tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317164592024-03-13T10:33:26.592-05:00Duey's BrainRandom thoughts from the aging mind of Brian LoCiceroDueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.comBlogger300125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-74555661156401490142022-06-28T09:30:00.005-05:002022-06-28T09:31:24.853-05:00Update from previous post<p><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 13.125px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Karma is a funny animal but it's real</span></span></span></p><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-size: 13.125px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Letting violent anger and frustration breathe for 24+ hours before moving forward is also a very good thing</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Also, thank you to the fellow parent that spoke on the kid's behalf recently before I had a chance to. You beat me to the punch by a day or so as I was practicing the above sentence which has taken a lot of self-control as I was about to burn it all down</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="font-size: 13.125px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">When Coaches lose the plot that kids baseball, even at 14 years old, is to be FUN and that it's to continue to build the love of the sport and the abilities in these young men as they enter High School, then they really shouldn't be in leadership positions.</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Just after I posted below plus more "stuff" happened during a baseball weekend, I got a call from the owner of the organization asking me my thoughts and hearing out my complaints about how things had changed so suddenly with my son's baseball team and the coaches from hell.</span></span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="font-size: 13.125px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I was losing some faith in the "travel baseball" world, and much of it has been restored.</span></span></div></div>Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-80641526761513252432022-06-17T09:41:00.004-05:002022-06-17T09:41:41.030-05:0019 months later, another mental health post<p>I worry a lot about my mental health. As I've turned 56, I frequently meditate on the types of things that drive who I am and how i live.</p><p>There's lots of childhood scars, there's a lifetime of things that happened to me or that I caused myself that impact my life to this very day.</p><p>What I don't think anyone prepares you for is that you also take on these scars/issues that your children go through as well. You care so deeply for this human that you helped bring into this world, you raise them to be fearless, bold, brave, only to see that they are a pretty good carbon copy of you and they get hurt/suffer battle wounds in the very same way.</p><p>My son is one of the most loving, caring people in the world, it's how we've raised him. His ADHD however, will have him process things that happen to him very deeply and they affect him a lot more than it would for me. But I can see that he's already built a shield around himself that I worry, just hides the much larger pain he's feeling inside.</p><p>After supposedly finding an ideal situation for him with a sports team, it has gone incredibly pear-shaped because the coaches have changed. One coach was kicked to the curb by the other 3 "buddies". How we approach games has now completely changed as well as, although completely within the rules, they decided they wouldn't communicate it to the parents of all the kids. Instead we found out after the game had started already.</p><p>It's the classic bully/hazing sort of behavior and it's come about because frankly, this team is NOT a good team. But we were plugging along, having some success, but in general, 3-16 on the season is not a good feelings, especially for the amount of money everyone is paying for "travel" sports.</p><p>Other than the one coach who got booted, the other 3 rarely have a kind word for the kids. They don't build-break-build when errors happen, it's much easier to just yell at them, pull them from the game mid-inning and sit them to make them "think" about their error.</p><p>But now apparently they feel that there's 2-3 kids who just aren't able to perform. So they are now benched and we're playing by the rules that MLB plays by. In order for you to go into the game (if you're on the bench), someone has to come out for the rest of the game.</p><p>Normally, I would accept these decisions as, it IS how High School ball is played and these kids are now HS aged. Its just that nothing was said and it looked like those 2-3 kids were targeted. Again, if they actually WERE the 2-3 worse kids on the team, it would make sense, but these 3 bullies have decided that it's only their clique who gets to play. Based on the actual performance data, there are 5-6 kids who are all about even at the bottom of the stats, based on batting average, pitching and fielding percentages. But my son is one of the 2-3 who are now, showing up like good soldiers, expecting not to play each weekend.</p><p>2 of the bullies kids have all the tell-tale signs of, "I play because my Dad coaches". 