The Dog from The Jerk

If you can tell me the name of Steve Martin's dog in "The Jerk" I will let you walk Lucy and Bella The Destroyer on the next warm spring day.

WARNING: You can't say it out loud on this blog because we are kid- and burned out ex-sports writer-friendly.

Click here for more ....

"We're going to early Mass, too"

Huge interview here with Mighty One, Dirk Jr. and David Wilkins, my long-time friend from GR and a proud Michigan grad. David flew into the Loo Saturday and drove up to Q-Town for the big show.

I will say this about Saturday night's show. There was some initial concern about people sticking around and if they would like what we do, but they were awesome and there were still quite a few people left when we finished, and that was with the time changing the next day too. Fun fun fun and we are still recovering ....

Jack meets Keith Richards

Between sets at the World Parking Lot Tour 2010, Keith Richards (left) meets Funions sax player Jack Inghram in an emotional summit of musical greatness .....

Adam Gets His Funions Shirt

The Mighty One, Funions drummer, keyboard player, harmonica player and vocalist Adam Yates, is officially off Funions Probation ....

Great time at TH birthday party last night, now let's kick off the WORLD PARKING LOT TOUR 2010 tonight at the Elks!

Accidently paid

The Funions are playing a private party Friday night after the Mighty One, Adam Yates, lied and told his cousin we were a good band. This was thrown together late so the lineup tomorrow night is Mighty One on drums, Mark, myself and the incomparable Jack Inghram on keys and sax.

On Saturday Pat will hopefully be back from Colorado to play drums with us at the Elks, moving Adams back to keys, harmonica and vocals. The Elks show is $12 for dinner and the band, or $5 for the band only.

Should be a great rock and roll weekend!

Funions rubbed by India

Funions, Craig Ferguson, David Spade, Dog Attack

No explanation needed ....

Keith Richards at Funions Press Conference

Wow .... Keith Richards may be playing with the Funions Saturday night .... AND exchanging health tips with Jack Inghram!

More Press Conferences

So we are doing press conferences to promote the kickoff of the Funions 2010 World Parking Lot Tour, and I got Greg Ellery to help me out. Thanks Greg!

Gearing Up For Shows

It's been more than four months since The Funions have played a show and we are rarin' to go!

One week from tonight we debut the World Parking Lot Tour 2010 ensemble and let's just say extra security may be required. Our St. Patrick's Day show March 13 at the Elks is $12 for dinner and the band, or $5 at the door for the band only. It's gonna be huuuuggggeee ....

We had a great practice the other night in our old stomping grounds, Mark's basement, and it went really well.

Our band is not about playing songs exactly like the record or being super tight, but when we are prepared I think we do pretty well and people always have fun at our shows.

After the Elks show we play at Fielder's CD release party April 3 and Rock against Rape April 23. These shows will hopefully give us a chance to play a few more original songs and mix it up a bit.

Hope to see you in the Parking Lot this year!

KISS in Cadillac

I just watched the best ESPN piece every, about the rock band KISS appearing in Cadillac, Mich., many years ago.

Click here to watch it.

I drove through Cadillac a hundred times when I lived in Michigan and had no idea. HUUUUGGGGEEEE!

St. Patrick's Show

Our St. Patrick's show at The Elks is a dinner dance. Tickets are $12 and will be available at the door or in advance by calling 217 242-3423. More info later ....

Olympic Hockey Momento

In honor of the Canadians winning gold in both men's and women's hockey, I present the following homemade photograph ...

Beauty way to go .... and I will have a smoke and brew in their honor in the hot tub shortly ....

Shave your head Hoser

So I was on WGEM 1440 this morning, and host Josh Houchins says he will have a maple leaf shaved into the side of the Missouri mullet head if Canada beats the U.S. Sunday.

A beauty way to go ... eh?

By the way, the Canadian women ROCK and I had a beer in their honor after work today.

Pay later? Nope ....

Twice in the past few months I've made major purchases and the store has promised I had one year to pay for the item.

Ooops.

Read the fine print before you sign the purchase agreement. The first retailer sold me a bill of goods and knew the finance company wanted payments right away, but lied to me anyway.

The second place just simply didn't know, and we got things ironed out.

It depends on what you buy, of course, but if a store offers you "same as cash," be careful. If the store deals with a separate finance company, ask the finance company, not the place where you bought the item, about the terms.

Sure, it's buyer beware. So — be aware.

Canada vs. Russia

Huge game tonight, Canada vs. Russia. Winner has the inside track to the gold medal, though I think the U.S. is clearly the favorite now.

Many people say the Amercians beating Canada Sunday was a huge upset. Wrong. They are still riding the Miracle on Ice thing from 30 years, truly one of the greatest moments in sports. There is absolutely no comparison, because this U.S. team is made up of NHL superstars who can beat any team in the world.

Gotta love the Canada-Russia rivalry, brings back memories of the 1972 Summit On Ice. I was living in Montreal at the time and still remember my mother, who was taking classes at McGill University, coming home after the deciding game and talking about the celebration in the downtown streets.

Funions Press Conference

Mark and I had a press conference at the Quincy Elks Lodge Saturday to announce the 2010 World Parking Lot Tour kicking off this March.

First of all, thank you very much to Bill Durst for stocking the shelves behind us while we did the press conference. Nobody stocks shelves like Bill. He is HUGE.

Secondly, thank you to our brothers, The Cheeseburgers, who were playing for a wedding reception in the big room next to us. The Cheeseburgers had the audacity to get paid and play Funions songs people liked and we'll need to have a little chat with Burt and the boys.

Thirdly, never pick your teeth when you are on camera.

Blessed Sacrament Song

This is from the Blessed Sacrament School talent show earlier this month. Guitar prodigy Aaron Smith is featured with our seminal hit sensation "Blessed Sacrament School Rules."

Flight of the Conchords

Emily is a huge fan of this strange duo from New Zealand. We were listening to them on the way to WIU last night and I about drove off the road, not a good idea at the best of times, especially in a blizzard.

Anyway, here they are .... really funny stuff. Shey Fey can't stop laughing either!

Scary Drive

Took the 6-2 freshman back to WIU tonight and its wasn't fun.

The roads were terrible in Quincy and continued to be terrible in Adams County. Then about 20 miles south of Carthage it suddenly stopped snowing and the roads were fine.

On the drive back it was the same thing. The biggest thing on 336 was the wind-blown snow and trying to see the road.

Slow and steady works all the time ... and there was no pot hole between turns 1 and 2.

Brackets, awful love songs, etc.

— Now THIS is a bracket where everybody is a winner ....

— Billboard has named its No. 1 sexiest song, and it is AWFUL .... the video is so bad it's ... just .... hard to watch.

