Why I Oughta...

This year, the day fell on a Saturday.  I was #6 in line.  I snapped this photo on my way out after I picked up my baked goods for the holidays.  In and out with a pre-order.  That's the way to roll.  Still a lot of fun to be part of the circus there in Western Springs,

@ Marshall Field's.  Like I did when I was a kid. 

I would stay at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs 10 out of 10 times.  I posted about my stay at the Broadmoor back at the beginning of the month when I added it to the coaster collection .  As I mentioned in that post, I only stayed one night at the hotel and it was far too short of a stay.  I arrived late in the evening after dinner and headed out for an early flight in the am.  But, I woke up early and strolled some of the property to take it all in.  It is a special place .  When Spencer and Julie Penrose opened The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, the master plan was to create a place where European elegance met Western hospitality in the perfect blend of style and service excellence. More than nine decades later, their vision is intact and their dream is still alive. Since The Broadmoor opening, it has been the destination of a long list of presidents, statesmen, foreign dignitaries and celebrities. I *do* love a good, historic hotel.  And once I found out that the fo

Listen...I'm not a little guy.  And I know that the airlines don't make it great for any of us flying these days.  But, on a recent trip, I had a dude doing what I think the kids these days are calling " Manspreading " on me that I had to snap a photo.  You can see above that my legs are the darker denim.  And I'm in the aisle seat.  The dude next to me - in the lighter color jeans - has his leg spread so far part that you can see how he has it past not just what I'll call the 'dividing line' of the armrest in front of us, but he's encroaching on my seat-back pocket. This is too far for someone - even in the middle seat - to go, right?  I mean...I ceded the armrest to the dude.  That's the responsible thing to do for someone in the middle, right?  But this?  I don't abide.

What a lucky guy I am today.  Waking up with my wife and pretty awesome kids to have a little coffee cake and watch the joy roll across their faces.  Clark - the 'ultimate family man' - has nothing on this guy! Hope you and yours has a great Christmas.  There's nothing better than late in the day on Christmas, when all the activities have run their course and there's just some time to sit and rest.  And think about how wonderful the world can be sometimes.  

Happy Christmas, everyone!  Today is my favorite day of the year and has been so since I was just a little one growing up in Frankfort.  So, in that spirit, I thought I would resurrect a blogging tradition from years ago.  Back in 2009 , 2010 and 2011 , I posted an annual "Favorite Things Christmas-edition" here on the blog.  Many of those lists had up to ten different things on them.  This year, the list will be shorter - half in fact.  So let's get to it. 1.  This compilation video of Darlene Love singing her mega hit "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on Letterman over the years.   Pardon my ignorance, but I didn't even know this was a thing?  She's did it for almost 30 years!  Here's the oral history of the annual performance that is worth reading after you watch this below.  2.  Growing a Christmas Amaryllis.  Earlier in December, I posted this comparison between a bulb we bought at Wannemakers vs. one I bought at Menards .  The Menard

"Alright everybody....I'm back!" I'm posting this on the actual day - December 23rd - unlike year's past when I posted it on the 22nd.  That was mostly because of the readers who come via email subscriptions.  Here's last year's Festivus post .  Here's the post from 2015 .  And all the way back in 2011, I posted a photo of a house in Elmhurst who had erected a Festivus pole and sign in their front yard .  Oh, a guy can dream, right? See you at Mitch and Ashley's for the 'Feats of Strength' tonight?