1 never makes the weeknight practice for whatever reason and his "on field numbers" are not much better than my kid's. The other, makes many errors on the field (may lead our team in number of errors), kicks dirt, puts his head down and just doesn't give a crap. He can't catch a ball that bounces in front of him if his life depended on it. Last weekend, he hit a pop-up in fair territory and didn't even bother to run it out.</p><p>Last night, surprise, a new kid shows up who is now on our team for the rest of the season. Apparently he was playing for another team in our club and they don't need him. Normally that wouldn't be weird except that we then find out that the kid lives by one of the 3 coaches so he was already "one of their clique".</p><p>This stuff stinks to high heaven and I can only imagine what our Coach is telling the management of our club as to my son's performance and how they desperately needed another body to help out.</p><p>My son is upset by this. But he's being a young man about it. Shows up to practice, helps out during the game with warm-ups or whatever, cheers his teammates on. But I'm saving all of my evidence. Tryouts for next year are just over a week away.</p><p>My point to all of this is that my mental health is taking a hit here. I can't sleep, I hurt FOR my son (who is hurting for sure as well), I talk to him daily about the right mindset to have even if these 3 "men" treat him unfairly and unevenly compared to all of the other kids. I'm training him how to cope but I'm positive that I'm not teaching him how to mentally cope because frankly, this has made me a wreck. Kids are malleable and they DO process and manage these pains differently but I hurt SO MUCH for him right now and I am taking it personally. It also means that I have to take my time to construct my arguments about the coaching style and actions and not take it out on the other kids who are not good players but are just playing a game and don't really have an impact on my son. It's their Dads who are horrible people and insensitive and frankly, massive bullies.</p><p>We'll see how this plays out. I am definitely going on the offensive soon though because I'm not going to spend money to go to Michigan and Indiana for tournaments to watch my kid sit on the bench for two solid weekends.</p>Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-39804049749736082012020-11-19T10:27:00.008-06:002020-11-19T10:27:54.426-06:00Mental Health is taking a hit with COVID<p>By no means am I a mental health expert, but I am a human being that, at times, struggles with my own brain.</p><p>For the most part, I think I've held up pretty well during this pandemic outbreak but with the resurgence and with people fairly close to me (not relatives, but living near our home) testing positive, the thoughts that "We're being surrounded" and "there's no escape, it's inevitable" IS taking its toll on my mental well-being.</p><p>For the last couple of nights, I have awoken from a nightmare of myself struggling to breathe. It is frightening to say the least and I find myself drowsily checking to make sure I really can breathe and that my airway is clear.</p><p>In late March/start of April 2018, I was hospitalized with a double whack of pneumonia and an undetermined virus after traveling back from India via Dubai. It was scary. I could barely breathe, my legs had swollen up to enormous size as I was retaining all kinds of fluids and my immune system had been compromised. </p><p>So, I know these feelings of which I dream and based on what folks are saying happens if you catch COVID and are high-risk, I am at risk for this happening if I catch it.</p><p>I rarely live my life in fear. It's not who I am. But the feeling of helplessness I had in 2018, of having to be in quarantine, keep distance from my family, including my 10 year old son at the time, was something that in NON-Pandemic times was something that could break a man. Amplify that by the entire ICU wing of the hospital being overrun by cases like me and it escalates that feeling exponentially.</p><p>Even has COVID has been around, we are taking extra precautions but still not living like hermits. We socialize at a distance, are very careful with who we let into our home and avoid all large events and traveling.</p><p>But as the Patriarch of this family, this shit is taking it's toll. To the "fuck mask" people, why can't you just realize that this is how a decent majority of people feel? You can sit there and say it's no worse than the flu all you want but it IS worse than the flu. You have the right to be as free as you want but you cannot complain with businesses shutting down, schools going back to remote learning and restrictions being put in place all because your fee fees where hurt in the beginning and as a country we couldn't do what New Zealand did (and had to do again) to stamp this thing out.</p><p>But these seeds of distrust were sown at the highest levels of our Government. The same people who downplayed the severity of this are the same ones now attacking an election results that didn't fall their way. If you're hitching your wagon to that train of idiots, well, when the "fuck your feelings" truck comes back around to run your ass over in the future, you can't complain.</p><p>History will show that the head idiot in charge right now truly was the worst ever. His inability to suck it up and deal with the truth and yet again, spin lies, falsehoods and misinformation have set back decent political discourse in this country for decades. The genie is out of the bottle now, he's running rampant and fooling people. But hey, he tells it like it is, except that everything he tells is bold-faced lies.