— If you've noticed, we've put up the first shows for The Funions World Parking Lot Tour 2010. The ice breaker is Saturday, March 13, at the Elks for a St. Patrick's Day bash. Reportedly there will be a press conference this weekend, and we may have video up.

— The ice at the South Side pond is still 8 inches thick, but there have been some melting and surface quality issues. Can still hope to hope, I guess.

— Are you going to watch the winter Olympics? Might try to follow the hockey games, but luge results are hardly riveting.

— Nice to have lunch today for the first time in ages with the Sandwich Maker of Doom.

— No football this weekend, boo hoo ....

The Who ROCKS!

Link to a column about The Who here ....

Unstuffing stuffed animals

Lucy is the queen of unstuffing stuffed animals. That means Bella The Destroyer is learning from the best.

It's hilarious when they both grab a leg and growl ferociously at each other.

Anyway, mom went to the Salvation Army, bought $2 stuffed animals and let the girls go nuts. One of them was made of beans and was rescued just in time from Bella's powerful grip.

Big. Dumb. Dog. Not you, Lucy.

P.S. if you look carefully you can see plastic eyeballs strewn about as well.

Smith Boys Rock - UPDATE

Aaron and Brendan Smith ROCKED the Blessed Sacrament School talent show today.

Video coming shortly, or when Sheryl gets up from her "Unemployment Nap."

UPDATE: Video didn't work. Will solicit help from Mother Smith ....

Swiftly off key

Apparently Taylor Swift was off-key at the Grammy Awards the other night.

No. Gasp. Shudder. Unbelievable. Really?

I didn't see it and won't watch it. I have much better things to do, like consoling Bella the Destroyer, who is still mad about not being a border collie.

Apparently Swift couldn't hear in her monitors, leading her to sing off-key with Stevie Nicks.

I'm not saying The Funions are on par with anybody else, and we're just a bunch of goof balls playing music for fun. But I have almost never played a show where I've been able to hear well. Sure, we want to sound good, but the energy is just as important, sometimes even more important.

If you want to see a great band play live, a band that doesn't worry about being on key but more about energy and projecting the song, check out The Who this Sunday at halftime of the Super Bowl.

Maybe Swift will watch and learn a thing or two so when she sings off key again — I'm sure all those studio fixes and Pro Tools can't save her on stage.

Job Hunting

Shey Fey lost her job today. The official phrase was "We are eliminating your position." She worked for a large Quincy manufacturing plant doing Internet technology and computer stuff.

She is not sad about it all. Always the optimist, Sheryl finds upsides for everything. She won't have to deal with the daily grind of her job and she was in a great mood today.

On the downside, this puts a crimp in summer and other vacation plans. If she doesn't find another job soon, and in this economy it won't be easy, we'll have to be very careful with our finances.

I think you are defined by the way you deal with the crap life throws at you.

I define her as a saint and the best thing going for me today.

Moon pic, forgotten growler

The top pic is Lake Michigan in late January ... massive chunks of ice. I tried imagining an August beach day instead and couldn't do it.

The other pic is what they refer to in Hudsonville, Michigan, as a "Front Porch."

Hose Head on the right is drinking a Founders Pale Ale. Hose Head on the right bought a 64 ounce growler of Founders Pale Ale, and left it in Hoser on the left's fridge. Hoser on the right is ticked off and will reclaim growler this summer. Hoser on the left is presumably finishing contents of said growler as we speak.

A great weekend up north, and it's nice to be home.

Mars Hill, Family Jamming

Went to Mars Hill this morning and was blown away how not-church like it is, and how almost every seat in The Shed was filled.

The band got up and rocked out five songs in a row, a pastor made a few announcements, and the speaker got up and spoke, and boom, an hour and 15 minutes went by just like that.

It's uncomplicated and to the point and no wonder Mars Hill is bursting at the seams.

A great stay with Brother David and family, followed by a Hart Boyz jam session on the Lake Michigan bluff.

Back tomorrow. The first thing I'm gonna do is .... HOT TUB!

Moon Walk, GR Hockey

Reportedly The Mighty One was in rare form last night at the Dueling Pianos .....

In Holland yesterday I walked on the moon. That's what the Lake Michigan beach looks like, frozen stretches jutting into the water. It was weird not hearing the waves crash into the beach, total silence while walking on a lunar landscape. Pics coming next week since dumbell here forget his download cord.

Then it was off downtown with the boys to watch the Grand Rapids Griffins play at Van Andel Arena. This isn't the downtown GR I remember, that's for sure, young 20-somethings all over the place. It was $1 beer night so ya, fun fun fun!

It was great to see my old buddy Mike VanderKlipp too. Unfortunately he locked his keys in the car and his wife had to come down to bail him out. Fortunately he's a FoHead for life and used to it. For a minute there I thought we were in the Joe Louis Arena parking lot and it was 1985.

Going back downtown to do some ice skating this afternoon at Rosa Parks Circle, and back to Holland tomorrow for a jam session with the Hart Cousins Boyzzzz .....

North

Heading north after work Thursday for a little R&R and revelry with friends. Among the plans: Grand Rapids Griffins and Founders on Friday night, skating at Rosa Park Circle with the little Harts and Youngsmas, and a Hart Boyz jam session on Lake Michigan Sunday (after church in the old mall).

Figures. The ice has returned and I'm outta here ... hopefully still around next week.

Blues Fan

I am slowly becoming a Blues fan. There. I said it.

Blues fans are long-suffering. Their team struggles to make the playoffs, or has to play the Red Wings or Canucks when they do get in and a few games later it's so long, let's make a tee time.

I like some of the Blues players like David Perron and T.J. Oshie. The Blues have speedy guys like Andy McDonald that tend to get steamrolled when other teams clamp down on defense.

Some players I don't like. Paul Kariya is the most overpaid player in the NHL. The defensemen are solid but have a decided lack of flair and except for Barrett Jackman, couldn't score if they had an open net and nobody around to block the puck.

The Blues need an offensive-minded defenseman, and a pure goal scorer.

They also need killer instinct. Last Saturday against the Ducks they had a 3-0 lead in the third period and went into a shell and choked big time. It's been a distressing trend. Their play at home until this month has also been miserable, but the badly needed coaching change has helped that.

So I'm watching them Calgary tonight and I'm actually hoping they do well and win a tight game.

An added bonus - they have great TV guys. John Kelly is a solid play by play guy (his father, Dan, was one of the best ever) and Darren Pang gets a bit excited sometimes, but knows his stuff. I really like Bernie Federko stationed at the player's bench, that adds a different perspective.

Hey! Perron just scored and it's 2-0. Maybe they will hang on and win.

Saturday List

— Awesome breakfast at Coach House this morning - CHECK.

— Woodland Walk - CHECK.

