Eight years ago this morning, I took part in the Chicago Marathon. It was my first — and so far only — attempt at the marathon. Here is my mile-by-mile account of it, written a day or so later. To set it up, this was written for the “V-Team” bulletin board, which was made...
Starved Rock
A week and a half ago, after dropping Jim off at Elmhurst College, I had the opportunity to visit Starved Rock State Park. I’d driven past the exit for the park dozens of times—it’s on the way between St. Louis and where several members of Jean’s family live in Northern Illinois—but we’ve never taken...
Who’s Next
A good portion of my summer vacation in 1971 was spent trailing my two older brothers and cousin around Brainerd, Minn., visiting every record store and head shop in hopes of finding the new album by The Who. My cousin had just seen them in concert at the Mississippi River Festival, and “obsessed” is...
Gluttony & Sloth
I set a personal record this morning. For several years now, I’ve been irregularly keeping track of my weight. When I think of it, I weigh myself. And when I think of it again, I jot down the number in a file in my gmail “drafts” folder. That file goes back more than four...
I Know Where The Google Street View Car Is
I’ve now seen the Google Street View Car twice. This picture was taken the first time, a couple of years ago. That’s me in the red shirt, with my camera backpack and, in my right hand, a sandwich from Jimmy John’s. It was almost certainly a Friday. I saw the car again a couple...
List: Top Five Fixes For Major League Baseball
OK, let’s be clear: we all love baseball. We’re Americans; it’s our sport. But we all know that baseball has problems. Here are my suggestions for ways to make it better. Will any of these be implemented in our lifetimes? Not a chance, particularly the further down the list you go. 5) Dump The...
Half A Year With The iPad
Six months ago today, Jean gave me an iPad for Christmas. It’s barely been out of my sight since. (And yes, that means that today marks the halfway point to NEXT Christmas, meaning we’ll start seeing those holiday ads in just a few weeks. Almost time to put those lights up on the house!)...
List: Top 5ive Albums Of The 1980s
Everyone loves lists, right? Well then, here comes a list: the best albums of the 1980s. Any such “Top” list having to do with music is going to be controversial, of course. But this one may be less so than others, at least for me. These five albums simply stand out from all the...
Playoff Season
It’s nearing mid-June and the temperature is well up into the mid-90s, which means it’s about time to wrap up the seasons for our “winter” sports. This year, I think I’ve heard more talk about the NBA playoffs than ever before. I faithfully listen to “Mike and Mike” on my way to work, and...
Open-Wheeled On Memorial Day
For years, when the second weekend of May would roll around, I would go with my dad to Indianapolis for the first day of qualifying for the Indy 500. In those days, there were four days of qualifying over two weekends. The cars would go out one at a time and do four laps,...