</p>Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-61087564888402533962020-08-12T12:18:00.000-05:002020-08-12T12:18:00.283-05:00Let's go to the data, Overtime in the NHL Playoffs<p>Mike Milbury and other pundits are all now wringing their hands about the 5OT game that happened yesterday between <a href="https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/202008110TBL.html">Colombus and Tampa Bay</a>.</p><p>Let's go to the data, shall we?</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/overtime-goals.cgi">Hockey-Reference.com</a> (who literally updates stats within minutes of games ending), there have been 845 OT games in NHL Playoff History POST the 1937 season.</p><p>NOTE: From 1928-1937, the NHL played some "total goal" series. As a result, a game could go to OT if the total goals (aggregate) were tied, even if the individual game wasn't tied.</p><p>So excluding those, of the 845 OT games the distribution by number of OT is as follows:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 OT - 679 (80.36%)</li><li>2 OT - 122 (14.44%)</li><li>3 OT - 33 (3.91%)</li><li>4 OT - 8 (0.95%)</li><li>5 OT - 3 (0.36%)</li></ul><div>So across 82 YEARS, 94.5% of all OT are completed in 2 OTs or less. The 3+ are RARE as in 5.21% rare. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle">80/20 rule</a> is literally the 95/5 rule here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking at the data further for those who want to pivot the argument to "what if it Series clinching game"</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 OT - 127 of 679 were series clinching games (18.70% of the 80.36%)</li><li>2 OT - 29 of 122 (23.77% of the 14.44%)</li><li>3 OT - 7 of 33 (21.21% of the 3.91%)</li><li>4 OT - 3 of 8 (37.50% of the 0.95%)</li><li>5 OT - never</li></ul><div>This does tell a different story however, given you never know if the game will be the series clincher or a series extender, you can't deploy some special rules using this argument, it needs to be consistent across every game of the playoffs, no matter the point or moment of the post-season.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, there have been 77 OT games in the Stanley Cup Finals, of which, 15 were games where the Cup was won and that is 19.48%. (still fitting into the 80/20 rule here)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure IF there's anything to be done about the overtime rules in the NHL, but clearly we're talking about a very small percentage that even go more than 2 OT and almost all cases can be argued that the 80/20 rule is more than sufficient here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Take a look at the data yourself if you find a way to disagree with me, I'm always open to learning other opinions.</div><p></p>Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-76804660425247868442020-05-01T14:25:00.003-05:002020-05-01T15:27:47.391-05:00Goodbye, Farewell and Amen - F**k this virusF**K this virus, really, man.<br />
<br />
So although I've been very lucky to only receive a temporary reduction in pay during this crisis, others at my company haven't not been.<br />
<br />
Part of that is two very special people in my work-life that have been made redundant (laid off) and today was their last day.<br />
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The problem with having to work from home is you don't get that last chance to say goodbye and although, with one of them, we have a friendship outside of work, with the other, I do not.<br />
<br />
Trish leaves the firm after 45 years of service (we just celebrated this in late Feb) and although she DID plan on retiring at the end of the year, this pre-emptively moved that up. What can I say about Trish? She's the one that hired me 28+ years ago. So if you're reading this and you work with me, well, she's the one to blame for the headaches I might cause you from day to day. In spite of her being a bit of a dress-code Nazi in the first year (you know, back in the early 90s when you had to wear a tie every day and we didn't have 'casual Friday' where you could rock the jeans), she's become one of my dearest friends and essentially family.<br />
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Wendy was more of my first day-to-day mentor as I moved off of the phone center floor and into a Supervisor position. She leaves after 29 years of service. She taught me all the nuts and bolts of running the floor and making sure everyone was doing their job properly. We weren't selling anything, we do market research surveys so you have to make sure that the interviewers aren't biasing or leading the consumers in their responses otherwise, the data ends up being suspect. Wendy along with Trish, Sharon and Erin were <b>female forces to reckon with</b>. I was so lucky to learn everything from them and there are skills I learned that I still put to use today.<br />
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Sharon left the company back in the mid 00's as did Erin but we lost Erin to domestic violence a few years ago. Rot in Hell, Lee!!<br />
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But today, I remember all the fun times we had late into the evenings, doing our tally sheets and organizing the sample baskets. Of how, as telephone research started phasing out, we all found other opportunities within the company and always took the time to stop and chat if we were passing in the hallways.<br />