— Vaccum, laundry, ointment on burned out warts (you REALLY don't want to know), make all three beds — CHECK.

— Stretch strings on Les Paul - CHECK.

— Scritch head of Bella The Destroyer who is sad she is not really a border collie but she's still a bitch .... CHECK.

— Nap...... now ..... dkjfaslkdgha[oweiurtoa[wieur .....

Lack of light

Remember that yellowish orange thing that hangs in the sky? It makes you feel warm and cheers you up.

It has a name, but it’s been nearly two weeks since it’s been out around here. What is this, Seattle?

We need to do something to get the sun out and to start cheering people up around here. I used to think seasonal mood disorder and light deprivation were hooey scientific terms, but I’m beginning to see why they might have some meaning.

If you have some ideas on how to get that big yellowish orange thing to make an appearance, let me know.

Adopted honor

My surrogate mother and father in Quincy, Bob and Anne Mays, rock all the time.

Bob was inducted Wednesday into the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. Bob mentioned me as his adopted son during a very funny and to the point speech.

I had to hide behind one of the pillars because I got a tear in my eye ....

God bless you, Bob and Anne!

I sat next to Bob's granddaughter, Sarah Frank, at the luncheon. We started playing the "Dutch Name Game," since Sarah went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, as did I for one disastrous and foggy year a long, long time ago.

"Look," she said, pointing at some random Quincy business guy in the crowd. "There is Jay VanWingerReimersma!"

I bruised my spleen I laughed so hard.

If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much ....

Happy Birthday, Bad Movie

You know, for being such a big dumb dog, Bella the Destroyer really isn't all that bad.

I can't believe I just said that. Happy birthday, you big dumb dog.

Last night I was ready for bed when one of the 5 million movie channels started showing the horrendous "Point Break" with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. I got into a discussion with Shey Fey about this and said I thought it was so bad it was good.

"Nope," she said. "Any movie with Kay An You Reeves and Patricks Swayze is just a bad movie, period."

As usual, she is right. But after years of watching bad movies on bad cable with terrible commercials every two minutes, it's nice to actually watch a whole movie without breaks.

I will say this about breaking the cable TV cycle - I can still watch the Blues, a boring NFL playoff game (both games yesterday were awful), Cops and a movie at the same time. My thumb doesn't get tired, either.

Thaw

Farewell to the first good ice of the year .... last year we had a second good freeze and it could happen again.

Some rumblings of future Funions activity. Reportedly a St. Patrick's Day weekend show is planned, and Rock Against Rape is again in the works for April.

The longer I do this and have to write about stuff like this, the more I appreciate Fridays. The end of the day on Friday, especially.

Dog hair — gotta deal with it. Shey Fey is picking hair out of her winter toe socks and arch ankle doo-dad.

It's with much chagrin we admit Bella The Destroyer is probably not Border Collie. It was suggested by Rock A. Bye that she's more English Terrier and Lab, and a little internet research showed it's probably true. Bella is waaaayyyy too dumb to be Border Collie so there's some relief, too.

SHOCKING UPDATE: The 6-2 freshman no longer has a curfew. Gasp. GASP ....

I Hate American Idol

There. I said it. And I feel a lot better about it. More here.

Winter Sun

Awesome time as usual on the South Side pond with the Niemann boys. We took on the neighbors from Timberline and prevailed on chippy ice.

Yes, it's cold, but the sun makes it feel a little better and fortunately there is no wind. Looks like the ice won't be around much longer, sadly, though last year we had a second freeze at the end of January.

Had some fun last night Deadly Weapons style with TMO and Rock A. Bye in Calftown.

Hopefully we'll have Funions updates soon with some upcoming gigs but things are slow right now.

Keep warm Q-Town!

So Long, Gil

Sorry to hear about the passing of well-known former Quincy Police Department officer Gil Feld Thursday.

Visitation is Sunday night at Duker & Haugh, more info here.

The Funions played at Gil's benefit in April 2007 behind America's Best Value Inn. One of the better parking lot shows we've done if memory serves.

Not long ago I was at a Crime Stoppers event and there was Gil in his goofy Panama hat and big old cigar.

Gil would email me once in a while with questions for The Whig's Answers Column. Unlike many of the mundane questions like "why is there light at such and such intersection," Gil always had interesting questions and I enjoyed communicating with him.

Gil is riding his Harley in a much better place now, and we are all better off for having him around.

Winter Wonderland

Thanks to Rev. Dirk, Shey Fey picked up an awesome umbrella from Amazon.com, and we enjoyed snow-free hot tubbing tonight. HUUUUUGGGGGEEE .... Snow everywhere in the Q-Town, be careful out there!

The ice has been awesome on the South Side. Thanks to Corey S. and the boys for letting me hang out. What I've discovered is that another year goes by and I'm at least three steps slower. Awesome pickup game today with the crew.

Reportedly the Grawe gang from Timberline is coming over for a big rematch this weekend.

Went down to St. Charles today for work and rode with a fellow media member. I miss the good old days in Alpena when we all knew each other and hung out. Bigger town, different rules, and I understand that .... but it was nice to have the good company.

America's Team, YOUR Central Michigan University Chippewas are playing in the GMAC Bowl and sadly, the final game of the bowl season is tomorrow night.

Drag Queens

On Facebook, my cousin Natalie just posted a comment about how she "just explained the concept of 'drag queen' to her children and they cannot stop laughing."

NEITHER CAN I!!!!!

Sharp skates

Went to South Park this morning to check out the ice. Put the new blades on for the first time and .... CRAP. Duller than dull. Couldn't get any grip or move at all, and this with a glistening sheet of ice all around.

So I went to Boyers and asked them to sharpen the skate blades again. I brought them there about a month ago and figured I'd be good to go.

I came back a few hours later, picked up the skates and headed out to the South Side Pond Of Doom. Onto the ice and .... beautiful. They cut right through and were perfect. The guy at Boyers didn't charge me anything either when I told him about the first sharpening. He might have lost out on a few bucks but he's a smart businessman, because I'll be back.

Just a warmup today .... big game arranged tomorrow on the South Side and it will be HUGE.

Winter has a way of wearing you down and you gotta find ways to embrace it.

Make the tourists wait

Tell me there is anything better than spending a whole day watching college bowl games ....

— I always pick against the Big 10 in bowl contests. Always. Today's it's coming back to bite me. I cannot stand Ohio State and I still think they stink. There. I feel better ... Poor Northwestern. They deserved to win against a brain-dead Auburn team but got killed by a little kicker.

— Now it's time to watch Central Michigan East play Florida. Why can't I feel sorry for Urban Meyer?

— Watching the East Coast feeds on DirecTV and the commercials from New York are awesome. "Make the tourists wait in line" is the slogan of one NY City company. Nothing says New York like a smug slogan.

