I couldn't survive a survival show
There are many places I would love to visit. I love to travel and experience new things. But, to be clear, I am talking about travel to beautiful places with nice accommodations. There will be no camping. There will be no “roughing it.” My mother used to say that to her, camping meant staying in a 2-star hotel. Yes, she was joking. Well, kind of joking.... more
We need the arts now more than ever
Let’s face it – the world is not a sane place right now. From the politics to the wars to raging fires and horrible weather events, things are crazy and getting crazier every day, it seems. We can simply ignore as much of this as possible, of course. Sticking our collective heads in the sand won’t help anything, and might have the opposite effect, but it can at least give us a little peace. That peace is hard to find on social media or at loud family gatherings.... more
Sometimes we have to make hard decisions
Newspapers have long been the fabric of many communities. Papers report on the birth of children, the lives they lead and even their deaths. Council meetings, church services, school awards, arrests – newspapers cover pretty much everything.... more
New pot law won't change much – except popularity of Cheetos
Are you having a hard time breathing through the giant cloud of pot smoke now hanging over Illinois thanks to the new legalization law? No? I didn’t think so. Notice anything at all, really? Probably not.... more
Here are some 2020 predictions
I would love to give 2019 a punch on its way out the door. Polar vortex. Rained out May. Almost no real summer. Early winter. In short, this has not been a great weather year.... more
Here's my Christmas list
Ah, Christmas. Magical, right? The family, the food, the presents. All great things. Christmas gives pretty much everyone that nice warm feeling deep down inside.... more
Give your kids the gift that keeps giving this Christmas
Turns out that today’s young people are so unprepared to be adults that colleges are offering “adulating” classes. Does this say something about today’s young folks? Maybe. But I believe it says much more about today’s helicopter parents. Hovering over your children teaches them to be needy, apparently useless young adults.... more
Malarkey? Is this a campaign joke?
Oh, Joe. What are you doing? Joe, Joe, Joe. Joe Biden is running for president, in case you haven’t heard. And he’s been trying to make sure people don’t focus on the fact that he’s 77 years old. I noticed, of course. As I have written before in this space, I believe we need younger, more vital and energetic people in the highest office.... more
Here are some things I really want for Christmas
OK all of you Christmas lovers out there, you are now safe to start driving us all crazy. As it is now after Thanksgiving and December is officially here, you can put up your decorations. You can listen to your Christmas music. You can be happy and cheerful in the face of the cold, unhappy masses this holiday season.... more
Flying somewhere for the holidays? Here are some tips
Hard to believe it, but the holiday season– and all the good and bad that comes with it – is staring us in the face. Sure, there will be uncomfortable family gathering moments with tree hugging Aunt Martha arguing with MAGA-hat wearing Uncle Gary. There will be grandma staring at you while you shovel her “famous” lima bean pie down your throat even though you hate lima beans. Dads will fall asleep and snore loudly after presents have been opened and moms will hand out gifts and guilt in equal measure.... more
Some alternatives to the impeachment show
Impeachment is a word I was very familiar with as a kid. Yes, I heard adults talking about it a lot – including my parents, who had voted for Nixon but ultimately agreed he clearly was a crook – but it was also on the television seemingly all the time. As a kid, this is not “must watch” TV.... more
Just something about the magic of records
I love records. They are a magical disk to me. They made me a dreamer, a music lover and a musician. I spent hours, days and weeks in my childhood bedroom listening to records and staring at their covers.... more
Saying goodbye is so hard to do
Well, I am not happy about this at all. Some of you probably are. Those weird people who seem to enjoy the absolute torture that is the winter season in this region.... more
'Live PD' shows the best, and the worst
I love the TV show “Cops.” It is an adrenaline rush of a show, and one that highlights some of the best police officers and some of the dumbest criminals on the planet.... more