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From a relative small company to a global footprint of 54+ countries, it's always been about the people. Former CEO, Eric Salama always said it and he always truly meant it. It does make me wonder how that continues to erode slowly over time and although there will often be signposts reminding me that we're a business and you need to make money and be profitable, I worry that in tough times like these, if the "about the people" is more lip service than reality. I get it, I really do. If we don't perform, we perish. As I said at the top, I do feel lucky to only have a pay reduction when the alternative is much, much more painful. But the brass ring is starting to become visible and I know if I keep up the hard work, I'll get there on my timeline and not anyone elses.<br />
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Gonna miss you Trish and Wendy and probably others who, didn't send out notices or reach out because they are upset, mad, hurt by these decisions. I'm here for you to chat with if you need it, no restrictions.<br />
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And so, here is some Tibetan throat singing group with Metal Queen Lzzy Hale with Song for Women.<br />
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<br />Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-77439119738937296772020-04-08T23:05:00.002-05:002020-04-08T23:05:18.353-05:00Cough, cough, is this thing on?Holy crap. Where in the Sam Hill have you been?<br />
<br />
Life. Life in all of it's miserable, joyful, happy, agonizing splendor, that's where.<br />
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Five years. Five relatively long years. Just under 10% of my life. Life gets in the way of having a really good fricking time, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
So, we're all locked down in our bunkers. Karens of the world, calling 9-1-1 on anyone having a walk down the street, riding a bike, heading out to the cul-de-sac to meet up with neighbors to have a drink (celebratory and otherwise), keeping our six-plus feet apart to break up the cabin fever.<br />
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Why the hell not get back to writing my thoughts, my fears, my struggle on a daily basis with life.<br />
<br />
Where does one start when you've not posted in five-plus years?<br />
<br />
Well, the Chicago Cubs finally won the damn World Series, now ain't that a pip? Of course, living up to that magic year has been a Sisyphean task it seems. Five generations of my family waiting for that moment, only 3 of the generations alive. I thought I'd be a massive puddle of tears on that night, but no, it's was so joyful. Irony of it all was that the game was on what would have been my Grandfather's 100th Birthday if he had still been alive.<br />
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Maybe that's what kept the tears from flowing?<br />
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Okay, enough for tonight. I need to commit to this again, spill my brain out in digital "ink" and mostly because I do fight demons in my head. Times like these aren't necessarily good if you have those passengers riding along every day and night.<br />
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Just need my sanity. I have much to live for so don't think I'm teetering, I'm not.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-35969745602170592182015-01-21T08:23:00.000-06:002015-01-21T08:23:24.350-06:00American Sniper : my thoughtsI've had a few days to reflect on it and have watched all the bullcr@p flying back and forth from the right and left.<br />
<br />
80% of the posts I see and the drivel I'm hearing are missing the damn point about American Sniper.<br />
<br />
Maybe I'm lucky because I heard an hour long interview with Chris Kyle when the book came out (which made me buy the book) but his point of writing the book was to show the incredible toll military service and especially what he had to do as a sniper, took on his marriage, family and mental health.<br />
<br />
I think Eastwood accurately captured a LOT of this when he was at home and was at a party in his own backyard and he zoned out and then went after the dog. The heartbreak of watching his little brother on the tarmac who he was really happy to see, but his brother just wanted the hell out of there. The inability to deal with "real life" upon his multiple returns until his shrink made him go talk to others who have lived, who had been "saved".<br />
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When I hear "right wing propoganda/nazi-like and immoral, egotistical, psychotic" references about the movie or the man or the equal "libtards hating on an American hero and yeah, kill shots on the muslims" it's driving me absolutely batsh!t crazy because you've all missed the damn point over and over again.<br />
<br />
Yes, war is horrible, they happen and that's an ENTIRELY different debate about the real "psychopaths" who send our young men and women into harm's way but for those who dedicate their life to service, to protect us and our freedoms, a lot of irreparable damage happens to some of them. That same damage is what ended up being the cause of Chris Kyle's death. He admitted in that interview that he wasn't back to normal but he was as healthy mentally as he could be at that point. He was helping a LOT of fellow veterans who were coming back with severe PTSD and issues. He was doing what a lot of other people should be doing and making sure there's funding for.<br />