— Hey. You can eat Taco Bell and lose weight! Whodda thunk?

— Took the girls to South Park today to check the ice and they happily splashed in the creek for a few minutes. I was worried about them catching frost bite, but they move too fast and have too much fun running around to catch frost bite. The ice is about three or four inches in some spots, not thick enough just yet but the next two days might just make it thick enough to skate.

— But I will probaby bring the water wings with me just in case ....

Haunted Practice

Happy New Year! We leave 2009 with a ghostly Funions practice story from last night ....

We practiced last night at Club Vegas and some really strange stuff happened. The practice itself was awesome and it was the first time all six of us played together since Halloween and we just had a freaking blast.

But ....

"The dead people always come out on New Years," Pat said.

We had just started when a really bad smell started drifting through the room. Normally we all own up to passing gas, especially because every toot during a loud practice qualifies as an ISBD (insidious silent but deadly) toot.

This smell wafted in and out, hovered along the floor, drifted all over the place. Nobody took credit and it was just awful, like something dead was in the room.

We were all looking at each other. Might One says, "I wasn't gonna say nothing." It was really, really, REALLY rank.

A little later we are cranking our way through "Rock and Roll All Night" when Pat's drum monitor, which wasn't turned on, suddenly comes to life and literally blows him off his drum kit.

A few minutes later, the effects on my amp died. I mean they just quit working for absolutely no reason. I turned off the amp, replugged everything in .... nothing. Then a few minutes later it comes back on, again seemingly at random.

Pat says a lot of weird things happen in the building, a former funeral home. I think a lot of this ghost hunting stuff is a bunch of hooey, but if Pat says the ghosts were out and having some fun with us last night .... who am I to disagree?

Slip Slidin Away

Be careful out there, Q-town.

The inch or so of wet snow can really make things slick. I'm going to my car at noon today and stepped off the curb and WHAM the next thing I know I'm down after going ass over tea kettle.

Whatever ass over tea kettle means.

You know it's a spectacular crash when the UPS driver stops the ugly brown truck and asks if you are OK.

Hey. Ever see 5-feet-19-inches crash and burn? It ain't pretty.

I think this is one of those deals that will hurt a lot more tomorrow.

Hot tub therapy and a beverage of choice might help after work. Band practice too! Gotta get somebody to carry all my crap ....

Still hoping ....

Gonna get real cold in the Q-town .... ice by the New Year?

Jane Morris was an awesome interview a couple of weeks ago when she was in town visiting her mom. Jane owns her own theater near Los Angeles and helped start the Second City e.t.c. in Chicago years back. She is funny because she doesn't try to be funny, she just is .... Jane has been in dozens of movies and sitcoms over the years.

Now she just added me as a "friend" on Facebook. I might need to sit down for a second.

Facebook has also helped me connect with my old Alpena buddy Anthony Rothman, who was the sports anchor for WBKB in my first years up there. I miss the fellowship with my fellow media brethren, it just doesn't happen here .... Anyway, Anthony is doing great as a sports guy in Columbus, Ohio.

Might need to make a road trip, AR ....

Fitness

For Christmas, Shey Fey got a three-month pass to a local fitness center.

We went this afternoon and I it will take some getting used to for her. We are used to walking the dogs in the great wide open, not walking around a track in front of a bunch of people.

It's an awesome place but it is sprawling and I can see why some people may be a bit intimidated at first. I've been there many times and it's no big deal to me.

Plus .... Rocky Cola, one of the few sane Web Warriors in this world, was there! HUUUUUGGGEEEE.

And no. I'm not playing roller hockey, Rocky .....

Lotsa iPod

Rev. Dirk just headed back to the Ville after a very nice four-day visit. If he can make it down the Eighth Street hill to Ill. 57, it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Shey Fey got me a 16-gig iPod Nano for Christmas. I don't know what 16 gig means, other than "it holds a lot of stuff." It also has the coolest video camera and it should be fun figuring it out.

I am working this weekend and it was a little strange last night doing a story about a new way to make meth while blasting out Trans-Siberian Orchestra in the newsroom. Some had a merrier Christmas than others ....

This morning's Dirk Jr. Kitchen Catastrophe involved not snapping down the coffee filter and flooding four drawers and the floor with caffeine. Someday Shey Fey will simply snap, I swear.

And the best news of all .... Rev. Dirk has started his prostate cancer treatments and is feeling good. He announced that a new study shows caffeine and beer are good ways to prevent and treat prostate cancer.

Maybe I have a shot against this thing, after all.

Kansas For Christmas

The 6-2 freshman gave me the coolest present ever last night.

She got all the members of Kansas to sign a sheet of music. When it's framed it will hang prominently on the wall in the Man Cave of Doom!

Listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Let me know if there is better Christmas music, though you will lose the argument.

Rev. Dirk made a fantastic meal last night. The 6-2 freshman says, "Man, you are so lucky." She is right as she always is.

The dogs are soaked but happy after a Woodland walk, Shey Fey slumbers peacefully in an afternoon nap, and I'm watching the Christmas Eve rain drive steadily down.

But. Snow. Is. On. The. Way. So we are told.

Rain on Christmas

Blechhh. Just give me a little bit of snow. Please?

My father is here from Louisville making a big dinner tonight. 

Merry Christmas to everybody. Even the bad lawyers out there. Really. It says so in the Bible, you know.

Prayers for ....

Steve Eighinger and family. His father in law passed away from a heart attack Monday.

Tom Miller and family. His sister finally found peace after a long battle with ALS. The Funions played a memorable show at her benefit last year. 

Let it snow

Oh the weather outside is frightful ....

— Gotta love all the Facebook comments about bad driving when it snows.

— Shovel? What shovel? Do we have a shovel?

— Had fun hanging out with Dave Chastain and the Lake Trash Band at The Club last night. Dave and the boys tore it up as usual. I just wish I wasn't so dang old and could stay out later.

— Nice to see Jim Dennis and The Crossing getting things done at the old Calftown church near Ninth and Monroe. 

— Yesterday was one of those hellacious days that never seemed to end but went by quickly at the same time, if you know what I mean. I think this gal was one of the worst to come through Quincy in a long time, ranking up there with the Richard Carr's of this world.

— In much more positive and more important news, Bella The Destroyer likes the snow.

— Supposedly the dish gets set up today. 

— Bowl games start, as well. I will forget about coaches who couldn't care less about loyalty and enjoy the games.

— Be safe on this last weekend before Christmas!

Comcast fired

Shey Fey fired Comcast today after yet another rate increase.

I believe we are looking at DirecTV and another Internet provider.

That means a new email address and some other changes are on the way ....

Perfect Peace

Remembering my brother, Gregory Klaas Hart, on the seventh anniversary of his passing.

