Out, Damned Spot!

On Wednesday of this week, Lori and I went to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier to see Macbeth, the first time either one of us had seen it, though we had both read it.

Until you see this play staged, though, it's hard to imagine how bloody and ghastly it is, filled with murder after murder, committed or commissioned by Macbeth and his wife, of the people closest to them--even onstage murders of small children.

Barbara Gaines directed it, and set it largely in Chicago in the present, and that really made it hit home. Horrifying and amazing.

Before the show, we had cheeseburgers at the Billy Goat Tavern, then went to a tourist gift shop and bought a coffee mug and a couple of shot glasses--one of them with Barack Obama's picture on it. And Lori got her picture taken with Barack's cut out.

The CST is staging Twelfth Night next, in April and May. Hope we can go!

Fun and Busy Weekend

Wow, last weekend was nonstop fun!

Marlis and Glenn came over Friday night to play dominoes and cards.

Then we had another great snow event late Friday and all day Saturday.

Snow is so special for us.

Julie and John Laney were over Saturday night for more games.

Then Sunday, Greg went over to the Daggetts (Jamie's parents) for Tom's annual guitar party (not pictured here), which was loads of fun--he got to do his Elvis impersonation.

We think we're gonna lay low this weekend--especially since we've got stuff happening midweek and next weekend, which you will hear about.

Welcome Back, Winter Wonderland!

Ten days with little or no snow on the ground just seemed sooooo looong! But, it's finally over!





Mr. Snow came back tonight, and we're so happy to see him.











Don't stay away so long next time, Mr. Snow!

Lori Says Goodbye to Children's Services

Lori is leaving Children's Services to become the Manager of Branch Services at the Oak Park Public Library. She didn't take our camera with her, but when the staff of Children's Services took her out to lunch on her last day, cameras were present. You can view the shots here.

Bulls Win!

Marlis landed four free tickets to see the Bulls play the Pistons on Tuesday night, so we all went down to the United Center, getting there about a half-hour before game time. We grabbed some food and drinks and then made our way to our seats.

At halftime the Bulls were down by just one point, and there was a ceremony honoring Johnny "Red" Kerr, the Bulls' first coach and longtime broadcaster. Michael Jordan was there, plus Scottie Pippen and others, and President Obama gave a short tribute via satellite.

By the end of the third quarter, the Bulls were down by a dozen and were starting to hear boos. Then, with only about five minutes left in the game, they went on a 9-0 tear, and finally took the lead with only a minute left. They ended up winning 107-102.

This was our third Bulls game, but only our first win. NBA basketball is way more fun when your team wins.

Down for the Count

Glenn and I met Sunday night down at Fitzgerald's to hear the Count Basie Orchestra, a so-called "ghost band," but a very good one nonetheless.

Brienn Perry's (see this entry for a sample of Brienn) Trio opened with a 40-minute set beginning at 6:00, and then the Basie band did two long sets, ending at about 10:00.

We made some friends, and Glenn ran into folks he already knew. We also ate supper there--I had a pulled-pork sandwich and some collards, while Glenn opted for the brisket sandwich and mac and cheese.

Glenn took the pictures of the sheet music, some of which is very old and tattered, as you can see if you click on the pictures to enlarge them. Also, some of the charts are handwritten.

There are a few videos of the band here, also.

Weekend with the Broadheads

We got invited to dinner with Marlis and Glenn, after our Heaven on 7 dinner got postponed for a month. They made a fine beef stew dinner, and we watched the Puppy Bowl and played cards for awhile, but stopped before the game was over.

Lori and Harley had a nice little sleepover in the interim.

The Broadheads invited us back the next night to finish the game. And Greg won! I never win word games! I think they all let me win on purpose.

A Day in the Life of Harley

Harley is our current cat. He's about seven years old and we adore him despite his quirks. This post is all about him.

Lori is the first one up in the morning, and she usually finds Harley sleeping in his bed under the end table in the basement. They go upstairs together (see videos) and she gives him some breakfast.

When I get up, Harley likes to sit with me at the counter while I read the paper.

This cat is very jealous of the computer. When I sit at my desk, he likes to position himself between me and the screen. When I put him on the floor, he jumps right back up to the same spot--time after time after time!

In the evenings, he likes to go outside via his own private door and sit on his perch overlooking the yard. He doesn't stay out long in the sub-freezing weather we've been having lately, though.

Finally, when I go to bed, Harley is usually napping on top of our living room sofa, probably resting up for the nocturnal backyard excursions we suspect he goes on every night.

Sleep well, Harley!

Super Sunday

It's Superbowl time again, and while we didn't really have a dog in the hunt, it's a good excuse to have a party and booze it up on a Sunday. So we brought a grill down to the basement to cook up some chicken wings, threw out a spread of finger foods, and boned-up on the Scrabble dictionary to get ready for our pals Marlis and Glenn to arrive.

Once they got here, we dove right into our newest favorite game, Quiddler, which is a kind of card-game version of Scrabble. And as anyone who has played me (Greg) in Scrabble knows, I'm terrible at pulling words out of my butt--not as terrible as the spectre of words having actually spent some time up inside a butt, but pretty terrible nonetheless.

So I always lose, and Super Sunday was no exception. We played the first game until the middle of the second quarter, then stopped and watched the end of the half and Bruce Springsteen during halftime, then went back and played another round during the second half. I kind of felt sorry for the poor, neglected TV set, all HD'ed up with no one to pay attention to it.

But I was glad the Steelers pulled the win out in the end--I'm still nursing hurt feelings against the Cardinals for leaving St. Louis after I started seriously following them back in the 80s. I even went to a Cardinals-Bears game in St. Louis once--saw Walter Payton rack up over a hundred yards rushing and nearly 50 receiving.

So, that's why I'm wearing this hat--to say to the Cardinals (who can't see or hear me in my basement, of course, and wouldn't care what I thought if they could, but it's all about me, baby!) "I thumb my nose in your general direction!"