Why I Oughta...

Or...as The Atlantic says: 'Tangled Up In Ol' Blue Eyes" .  Yeah...that's right, Bob Dylan is making an entire record of Frank Sinatra covers.  But...not the usual ones you think of when you think of Frank Sinatra. Here's one of the tracks as uploaded on YouTube. (if you are reading in your email, the video below won't show up.   Click here to watch it .)  As David Graham on The Atlantic says:  this ain't Nashville Skyline.  But...it is something else. Sounds interesting, right?   You can read the whole story here on The Atlantic, but this passage sticks out for me.  Especially that last line: Before making Time Out of Mind, Dylan told producer Daniel Lanois , "There's some records that I really like from the '40s and '50s and I'd like for you to hear them to understand the energy of them, the beauty of them." His recent records since have included a wide range of styles: country blues, jaunty twang, folky ballads. Th

Over on Thrillist, you'll find the list of some of the best pizzas in Illinois .  They include a few from Chicago (Pequods, Coalfire, Vito & Nick's) and a bunch from around the State including Papa Dels down in Champaign.  We've been to quite a few places listed already, but Vito & Nick's - thus far - has alluded me. One of Nat's favorites - Burt's Place - is also on the list .  Here's what they had to say about that place: No pizza roundup would be complete without mention of the legendary Burt of Burt’s Place. While it may not be famous for its service, Burt’s is famous for its massive pan-baked pizzas with a perfect balance of ingredients served in a crazy lodge-style environment. Pro tip: Burt is something of a celebrity around these parts, so best to call your order in ahead. Outside of Papa Dels in Champaign, I'm a little skeptical of a lot of those downstate places.  The whole 'shrimp' or 'taco' pizza doesn't do

We couldn't pass up this 'Winnie the Pooh for President' glass when we saw it.  I thought it was too much for something silly like this (I think they were asking like $5) so I put it down after admiring it, but..when you put all the pieces together, it almost seems like this glass was destined for our family.   Nat said we *had* to buy it.   It is Disney (of course) and is marked with 'Walt Disney Productions' - which this page tells us that it could be from a VERY wide range of 1939 to 1986 when they changed to 'The Walt Disney Company '.   So...why buy it? Let's count the reasons: Pooh bear?  Check.  The Bird's favorite guy in the world.  She sleeps with a Pooh Bear everynight. Political reference?  Check.  I'm a sucker for political kitsch stuff. And...it was sold through Sears?  And has a Sears mark?  Check.  The Moran's have a deep Sears connection.   This guy now is ours and as you can see from the top photo is

Not sure of what he's targeting, but I'm seeing this promoted account from Kurt Summers - the new City of Chicago Treasurer - on Twitter A LOT these days.  I finally caved and added him.  Have to say...it feels a bit like the wrong move right now?  I'd be spending my money promoting the content instead of the account?  Driving people to a landing page to take some action?  But...perhaps...much like we learned with the State Treasurer's race....this campaign will get NO interest and barely any attention.  So...building up your own base of followers might be useful?

I dare you to watch/listen to this a few times right now and not want to continue to play it over and over again like I have been doing.  My buddy Adam mentioned to me that he's been listening to this thing since Christmas and I should check it out. This is from the record 'Lost on the River - The New Basement Tapes'.   (If you're reading this in your email, click here to play the video on the site .) It is the lead off track of the record that was released right before Christmas last year and that's Jim James supplying the vocals.   From Google Play :  Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes is an album produced by T Bone Burnett featuring a collective of musicians recording under the moniker The New Basement Tapes—Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James and Marcus Mumford.   The album consists of a series of tracks based on recently uncovered lyrics handwritten byBob Dylan in 1967. Probably written in the period between his m

Have I told you guys about how I get super dry, cracked hands during the winter?  It is terrible.  They get rid, dry, flakey, cracked and even bleed when I hit them on something or tuck them into my jeans the wrong way. But...a few years back, I found the solution.  And...when I use the stuff, it totally works and my hands don't hurt.  That stuff is called O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream.   Check it out here . Let me tell you:  I'm soooo not a lotion guy.  I don't use hair products.  I don't use body spray.  My full arsenal of 'products' in the bathroom are deodorant and toothpaste.  I don't like things that smell strongly.  Actually...things that smell at all.  Don't wear cologne/purfume.  Hate lotions that smell like juniper berries and the like. But...this stuff?  It doesn't smell.  It doesn't get 'goopy'.  It just works.  And...I'm not embarrassed about telling the world that I use this stuff. I've been

We have someone in our lives who has shown an affinity for bronze 'critters' (as I call them) and at some point, I think she is going to be sorry that she did.  Why?  Because...everytime we go to a place that has vintage/antique finds, it is hard to not find a little bronze(ish) animal/critter. This guy (a reindeer?  Moose?) is small, so it has that going for it.  In that...it won't take up a lot of room.  He appears to be wearing a saddle, doesn't he?  What kind of animal wears a saddle besides a horse?  I dunno. But...we'll be sharing this little guy on a special occasion like her birthday later this year. This is a lesson for you all reading this:  be careful about sharing your vintage collection with me.  Once I find out you're into *something* old, I'll be watching for it and you'll be stuck with a growing collection.  If you want it or not.

I ran into this set of vintage wooden toy train cars on an antique trip that are in the same style as todays "Thomas the Train" ones that run on that simple wood rail system and are connected with magnets.  If you have kids under seven, you know the stuff . This old set didn't use magnets, but rather hooks/loops but was seemingly the same size and would run on today's wood track.  Based on the price....this isn't meant for play as a toy.  But...for some toy collector who remembers these from his childhood. The reason why they jumped out to me is the C&NW mark on the car.  My oldest sister worked for them before the line got gobbled up by the Union Pacific and was the final train line that carried the Chicago name to be in existence.  If you look closely around Chicago and the suburbs, you'll see "Chicago and North Western" marks/symbols at train stations, on bridges and elsewhere. Oh...and based on the price (I think they wanted like $35 f

I wasn't kidding when I crowed about my D23 certificate earlier this week .  Here's my card to prove it:

Now that I'm officially out of the Disney-fanboy closet, I can share this whole pin trading thing with you guys.  If you've gone to DisneyWorld you've probably noticed the whole pin-trading situation. We've gone the past few years and now that the Babe and the Bird are both old enough to understand what is going on, I've gotten them into pin trading.  We've bought pins at the park in sets to trade and bought some online.  This year, for our upcoming trip, I bought some pins on ebay.  And...something seems odd about one of them.  See it above? There's lots of posts around the web about how to spot a 'scrapper Disney pin' (AKA counterfeit or fake pins).  Here's one post  that talks about how to spot 'high quality scrapper Disney pins' .  And...they give some good tips to spot.  Like how the back looks or how smooth the sides are or even the colors on the front. But...I think I can give you another tip.  When the person - likely in