I think it was a brave thing. He found peace he'd been longing for. 

He joins his Aunt Anita Hart, who died today near Toronto after fighting cancer. The end could not come soon enough for her.

Aunt Anita and Greg are probably walking along the Georgian Bay shoreline tonight and laughing their heads off.

In tribute, the sun was out all day. Peace to them on a dark December day.

New Baby

Here she is .... the new Epiphone Les Paul Studio.

Melts my amp and purrs on the lower settings. 

More here ....

Kids In The Hall

I just watched a bunch of Kids In The Hall sketches, and it's another reason why Mike Provine's blog is the best in Quincy. No hot air, no anon web warriors, no pictures of old hockey gear .... just some really funny stuff.

Click here to see classic Kids In The Hall sketches. Kids In The Hall was a Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live) creation out of Canada and several, Dave Foley especially, became well known later.

The French Canadian skit is especially funny, though you might have to be from Canada to really get the humor. Excuse me, humour ....

No loyalty

Notre Dame hired Brian Kelly to be its next football coach. Click here for more.

Rats. Now a team I despise is coached by a guy who I really liked. But that was a long time ago.

Cincinnati should have known what they were getting into when they hired him away from Central Michigan University three years ago. I was at the last game Kelly coached for the Chippewas. Scott McNeal (Gus Macker) and I high-fived him on the field after CMU beat bitter rival Western Michigan. A month or so later he was the new coach at Cincinnati.

Read the comments from his players. He tells them one thing, but does the other. Nice message sent, coach Kelly. Also, nice little PR move by the school, banning media from attending the team banquet last night.

It's a bidness, obviously. Notre Dame is getting a Catholic guy with an Irish name who has done nothing but win. Maybe he'll turn the Bighting Irish around.

Sorry, coach Kelly. I'll be rooting against you, hard. 

It's just bidness.

Ready!

When it's cold like this, I say .... bring it on!

Unfortunately it's supposed to warm up into the 40s next week. The Pond is still three or four days away from having good ice ... rats.

BTW, those are my old blades in the pic, new ones being sharpened as we speak.

Had a lot of fun at Fuji last night, really cool concept and I highly recommend going. 

Also got icicles in my hair while sitting in the hot tub, a new experience.

Working on some cool Christmas carols for Sunday.

Oh, and yes, the newest member of the family will be officially unveiled soon, so stay tuned.

ccccccccooooolllllddddd

So we got lucky Wednesday and today. Still don't like the cold. 

Going to do the guitar lesson thing and check out the new Fuji restaurant tonight.

Saw the legendary Jeff Rabjohns, former H-W Sports Writer, last night. Took some of his money playing cards, too, and didn't feel a bit bad about it. Hope he has enough gas money to get back to Indy ....

Bella The Destroyer ate our Christmas tree. You might read more about this in print soon. 

Wait a second. Too cold for the hot tub?

Now THAT'S cold .....

Waiting Out The Cold

— A few more days of this weather and there might be a phone call make to the boys on South 24th ...

— Dear Coach Kelly, please don't take the Notre Dame job. Then I will have to despise you. You are OK right now, even though you bolted on my beloved Chippewas three years ago.

— The Hart Family College Football Bowl Challenge is about to begin. New this year is the pet entry, and I'm putting my money on Bella The Destroyer.

— It's nice to have a Christmas tree in a house once again.

— Air Specialists did a good job with our furnace issues. With a tax credit and rebates, it won't hurt quite so much for a new furnace.

— And you think you had a bad Monday ... click here.

Puppy Eyes Upstairs

Bella The Destroyer is looking at me with big puppy eyes as I sit in the Man Cave. "TAKE ME TO WOODLAND NOW DANGIT" is what she is howling.

Hang on, Destroyer. Go chew up some hot tub test strips or something for a few minutes. Wait a second, you already did that this week .... well, you know what I mean.

One of our two furnaces died Friday afternoon. Goodbye, $2,300. Hello a much more efficient furnace. And hello upstairs of house, since downstairs feels like Narnia when the Bad Witch made it winter all year long. It gets installed Monday so we'll be OK. I'll just sit in the hot tub for two days.

How About Them Chippewas? Quick, name the quarterback who has set significant NCAA records this season. I knew you could ....

We had a great Funions jam last night at Club Vegas, first time since October we've gotten together. I have a new addition to the family who I will introduce later, and she sounded glorious last night.

Finally .... it is cold outside, and I'm torn. On the one hand I am doing the Rice Crispies walk (Snap, Crackle and Pop) every time I stand up. On the other .... bring on the ice!

Be safe this weekend .... check out Warren and Jason from SevenD2 tonight at the Blind Pig if you are out and about.

Hacked

Somebody hacked into my Facebook account and sent emails claiming I had dirty pictures.

Shey Fey says it's probably not local, probably a professional dirtball who figures out passwords by keying in on specific words.

Password changed. If you did get an email via Facebook with such a message, DO NOT open. It caused at least one person I know to have a computer meltdown.

 

Kansas, Macomb style

Great show last night in Macomb ... click here for more.

I'm proud of the 6-2 freshman!

Snow, Kansas

HOLY CRAP. First snowflakes of the season this afternoon ....

Heading to WIU to see the 6-2 freshman. She's in the starting lineup as the WIU Orchestra plays with Kansas tonight! Carry on, my wayward son ....

Burning Down The House

I about burned down my house last night.

Let's just say it involved ashes from the previous night's fire, a trash can full of yard refuse, and one big Dumb Ass who dumped ashes he thought were cold into the can.

A passerby saw the can on fire beside the house and alerted us in time. Black smoke marks on the siding, but these stout German houses can withstand bigger artillery, I'm sure.

There are Good Samaritans out there. This guy didn't have to stop. Wish I knew who he was, I'd buy him a beer or take his family out to dinner.

Of course three QFD trucks came screaming into the hood, and I'm glad they came, even though it was out. They checked the siding for heat and made sure it was OK before leaving, and I appreciate their patience and expertise.

Shey Fey gets ANOTHER medal for good conduct, valor and everything else.

Note to self: Never dump ashes into can with yard stuff. Never. NEVER. Just let em sit for a few days, then bury them in the ground or something.

I have a dunce cap on and am sitting in the corner for the rest of the day.

What To Do

So it's a beautiful late November Saturday and I'm trying to think about outdoor stuff to do.

Golf clubs put away, more or less.

Yard work done, less than more.

Dogs walked, can do that again later.

Shopping .... SHOPPING? Uh, NO. Click here for more.

Might have to settle for a massive breakfast, leftover turkey all day and sitting on the porch. 

Turkey Day Timeline

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just looking into crystal ball ....

11:30 a.m. - Shey Fey's turkey is getting close and the smell is driving me crazy. To curb my hunger, I turn on the Lions.