<br />
I see the elected officials from the RIGHT more than willing to send the troops but unable to pass funding for proper care and mental health when they return. I see the same on the LEFT ALSO voting to send them and then deny funding to give them the right equipment to do their jobs when they are there. And I see hundreds of thousands of bumper stickers saying to "support our troops" and scratch my head to wonder if that just means when they are out responding to conflicts around the world, when they come home to massive fan fare and celebrations or if it even includes those dark, desperate times when they are having issues adjusting back into civilian life.<br />
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THAT'S THE POINT OF AMERICAN SNIPER. It's what Kyle said it was in the interview I heard. not the kill shots or his arrogance. Not Hollywood elites spouting off or other SEALs responding back. It's the damage Kyle inflicted on others as well as what was inflicted on him.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-48706797274394395082014-10-22T23:47:00.002-05:002014-10-22T23:47:59.969-05:00Holy Crap, where they hell have YOU been?So, 18 months since I've touched this.<br />
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No excuse other than work is crazy, life is crazy, world is crazy and frankly, this takes a lot of discipline to keep going and my borderline A-D-D self has two million other things to do.<br />
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That said, I need to get back to writing again.<br />
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It is a form of therapy, partly for my mind that has trouble resting and ultimately, as a way to stay sane in a world cluttered by bombardment of emails, issues and problems.<br />
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Shame on me but I control it.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-24212419111181460642013-04-03T23:36:00.003-05:002013-04-03T23:38:44.911-05:00Chicago Fire: On Location at Lottie's Pub<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXftgOfhH8X37Y41wSTuSwj2NFFhQHz6moTB4MW53m3QL8JP8c8uD5W4g-Xhf_4PtqKXR52yLJ6xHJjCFNjK2Aq-g8Gi848lYxanwR_v8tAzGQ9AawQgRemzSDv3FtQUWwFbJwg/s1600/chicago-fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXftgOfhH8X37Y41wSTuSwj2NFFhQHz6moTB4MW53m3QL8JP8c8uD5W4g-Xhf_4PtqKXR52yLJ6xHJjCFNjK2Aq-g8Gi848lYxanwR_v8tAzGQ9AawQgRemzSDv3FtQUWwFbJwg/s400/chicago-fire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent">So <a href="http://lottiespub.com/" target="_blank">Lottie's Pub</a> in Chicago is the place they use for the bar that Mouch, Hermann and Dawson buy on Chicago Fire and call Molly's.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4qghnqYDiAJ_Z5pzQWLTLO691U8fAOKh-9JPz6BWGAqdXqVqbOR3FONZ7CXmCyzPg3QsCHU8oGiNjmiYcUryaKcvh38y_MT3fVT6LLnqYFZo5lzT3k5q9u0pxz57m-8QJBFM_A/s1600/mollys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4qghnqYDiAJ_Z5pzQWLTLO691U8fAOKh-9JPz6BWGAqdXqVqbOR3FONZ7CXmCyzPg3QsCHU8oGiNjmiYcUryaKcvh38y_MT3fVT6LLnqYFZo5lzT3k5q9u0pxz57m-8QJBFM_A/s400/mollys.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYhshgxJr4LPTjNCD9b420fGiy89HnaNyDxBvXovzbNxzS2SRVoTNLjdwaRLh_b_JgH5vFMRkNQs4AIBwYB4H0T4bHdYvDoX7vYgQd7ydTSfDWfKyUyNa35cKEjB6EnIX_d-pJg/s1600/Lottie'sFacade2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYhshgxJr4LPTjNCD9b420fGiy89HnaNyDxBvXovzbNxzS2SRVoTNLjdwaRLh_b_JgH5vFMRkNQs4AIBwYB4H0T4bHdYvDoX7vYgQd7ydTSfDWfKyUyNa35cKEjB6EnIX_d-pJg/s1600/Lottie'sFacade2.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="userContent">My Dad grew up in that neighborhood (lived in the 1800 block of
Winchester) in the 50's and has told me a few stories about Walter "Lottie"
Zagorski.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent">Most people don't know that she was actually a six-foot
transvestite (some say hermaphrodite) whose basement of the bar was
solely there for the mobste<span class="text_exposed_show">rs and gangster of the late 20's, 30's and 40's and then dirty politicians from the 40's onward. <a href="http://www.chibarproject.com/Reviews/Lottie%27s/Lottie%27s.htm" target="_blank">This link</a> takes you to a bit more of the history and story of Lottie's.<br /> <br />
But my Dad's recollections of Lottie was her running down Winchester in
a flowered muu-muu and heels, lit cigarette in hand, after her little
tiny dog, cussing up a blue streak to get back to her in a very deep
manly voice. My Dad said that it was a true sight to see and that he
learned quite a few words in those days as well as learning what a
transvestite was.<br /> <br /> In the 90's I went to Lottie's for my one and
only time to see the band of a co-worker. It was in that very basement where all the
gambling and numbers running took place. It was only a 7' ceiling so the
sound was horrible and the cigarette smoke just hung there choking you out. It was a hipster bar before hipsters even became a 'thing'. </span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Now it will be one of those places that people come
