Christmas of Family

Another wonderful Christmas at Urbana. Mom was here, which of course is critical to a successful Christmas. Many nice gifts, but more importantly, time to visit and enjoy. Mom took us out for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at Peking Garden with the Eastin's. From there we traveled to Wesley Church for evening services and then home to a fire on the hearth, and the traditional Sesame Street Christmas and Peter, Paul and Mary PBS Christmas specials. Colin was off to the Freeman household in Tulsa Saturday morning ,arriving late Saturday. Joel hasn't returned my Christmas phone call so he is on double secret probation. Bethany brought her friend Liz here so we could see Liz's beautiful little baby Belle; she is so small I can hold her in my hand. She is very cute!! Bethany is out and around visiting her many friends in Urbana; Abby is busy texting her new crush on her cell phone ( she will deny this accusation, and, to be fair, she is very involved in our family activities; eg, movies, cooking and baking,reading, and generally enjoying each other). Barb is being a good mom, as usual.

Well, another holiday with all my children, so, I have no complaints, only gratitude for the moment.

daddio

Eric on the RUN

you have to hear Eric's lightning fast pickin and playin to appreciate the boy: he is HOT

"reggie's" at 2150 S State. last night; 8:00- 10:00 PM. Beth, Jay( U of C PhD. student in molecular Biology; MIT graduate; real smart; real nice; real respectful of Bethany; boys that don't respect my girls get knee-capped); Joel, Eric; the band.

This boy Eric is too good to miss.

I luv him; he 's going to big places; I'm bettin on this boy. Stay tuned for the next performance; I'll be there.

daddio

pip and christmas eve

folks,

any comments on our book? I find Pip to be very brave; I find Miss Havisham to be very strange. I know this is the seminal moment in pip's climb up the ladder, but, isn't Miss Havisham a bit too fantastic?
Thoughts?

daddio

fun and games

My fellow Americans, I'm taking time away from LBJ's requests for more troops in Afghanistan. I realize another 30,000 troops will most certainly bring us to that light at the end of the table. I know the President has spoken to the French about their occupation, and be assured we are told, the French lost Vietnam, I'm sorry, the Brits and Russians lost Afghanistan because they wouldn't stay the course.

It has come to my attention that two of my beloved may be concerned abou my state of mind based on some of my postings. Be assured, almost everything I put on this blog is stated with tongue in cheek; I'm not serious about 90% of that which I put on blogs.

Now, time to get back to President Nixon' speech; he has a plan to end the wars and I wait with great curiousity regarding the same.

daddio

December book club selection

'Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Most of you read this in high school..... but, let us do it again. your public library should have several copies. remember, this book starts out on Christmas Eve with little Pip.

jt

Defeat From the Jaws of Victory

I have taken another beating. After being promised I could smoke cigars after I gave up Lucky Strikes, I was informed tonight I can't smoke cigars either. Barb threatened to leave me in 2 1/2 years(when Abby graduates high school) and Abby said she wasn't talking to me anymore, and then told me she really didn't have much to talk to me about the majority of the time anyway. So, rather than putting up with two screaming meanies for the foreseeable future I folded my tent and went home. The Code says you have to respect and defer to women(there are a few of us real men still around who follow the Code) so, the Code comes first, personal pleasure second.
I'm not whining, just noting that SOME PEOPLE don't honor their contracts.
Oh well, I still have Rondell; and that is plenty for this man.

jt

smokin but not tokin

Barb, Abby and Beth "outed" me on smoking cigarettes last night. I manned up and confessed, gave up cigaretes forever, but......... I reserved the right to smoke cigars when I so choose.

Great Thanksgiving! Great food! Great family! A special treat of course was having Mom here with us at Thanksgiving. I believe I've spent every Thanksgiving in my entire life with Mom. Correct me fellow bloggers if I am mistaken .
I've decided to ask Rondell to be a regular contributor on my blog. I talked to her by phone in Tupelo today. She is a scream; she has sworn me to silence on her phone number...sorry folks. I told Rondel that but for the fact I am very happily married, I'd be right down there to romance her.
Daddio

November 13, a Friday

Friday the 13 could be a lucky day. Had a real funny note from Rondell; Hope she keeps contributing to my blog.