12:30 p.m. - Sorry, Shey Fey. Can't eat turkey. Appetite ruined by watching the Lions.

12:31-4:02 - Nap.

4:03 - Raiders vs. Cowboys. What, is this national lousy football day?

4:04 - Nap.

5:35 - "We are having turkey for the next three weeks," Shey Fey says.

7:01 - Finally, football! Texas A&M vs. Texas.

9:17 - Wake up from third nap.

10:03 - Only a few hours before Black Friday. Thinking of mooing crowds makes me laugh. 

10:04 - Eat more turkey.

10:05 - Turkey makes me sleepy. What a great Thanksgiving Day!

Be safe .....

Happy Hour At Home

So I was hoping to get out of work early today but NOOOOO .... I will reserve comment about late breaking stories and other such ... uh, stuff.

Shey Fey says .... "Sears and ShopKo just don't impress me." She is leafing through the massive Whig ads. This is the biggest paper of the day and reportedly 27 paper boys strained back muscles this morning. "Overwhelming," she says. "I'm worn out and I'm not even halfway through yet. I had to put the Kohl's catalog off to the side ... I'm going to calm down in a bit."

Alex Sanders, a Texas Funerals bass player of doom, posed an interesting question on Facebook the other day. He was wondering if there is an alternative to socializing at the bars. Well, young Alex, yes there is! I'm doing Happy Hour at home with a bottle of Goose Island and I'm quite content. Then again, I'm twice as old as you and 10 times as feeble. You don't have to socialize at a bar, Alex. Why not get some buds together and just simply hang out?

"I didn't know we had this many stores in town," Shey Fey says.

All I know is that 10 years ago, I had to do a Black Friday shopping story and I was scarred for life. NEVER again. Rumor has it I will interview Santa for a Whig column after he shops in Quincy Friday morning. We will see if he's so ho ho ho after enduring the experience ....

Catching Egg Throwers

Somebody threw an egg against the house a couple of nights ago. It cracked and ran all over the man-cave window.

I dusted the yolk and shell fragments for fingerprints. Lo and behold, I got a pretty good print. I had some law enforcement friends run it. We have a suspect.

We are coming to get you, dirtball.

Long lost adventure

My buddy Wilx is at it again, this time reminding me of a long-lost adventure from the summer of 1986 or 87. 

My vague recollection is that we both spent the summer in GR and were getting ready to head back to school, me to Mount Pleasant and him to Ann Arbor. I said something about my crazy uncles living in Toronto and before we knew it, we had train tickets and a general plan.

I remember walking around the city and taking the subway everywhere. Wilx, an architecture student at Michigan, was amazed by the city's skyline. One night I remember I went to visit my Oma Hart while he went back downtown, still mesmerized by City Hall, the CN Tower and other buildings.

So here's the deal - the first person who can tell me what building I'm standing in, and what they are doing inside the building, wins a Funions CD. It took me a few minutes until it all came rushing back and I'm still sore from laughing so hard ....

New Venue

Went to the Blind Pig to see Fielder last night. Logan and the boys were in fine form and there is a really good new place to play in Quincy.

The Blind Pig, formerly The Plaza, is on North 12th. They built a stage into the northwest corner that appears to be big enough for most bands. The rest of the place is not big, and by about 10:30 when we left, hoards of people were coming and jamming the room to the rafters.

This would be a perfect place for The Funions to play.

Good luck to the new owners, they have to be happy after last night.

Carded

Starting your Saturday morning with a view of the river and staring at treed squirrels is the best way to go.

So we were out and about last night with The Mighty One and The Warden and ended up eating at Pops Pizza, an awesome place. The pizza was HUGE, the service was good in a really busy place, and it's downtown in a grand old building. What more could you want?

Anyway, we met The Warden after she got off work, and she got carded. The waitress asked to see her ID and she had to go back to her vehicle to get it, quite willingly I might add. "Well, I saw the initials on your collar and I thought maybe you were a cheerleader," the waitress said.

QPD, QHS, QND .... they are all fine institutions of higher learning.

I believe we tipped our waitress quite well .... 

This Job ....

is unpredictable.

Click here for more.

Just glad everybody is safe.

New Skates

My new skates arrived last week from Hockey Monkey. Click here for more.

Generally speaking I don't like ordering stuff online but I had little choice in the matter.

It took less than a week for them to be delivered (are you listening Musicians Friend?) ....

It's been 15 years since I've bought new skates. All I know is that back in the day, every pair of skates I ever had were really tight and felt like they squeezed my feet.

These skates are huge, size 13 EE, and they are very light and comfortable.

However, I won't really know if they are any good until I get on the ice. And in Quincy, who knows how long that could be.

Still, they are here.

Kevin Murphy of The Whig is threatening to put a team together for an outdoor tournament in Wisconsin in February. I say .... LETS GO! 

Wet stuff

Dear God,

When will it stop raining?

Just curious,

Dirk Jr.

2351 Rosewood

I met Wilx when painting the garage door. It was the summer of 1980. He lived across the street and came over as I slopped paint. I do remember Abe DeVries, who lived a block over, instructing me on how to use long up and down strokes. 

I lived at 2351 Rosewood from 1980-1984, my high school years and one disastrous year at Calvin College. I did move back in the summer of 1987 to live with my dad and brothers before my last year at Central Michigan University. He sold the house in 1990, I think.

Wilx lives in the GR burbs now. He took his daughter to a swim meet Saturay at Ottawa Hills High School, which is up the street from 2351 and Wilx's old house. He snapped this picture and sent it to me, and I stared at it for a long time.

I used to walk across the street to Wilx's house and watch the strange music video channel. He had cable, a remarkable luxury, with a box where you pushed the channel buttons. It enthralled us for hours. 

When I look at the photo, I think of my late mother, who made many a Sunday meal for friends and family. 

I distinctly remember coming home from a road trip to Ann Arbor in March 1986. I was hung over and grumpy. My mother was on the floor and looking at the newspaper classified ads in the TV room, the one right behind the garage. I asked her what she was doing. "Nothing," she said, but I could tell something wasn't right.

She moved out a week later. I'm sure she saw the apartment ad in that paper.

I think of putting the basketball hoop on the roof above the garage. It was the spring of 1981, and I had an early-morning paper route. When I got done I gently shot jumpers in the first rays of sunlight, but I didn't want to make too much noise and wake people up.

Where Wilx stood to take the photo is the end of the street, and we had some massive hockey games after blizzards and snowstorms. Mark "Little Man" Hendricks would come over, we'd recruit other kids from the hood and we'd spend snow days recreating the Leafs vs. Canadiens rivalries from days gone by.

I remember walking from the house to Jolly Roger Ice Arena for practices and late-night Calvin intramural games.