to Chicago to see because it's on t.v.</span></span>Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-62238337449465745842013-03-22T00:23:00.001-05:002013-03-22T00:23:37.976-05:00SMH: Welcome Class of 2027!As I entered the doors of West Aurora High School Wednesday night with Mary Kay and Aidan at my side, we saw a simple sign on the table, "Welcome Class of 2027!".<br />
<br />
Yep, as we prepared for a 75-minute winding path of Kindergarten registration, there it was, slapping me right in my big, fat face.<br />
<br />
There's certain 'years' that I remember for some reason.<br />
<ul>
<li>As a 9-year old, figuring out that I was going to be 33 when the calendar turned over to 1/1/2000.</li>
<li>The summer of 1976, the Bicentennial Celebration of the US and the July 4th Parade in Des Plaines, IL (as my Dad was on the Board of Directors of the Des Plaines Elks Lodge, 1526)</li>
<li>My 29th birthday (1995 when I spotted my first grey hair)</li>
<li>I remember Benet Academy's 1981 Frosh Fest (I was a Sophomore working it) and some Alum was there with a baby who had a t-shirt on that said Class of 2000</li>
</ul>
Although I think I've joked about it several times that when Aidan goes off to College that I'd be roughly 60 years old and probably ready to retire, it really hadn't hit me down deep in the dark, recesses of my stomach that it would be 2027.<br />
<br />
Now, I know a lot of my friends have kids at a wide range of age, so for some of you, well, you're well past this part of your lives but this is both exciting and frightening at the same time.<br />
<br />
Open House at Goodwin Elementary is April 10th and first day is August 21st. This summer is going to FLY by far too fast.<br />
<br />
Hold on Brian, hold on tight. Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-23312144720635156892013-02-18T12:00:00.000-06:002013-02-18T12:00:07.222-06:00I Ran (So Far Away) - Flock of SeagullsOkay, second post from the Oy! High School Years and because I was on vacation, didn't post one last week.<br />
<br />
C'mon 40-somethings, you know you all loved this damn song! If you say you didn't you're a damn liar!<br />
<br />
As mentioned in my Big Country post, the 80s were the launch of MTV and the influx of everything not American and very funky looking was attractive. We all heard it at every sock hop and turn-about dance we attended.<br />
<br />
Flock of Seagulls was just something we weren't all exposed to. The look, the hair, the big glasses, the full-on synthesizer music... we ate it up and yelled out the lyrics when they hit the chorus.<br />
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But probably what Flock are most known for is the hairstyle which, when you take a good look at it, looks like Donald Trump got caught in a Hurricane force wind storm. They didn't exhibit this during the I Ran video but on their other big hit, "Space Age Love Song".<br />
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I never had the guts to try it. I had the typical part down the middle, hair feathered back on the sides look during this time. I'm not sure Mr. Brown (dean of students) or any of the good Benedictine Brothers, Priests and Nuns would have allowed it in the doors of good ol' Benet Academy if I had even tried. Maybe as long as I had my tie on straight they would have?Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-70628006743947915282013-02-18T04:00:00.000-06:002013-02-18T04:00:07.430-06:00In a Big Country - Big CountryOy! The High School Years.<br />
<br />
Well, although I mostly tended towards hard rock, metal, classic rock during High School there was a time when, gasp, MTV and Friday Night Videos took a prominent place on my weekends.<br />
<br />
Combine the fact that we could now see the artists performing along with the influx if much needed imported video with my oft-cited attraction to unique sounds et voila, Big Country, one of the biggest bands to come out of Scotland during that time other than The Signals ;-p (inside reference to someone who will know what it means)<br />
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The unique guitar sounds, often which were made to sound like bagpipes playing were constructed by lead guitarist and lead writer for the band, Stuart Adamson. The songs were fun, invoked references to their love of their homeland and transported me to 80's Scotland as I would read the liner notes to their first albums.<br />
<br />
The video below is from roughly their last performance with Stuart at the helm. There may have been one or two performances after this but a year and a half later, he was found dead in a hotel in Hawaii having committed suicide.<br />
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I couldn't find the 'official' video that played in heavy rotation on MTV during that time but if I do ever find it, I'll post it. It just made you want to get to the UK, which I did some 14 years later.<br />
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<br />Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-55997550337923630392013-02-04T11:54:00.003-06:002013-02-04T11:55:05.143-06:00The Harder They Come - Jimmy CliffWell, since one of the big hub-bubs before yesterday's Superbowl commercial-o-rama was about the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8" target="_blank">VW spot</a> and a few mis-guided, talking-head race-baiters calling it racist (it WASN'T), I thought it was appropriate to choose a Jamaican artist for today.<br />