A friend of mine who has been in professional theatre, but is pretty much retired, will be coming to one of Abby's shows this weekend at my request. I think Abby would just like to know about pointers, advice, etc. My friend does still give acting lessons on a free lance basis so maybe that is something Abby will want to pursue. Barb and I are very proud of her as she put in an enormous amount of time and work on this show. I am very impressed by her work ethic . She really does the acting in a very real and convincing manner.

Enough already; a good weekend to all.

P.S. I've decided to pick something light for our book club's December reading; maybe something with a holiday theme.

daddio

Health Care

Hurray! I am confident the health bill will pass both houses.

the A.M.A and AARP have endorsed it; what better support could you have. I hope Rahm and company go absolutely T.V. radio, internet, etc with a knock down commercial on this. I don't care how they pay for it. I'd certainly pony some money to fund the commercial. Colin, do you know what organization is doing the advertising here? Let us spread the word on that, i.e, donations for the commercials.

jt

Health Care Redux

The President is no LBJ(Medicare), but, the NYT today says our President is going to get it done. Im feeling much better about our President this morning. Go Colin!!!

daddio

dad's angry side

well.................I suppose I was a bit over the top on Colin's spot on his blog............but, the guy( the pres) seems to have gotten himself into the inner beltway tunnel vision; although I concede he has been on the road out in the hinterland.
We'll see

daddio

" On Kindness"

Our November book selection is available at The Urbana Free Library and I am #1 in the waiting list. I encourage our members to first check with their local library for the book before spending the money on a personal one. A "penny saved is a penny earned" and our libraries need good circulation numbers so the donors and governments keep them in existence.

dad

Books and stuff

Soon it will be too late to sign up for the Taylor Family Book Club November selection. You of course can sign up for the December offering, or, take a shot at the November book " On Kindness".

Afghanistan hauntingly echos Vietnam... "give us more troops and we will secure victory".

Dad

Eric Shot The Sheriff

A touching moment last night at Taylor Street at UIC. Eric played like a pro; I was 10 feet away at one time and was frankly astounded by his skill. If you don't see one of his performances you are just plain stupid ( excepting those who live outside of Illinois for whom Uncle Joel I believe can secure a CD.). Colin couldn't come (he has seen Eric perform before so he is not stupid) but Bethany and I and Uncle Joel were there in full force. Eric's rendition of "I Shot the Sherriff" was a heart stealer; that is one of my favorite pieces; I sing and hum it all the time. Eric really put the right touch upon it. He was down on it like duck on a june bug.

Eric played some other arrangments of his own which were very good, but.... nothing tops Eric's vocals on "Sheriff". That boy can sing the pain right into your soul.

The gig started at 9:30 PM and ended at 11:30 PM. I will be at Eric's next performance; wild horses cannot keep me away.

Bethany and I had a great chat on the way down and back to/fro her apartment. Love to spend time with my Bethany.

Abby took the lead in the main school production; Abby is an artist who sticks to her craft through the thick and the thin. She's had some bad disappointments on casting,but she has manned-up and stayed the course. Kudos Babe.

As I get into my last score I believe to hell with money and work; I'm going to spend the maximum time left with "all my children", Mom, my nephews and siblings, and most importantly, my bride of 33 years, Barbara Lynn Hughes.

Its a good life if I remember what Mom taught me- it is family that really counts, and in the end, nothing else really counts.

Love you all,

daddio

Happy Birthday Colin!

Good day: Colin's 28th: Cheers.

This weekend we traveled with Mom to Appleton, Wisconsin for nephew Jeff and fiance Karrie's wedding. It was perfect. The bride was of course beautiful, in a gown made by her sister Emily. Emily also, with nephew Jeff on the guitar, sang a beautiful song. Nephew Jeff played an original piece of his own: outstanding!!. Hope to see Jeff play tomorrow night in Chicago. I'll report on this blog re the same.