It's a big house, with six rooms upstairs. I got my own room, the one on the corner above the garage. My own room! Putting in a cassette tape of Who's Next and blasting it as loud as possible from the cheap boom box, that's what I remember most.

I left in the fall of 1984 for a job in the Grand Canyon National Park. I came back six months later and lived in the basement for a few months. I used the ping pong table for a privacy wall and slept on a cot. And it was fine with me.

A few years back I walked through the old hood and behind the house. I swear I saw a face in one of the back windows, the face of my late brother Greg. I took one more look and hurried away.

Wilx says the memories are good. I agree, for the most part. And going back is never a bad thing. 

Powerful stuff, just from looking at a picture.

Thanks Wilx.

Holy Vacuums

— Well well well .... look who is off probation. Gonna get a little Wild tonight with Emily CSI to celebrate. Might have to bring some body chalk and police tape ....

— Had an emergency jam session with The Might One. Dr. Brei and I trotted out old originals and had a blast. Just like putting instant coffee into a microwave. 

— Ignoring more big piles of leaves.

— Somebody is feeling a lot better nine days after back surgery. I think I hear a vacuum!

— Prayers for the Coffelt family in Colorado Springs. And for the family of the 4-month old who passed away in Quincy Thursday.

— Have a safe Saturday. Gotta go, my feet are about to get sucked up by the Vacuumer Of Doom ....

New word, Vets day

Sheryl has a new word .... "Unsquoezed." As in, "I woke up this morning and it took a while for my back to feel unsquoezed." I think she means it is slowly loosening up after surgery.

Here is to our veterans today and every day. God bless you for your service. Click here for more.

Plans

The good eye doctor and I are going to catalog all the Funions songs we've played over the years.

No shows planned but stay tuned. Lots of idle chatter about recording, lining up gigs, maybe seeing if some former Funions are still around .... all dat schtuff.

Interviewed a WWII vet today and his stories were incredible.

Do leaves eventually blow away?

Looking forward to Kansas playing with the WIU orchestra in less than a month!

Backs are getting better all the time ....

Multitalented Vets

Pics from yesterday's Veterans Parade on Maine Street ..... the top photo is of a Quincy blogger, lawyer and veteran. The second photo is of a Funion, Mighty Bad Guy Catcher and Marine veteran.

Thanks you for serving our country, all veterans! Yesterday's parade was awesome.

Click here for more.

The Maulers

The Maulers are probably Quincy's best-known band, except for Dirk & The Perp Walkers and any band Jack Inghram played in between 1900 and 1964. Lots of Maulers stuff on Youtube, and for more click  here.

Sam Middendorf, who I think was in Maulers until nearly choking to death on an expired drummer's vomit, is featured in today's Five Times Five in The Whig, Page 3A.

When asked if he was going to see Michael Jackson's new movie (Michael Jackson has a new movie?), he said: "No, because I can either see a great movie about a great entertainer, dancer, philanthropist and weirdo, or eat a really good sandwich."

My sentiments exactly.

One other thing today, directed to somebody who knows who he is — it must be hard to be so bitter. Thanks for the gracious compliment and thank goodness you qualified it with your usual rational. We'd be worried if you didn't.

Good luck Kelly!

Sheryl is doing really well this morning after a rough few hours when she first came out of surgery at about noon yesterday. Fingers crossed she gets home today, probably tomorrow.

Saying farewell today to Herald-Whig Staff Writer Kelly Wilson, and it's really hard. Kelly is an awesome reporter and deserves a medal for putting up with me and the other two pod mates all these years.

Her last column is here.

Change is a part of life. Kelly is moving on to better things and I wish her the best - and the pod won't be the same!

Waiting Rooms

So Sheryl is under the knife as we speak, having surgery on her lower back. 

A long time ago I wrote about health and fitness for The Whig and I was in Blessing Hospital a lot. It became just another place to get stories and do interviews. I always respected the administration at Blessing and the PR folks were top-notch.

Since then I've only had to be here for personal stuff, visiting for the most part, thank goodness. 

I'm in the one-day surgery waiting room and the hostess here is very nice, keeping me updated on the surgery and progress. Apparently the rumors about Sheryl demanding to do the surgery herself were unfounded (huuuuggggeee sigh of relief ...).

There's another young couple sitting here because their son is having surgery. The guy is wearing a St. Louis Children's Hospital sweatshirt, so I suspect they've been through this more than once. They have the concerned but resigned look, veterans of the hurry up and wait routine.

Thank goodness this place has wireless. And there's always the dreaded Space Invaders game on the Blackberry ....

Getting (uuhggg) Tested

My father was just diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately it can be treated and he is weighing his options, and the overall outlook seems to be OK.

I'm celebrating the big 45 in a few weeks and now I'm literally scared, uh, bleepless. This is what my father sent to me and my brother:

Your grandfather, your father, and two uncles had/have prostate cancer. Statistically that means that sooner or later you have a 97% chance of being diagnosed with the same. I asked the doctor about that and he said, "They should get tested now, and have an annual exam from now on." Talk with your doctors about it. I would recommend you see a urologist who will have more information and experience than your family doctor. 

Damn. I hate going to the doctor .... but it will be a small price to pay.

Reminder

Today is a good day to remember to chill and not get too worked up about stuff.

Thank you.

Whatta bash

As you can see, our Funions Halloween bash was a huge success.

That might have been as much fun as the band has ever had playing a show. Ever. In 10 years of doing this.

The crowd was into it from the start and danced to every song, even the originals.

Costume contest was huge - give it up to QPD CSI for the Funyons costume!

The American Gothic couple pictured above won the $100 Elks gift certificate and there were some awesome costumes.

Yes. It's true. The Funions were renamed Dirk & The Perp Walks, for one night only. The prison warden was, ahem, hot!

Thanks for coming out. The Funions will be taking a little break but hopefully we'll play soon.

Elks Halloween

Getting ready for our HUGE Elks Halloween show Friday night, 7:30 until whenever.

Costumes encouraged, of course. You won't believe what the band is donning, and it is appropriate .... 

This is for members and guests of the Elks. Funions fans are welcome! 

Hot tubs and rain UPDATED

Gonna go shuffle with the old guys and then melt in the hot tub.

Cold rain? What cold rain?

UPDATE: Went and hobbled full court, 4 on 4, shot 2 of 39 from the field, went home, had beverage, melted away ..... bad basketball is no match for a hot tub!

Mr. and Mrs. Cornwell

HOLY CRAP did we have fun at the Cornwell wedding.

The Cheeseburgers are the best, Floating Otis made an appearance and the place was jumping all night long. There were even Funions with Cheeseburgers and it was HUGE.

All you Facebook fans can click here for more pics.