<br />
<i>Kudos to VW for still running the ad. My wife had NOT seen it OR the 'outrage' and laughed through the whole thing.</i><br />
<br />
As I mentioned in my previous <a href="http://duey23.blogspot.com/2013/01/stop-making-sense-talking-heads.html" target="_blank">OMM post</a>, college was a GREAT time for me and my music tastes and experiences rapidly broadened further than I could have ever imagined.<br />
<br />
There were a few Reggae/Ska bands in Milwaukee and somehow the Delta Chi boys attached ourselves to a band of WHITE guys called <a href="http://www.xcleavers.com/" target="_blank">Those X-Cleavers</a> who were sort of a punk/ska sort of group. <i>(Note: I think the ONLY other group was <a href="http://www.kojo.us/index.html" target="_blank">Kojo</a> at the time and then there was <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tbrown608" target="_blank">Tony Brown Band</a> out of Madison).</i> But what came from that was the quick exposure to groups much more than just the Bob Marley stuff that was playing on ever jukebox in every campus bar and house party.<br />
<br />
I'll feature a group of guys later in the year named Sly & Robbie but back to this post; Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Jimmy Cliff playing "The Harder They Come".<br />
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Now, this song came out in 1972 (or close to it) but I hadn't heard it, at least not consciously, until the mid-80's. I ALSO was able to finally see the movie around that time as well. Jimmy was the star of that movie and of course, as he mentions in the video, it really propelled him into at least US notariety.<br />
<br />
During the mid 80's he also did a movie that I actually PAID to see called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Paradise" target="_blank">Club Paradise</a> with Robin Williams.<br />
<br />
Jimmy never really had a ton of commercial music hits, but amongst the Reggae community, he continued to represent the 'no problem mon' attitude that helped tourism to this very day. Frankly, most of anything he had ever chart were covers of other songs but hearing his original "The Harder They Come" is one that left its mark on me. <br />
<br />
I was fortunate to see him live and it was absolutely fantastic and I got that chance in the early 90's at <a href="http://www.summerfest.com/" target="_blank">Summerfest</a> where the aforementioned Those X-Cleavers opened up for him (and not like the band that plays at 12:00, they were the band that played right before he took the stage).<br />
<br />
Lastly, please notice that he plays guitar left-handed but doesn't re-string the guitar, he just plays it upside down. I heard an interview with him (again on the <a href="https://gc.guitarcenter.com/sessions/" target="_blank">Guitar Center Sessions</a> on DirecTV) where he said that it was just cheaper to buy a right-handed guitar and play it upside down. Hell it worked for Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix, why not him <br />
<br />
Funny enough my son plunks around on a right-handed guitar but he too is a lefty. Maybe if it gets really good at it, we'll have a star on our hands.<br />
<br />Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-83038961555216911742013-01-30T05:30:00.000-06:002013-01-30T05:30:00.991-06:00Why Old Music Monday?Yes, I know that in my <a href="http://duey23.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-year-new-feature.html" target="_blank">original post</a>, I said I'm using Old Music Monday as a vehicle to ensure I write more but it's also to take time to express my creative side which sometimes is blunted by the day-to-day rigor of my day gig. But every so often, it crosses my mind that by the time Aidan is eighteen years old, I'll be sixty.<br />
<br />
As we get older it's inevitable that we ponder what life will be like without us. I'm not fixating on that, but with all of the social media we're engaged in, and I, a heavy-user, there's going to be amazing catalogs of material on us that one could use in tribute when we finally pass.<br />
<br />
For me it's more about sharing with Aidan things that I may not take the time to do as he continues to mature and grow into the wonderful, young man he's going to be. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of it right now by ensuring his iPad is loaded with a good balance of current and older music.<br />
<br />
I'm amazed at which songs he gravitates to and which ones he doesn't. It's actually become a bit of a game by me changing songs on his playlist to see what he picks up on the most.<br />
<br />
But since life can be short and sweet, I might as well document songs and artists I love, give a tiny bit of history on where I was in my life or what was going on when I embraced it and hope that he learns to do the same.<br />
<br />
So bud-bud, this <a href="http://duey23.blogspot.com/search/label/Old%20Music%20Monday" target="_blank">specific tag</a> is for you.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-43974747579473216872013-01-29T05:00:00.000-06:002013-01-29T05:00:04.468-06:00Stop Making Sense - Talking HeadsOKAY, so this 'make up' Old Music Monday submission is actually a movie and album all in one kinda making this a Two-Fer-Tuesday (ha!).<br />