Any interest out there for a small book club via this blog with Mom and me? We'd pick a book once a month and then we could all comment on this blog our thoughts, impressions, criticisms,etc of the book. Please respond here if interested. Our first book would probably be one by the author of "The Sheltering Sky", a book Mom and I both recently finished.

Again, Happy Birthday to Colin!!

Dad

Painting and Banking with Mom

Mom and I visited the bank in Princeton today and visited with the cashiers. Cindy Hayes (now remarried to a banker) was there and visited with us, as well as with my old friend Larry Magnuson. We had lunch at the Princeton truck stop out across I-80. I have eaten there many times and it is really a favorite of mine. Biscuits and gravy, soup beans and ham;cornbread. No better eating in the Midwest. Later we came back from Tiskilwa to have supper in Urbana. Tomorrow we are off to Appleton, Wisconsin for Jeff's wedding. Mom is reading "The Sheltering Sky" with me. She was able to borrow it through the Tiskilwa Library system. We often forget the many things that government does so well and for so many. Our public library systems are an example of government excellence that the private sector will not or cannot provide for the citizenry.

It is a good year.

Mom

This Thursday Mom and I will be cleaning out (or at least starting to clean out) her basement storage area. Bad things happen when two impulsive people tackle a project, i.e., Mom and I will probably do too good a job. If you think you have a thing of value in the basement storage area, you probably have till Thursday night at 5:00PM to save it. Mom and I start at 8:00 AM Thursday , so.........

daddio

Antioch

Barb and I drove to Antioch this weekend to visit our good friends Roger and Karen Daluga. The weather was gorgeous. Our old friends D.R. and Patty Conversa were also there so we had a great time catching up on family news; finding out about their children, and for D.R. and Patty, their children and grandchildren. Next Friday its off to Appleton, Wisconsin for nephew Jeff's wedding. It is truly a good fall full of wonderful events!

Jess bit the dust this afternoon on more than 5 kilos of cocaine. Guilty of all counts, mandatory life. He manned up; two co-conspirators testified against him to avoid life. He kept his mouth shut. Love the guy. Hope I do the same when judgement day comes for me.

daddio

just drugs and guns

just drug trials the last two weeks; guns not for a while. military benefits fraud in February, lying to a bankruptcy judge coming up. a crime involving nasty pictures( I can't name the formal crime due to censoring) in the wind x2.

actually, the fact patterns are very similar, and thus, boring. does anyone need a dishwasher-I'm available on demand. I work cheap, but I need health benefits as part of the package.

no, I'm not a rapper

I love you "all my children"

dad

September 21, 2009

Urbana was rainy and gray this morning. Howie and I pretended we were in London on an overcast day.
Morning walks are great daydreaming time. I can't understand why so many people are hooked into their I-Pods while walking and running in the early morning hours. They can't hear the birds, the wind, the small silences. Urbana is quiet this time of year. The students have settled in and the construction has slowed.
Marvin G. gave me an original unedited copy of the "Red Badge of Courage". I'm looking forward to see if I can notice any differences from the edited copy.
Every day for me its drugs and guns, drugs and guns. Years from now future generations will view this whole illegal drug round-up as a law enforcement anomaly. How could we ever think we could control supply when the demand is endless.

September 20, 2010

Wonderful day. Colin, Beth and Kristen called me to wish me happy birthday. Barb and Abby treated me like a prince all day. Reading "The Sheltering Sky" by Paul Bowles. Kristen knew the author , who is moderately obscure( Kristen, you are a kindred spirit).

Health care: I'll settle for insurance companies prohibited from excluding pre-existing conditions and at no higher cost than to healthy folk; eligibility to all applicants, no one refused.. No lifetime limit on benefits and government subsidies for premiums based on income. We can get that much done now, might even garner some republican support.

Military: get out of Vietnam; I mean........ Iraq and Afghanistan

Economy: let the market work; no bailouts for bankers and financiers.

Just thought I'd try out a post.....

Love you all,

Dad