I'm getting too old to have this much fun. I will blame it on the evil eye doctor and his basement bar of doom for leading me down the path of destruction.

Also today Bulldog and son came over to wire the hot tub, and it is awesome.

The only bad thing? Back to work tomorrow. Bleeeccchhhhh.

Expensive lumber

One thing I forgot to mention about the failed hockey skate experience in the Loo was the price of sticks. $200, for a piece of lumber? Or graphite or aluminum or whatever they are made out of these days. GEESH.

I will have to settle for a "cheap" $40 stick, in all likelihood. 

QHS did not play well last night at Glenwood, but we'll see where the playoff road takes the Blue Devils next week. Shey Fey and I did have a lot of fun with the Farkas family and a Springfield road trip is never a bad thing. We ate at an Italian place not far from the school and it was HUGE.

We celebrate tonight with Chris and Jessica Cornwell. Congrats! The Cheeseburgers are playing at the reception and it will be a blast.

HOLY CRAP - my vacation is almost over. 

There are rumors about chainsaws being used this weekend in The Hood, and of a hot tub getting hooked up ....

Keep on tailing at the gate

—  Now this makes me proud to be a Chippewa .... FIRE UP CMU!

— Ghostly stories on ghostly roads, Q-town style, click here.

— No luck in finding hockey skates in the Loo. Even blundered into a store called Total Hockey, which had totally lame service. No better online, which might mean a lot of duck tape and super glue for the old blades this winter.

— On tap: QHS football at Springfield Chatham, wedding reception for a Funions guitarist and drummer.

— The best thing about vacation is waking up and not caring what time it is.

— Apparently something got spilled on the remote yesterday, causing widespread panic and National Guard deployment, but Shey Fey (as she always does) came to the rescue.

— Best quote from Dr. Brei during Loo road trip yesterday, on why he can't play pickup hoops: "I'm afraid something would break - or fall off."

Staying Local

I could get used to this not working bidness really easily ....

Excellent Funions practice last night at Club Vegas. "Back in the USSR ...." Getting ready for our huge Halloween show a week from Friday at The Elks. No cover charge, costume contest, cheap and cold beverages .... NO EXCUSES for not showing up. Members and guests only, if you are a Funions fan, you can be our guest!

Buying local is a big topic. I am all for helping out our Quincy retailers, but there are certain times when it just won't work.

For instance, if I need something for my bike, I'm going to Greg Davis' shop at Eighth and State. Why? He's a good guy, he has great service and he knows his product, and I feel good giving him my business.

For most of my music needs, I'll go to Vegas Music or Smith Music in Quincy. I've dropped more than just a dime or two in both places, and will continue to do so.

However ....

I need new skates, and there simply isn't a place in Quincy to buy them. So I'm making a road trip today. May also stop at a large music outlet to try and find an item or two not available in Quincy.

Buy local if you can. If not .... do what you gotta do.

Stay The Vacation Day 2

HOLY CRAP. I have a hot tub in the backyard.

I have a friend, let's just call him Dave The Bulldog, who gave us his hot tub because he got a new one. It's an incredibly generous gift and I can't thank him enough. We have been in this hot tub a time or two and it's very nice.

He loaded it up, Shey Fey took down the fence, and we rolled it off the trailer right to the spot by the rear porch steps. The the rear porch never gets used. It will now.

If you want to make an afternoon disappear, record your own songs. For the first time in months I put together a demo and it sounds like crap but hey .... it's done, which is saying something.

Gonna run my out of shape butt with the boys in the Slow Pickup Basketball League and hopefully live to tell about it.

Staycation

A very happy birthday to Bob Mays, just 88 years young! Had a great time hanging out with my Quincy mom and brothers.

Off this week and for the first time I can remember, I am doing nothing. Well, not totally true .... yard work beckons today plus some other goals. I have a feeling it will go by quickly.

First order of bidness ... a greasy breakfast in Taylor, Mo. HUGE ....

Holy Football Playoffs, Batman

Check it out — YOUR Quincy Blue Devils are 7-1 and heading to the playoffs. That's right — the freaking PLAYOFFS!

What I love about this time is the determination and rising up in the face of adversity. D.J. Powell was unstoppable last night simply because he refused to go down. Alex McNay had a costly fumble early in the second half and ran like a man possessed in the fourth quarter, including a huge third-down run on the final scoring drive of the game. 

But the strength of this team is the defense, especially the line. Jimmy Ely is a man and the linebackers fly to the ball.

Rick Little and his coaches are to be commended for turning it around in a basketball town. If QHS can pull off another win in Chatham next Friday, we could have playoff football in Quincy at both Notre Dame and at 46th and Maine.

Huge!

Being Tall

At least I am good for something .... "I need you to be tall for me." This involves hanging curtains, so chill ....

The 6-2 freshman HAS A BOYFRIEND. I am trying not to freak out.

It appears I am unable to hang curtains correctly. So maybe I am not good for something.

Too Much Miley

I'm glad at least one major news outlet has realized the significance of this issue. Fox, CNBC, CNN ... forget it. They are clueless.

Halloween recording

Much fun as always at the Sammy Fund event. At least we didn't have to worry about the beer staying cold. And we had excuses for some bad golf.

Dr. Brei burned a CD of our Elks Halloween show from last year. I hate the sound my own voice, always the singer's curse, but it is very interesting to hear almost a year later. The band seemed really on during this show and Jack in particular was on fire.

So we are doing it again Oct. 30 and it's going to be HUGE. We've already got the band costumes lined up and there could be some rioting at Second and Hampshire on Halloween's Eve.

I have been assured Elvis will again be making an appearance.

The Chant, The Walk, GO BLUE

OK, repeat after me, nice and loud so everybody can hear ....

I WILL NOT MAKE FUN OF RUSH AGAIN I WILL NOT MAKE FUN OF RUSH AGAIN I WILL NOT MAKE FUN OF RUSH AGAIN ...

Great fun walking for Sammy this morning. Let's see if the creaky wheels hold up on the golf course.

Michigan at Iowa tonight in the Man Cave of Calftown Doom!

Thursday Rain Blues

As you can see, Lucy The Queen of Calftown and Bella The Destroyer are patiently trying to wait out the rain ....

— Cole Hamels can blow it out his year. What a dweeb .... play ball, moron!

— Rush Limbaugh, Rams owner? Check out this column, one of the funniest and best I've read in a long time. I am now officially a fan of this columnist.

— Sorry to hear about Jean Redington stepping down, I think she did a good job as Adams County treasurer. Her brother is a pretty good sax player, too ....

— No Funions practice this week, but the good eye doctor and I are getting together to do some jamming tonight.

— Shey Fey has Citizens Police Academy on Thursday nights and she says it's been a blast so far. One of these years ....

— Sammy Fund this weekend, hope to see you there!