on the piano.

Along with all three kids, a Grammy, an Aunt Sisi and one nephew, we went down to the Randolph Street Market to score some vintage Christmas stuff this weekend.  (and yes...we did take the Swagger Wagon, thank you very much.) I'll document the new additions to the Christmas gallery later this week once they get set up into spots.

Look who arrived in the mail:   Santa ! We put in the order for the Bumble (actually...we think we ordered three of them somehow!), so hopefully he's on his way to our house via the USPS.

We picked up these guys (and Rudolph!) at Menards over the past few weekends.  They each have a belt buckle that you can push and make them say their catchprashes (like..."now....this won't hurt a bit."). There are four of them in total that you can purchase: Hermey, Rudolph, Yukon and Santa.  We had three, but not Santa. The issue?  Inside each of the boxes is a 'puzzle piece' that you put together and get a special order code for a exclusive Bumble figure that you have to mail away to receive. Think of this as kind-of a new-age "D-R-I-N-K  Y-O-U-R  O-V-A-L-T-I-N-E". We *had* to get the Bumble.  *Had* to. So...off to Ebay I went.  Found a Santa for a bit more than they sell them at Menards and I pulled the trigger.  We're waiting on him to arrive (hopefully today!) and then the girls and I will assemble the puzzle and see how we can get the Bumble.

I am the KING of stripped screws.  Putting screws in.  I strip them.  Taking screws out.  I strip them. We're getting some painting done and I had to take down some bookcases.  I took out a bunch of the screws, but encountered one last one:  and it was awfully stripped out. But...fortunately...I had this little kit on hand called "Speedout" .   See that screw in the top photo?  That's AFTER I finally got it out of the wall. Thanks to the Speedout .   The Speedout is a series of 2-sided bits.  You pop the "a" side into your drill/drive and you bore a slightly bigger 'hole' into the screw head.  Then, you flip the bit over and use the 'b' side to 'grab' the screw out. I received the Speedout from my in-laws for my birthday earlier this year and I had not used it before this weekend.  Now?  I'll keep it in my work-bucket and use it all the time. Watch this video.  I swear...this was my exact experience.

I was walking through City Hall this morning and came across this Mayor Jane Byrne memorial set-up.  On each of the end tables there was a book and nice pen where people can leave greetings for the Byrne family. In the minute or so I stood there, a handful of people walked up and checked out the book, but none of them signed it.