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I think, although I'm surely wrong, that this was the FIRST album (actually <span id="goog_700842039"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzdFfnxIRnS9P86g3aw1Hnt9M0EmGztPX6D0kf4bXiJmJyz769ZyR0H6Q5sk7B_bVfeYkCUfYe41_iBZflSQavupBP-0-wPKjM0-jvl2VkVqJI7Nn3PDpXqI_EngTQ12BhSequw/s1600/audio-cassette.jpg" target="_blank">cassette</a><span id="goog_700842040"></span>, thank you) I bought upon my arrival at <a href="http://www.marquette.edu/" target="_blank">Marquette University</a> in the Fall of 1984.<br />
<br />
From top to bottom, I could sing the words to almost every song from the opening Psycho Killer to Burning Down the House, Once in a Lifetime (with many seizure-inducing actions straight out of the film) and finally, Take Me To The River.<br />
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Just classic songs to be hearing at the age of 18. But what really happened with me here was that my music tastes were now being stretched. Okay, it wasn't the FIRST time they were, but from this point on, I opened up to a lot more than Classic Rock & Roll, Metal, Hard Rock and AOR with a smidgen of Pop. <br />
<br />
Not sure if we called this 'Alternative' back then, it was more New Wave. Whatever, it got me listening to a hell of a lot more than I used to be. Part performance art, part musical genius. David Byrne really is something to behold. Plus there was a Milwaukee link in that Jerry Harrison from the group was born and raised in the Brew City.<br />
<br />
I never saw the movie until we decided to have a "Stop Making Sense" video/dance party at our Fraternity House maybe a year later, but that really didn't matter to me, I loved the sound, concept and performance. I DO remember having to run over to some East Side shitty video store to get a VHS copy of the movie so we could play it on my stereo VHS player that I had bought the summer before.<br />
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"You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife. You may ask yourself, WELL, how did I get here?"Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-65569699880959313432013-01-28T05:00:00.000-06:002013-01-28T05:00:07.669-06:00Funk #49/Life's Been Good - James Gang/Joe Walsh<i>First of all, Yes, I know I missed last Monday. Okay, so I failed a bit on my New Year's Resolution but to make up for it, I'm doing TWO entries this week, watch for one tomorrow as well.</i><br />
<br />
Little did I know as a young man, how much I would eventually love Joe Walsh.<br />
<br />
Now, there's no way in hell I heard Funk #49 when it was first released (1970) and if I did, well, then it was burned so deeply into my subconscious that when I did realize what I was listening to sometime later in the 70's, it resounded nicely.<br />
<br />
The combination of Walsh's funky Cleveland/Jersey accent sort of drunk-singing was something unique (remember, unique sounds pique my interest in almost any kind of music) but add to that the Fender Telecaster through the Fender amp and you had a sound that Joe still uses today on just about every song he writes/sings.<br />
<br />
I like this particular performance of it from the December 2012 <a href="https://gc.guitarcenter.com/sessions/" target="_blank">Guitar Center Sessions</a> show which plays on the Audience channel (only on DirecTV). It's really an interview show with some of the artists' hit songs smattered in between. Enjoy, you can see how much fun he still has playing it and of course, now, being 17 years clean and sober!<br />
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Okay, Joe gets two songs, as a solo artist (of course there's Eagles' tunes forthcoming) and the second one is Life's Been Good (1978) which is, of course, a song about the life of a Rock & Roll star and his tales from the road basically.<br />
<br />
As an 'almost' teenager, this really struck a chord as you're still in the untainted dream stage of what you want to do in your life and hell, a musician was still a possibility! That sort of life sounded like a LOT of fun and well, we all know now how much fun Joe actually had back then. The lovely thing about this song is that you are going to get TWO videos for it, both sort of long but then again, the song was long to begin with. I think the WLS on-air staff probably did a lot of bathroom/smoke breaks during this one.<br />
<br />
First you'll get Joe's performance of it from the OTHER music show I love, <a href="http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/welcome.html" target="_blank">Live from Daryl's House</a> which was originally only a web-only show (love it!!) but now plays on <a href="http://www.palladia.tv/" target="_blank">Palladia</a> and the second one was from May 2012 where Joe sort of told a little story about how he wrote the song from an appearance at The Troubadour in West Hollywood.<br />
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I think my love for Joe was only deepened as in the mid-90's when he started sitting in with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Dahl" target="_blank">Steve Dahl</a> on his shows and then sitting IN for Steve when he'd go on vacation for a week. "Howya DOIN?" became a regular catch phrase for me and it gave some insight into who the heck this guy was, plus he was 'real' in the fact that he had new found sobriety which Steve had just sort of found as well.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-87709821765990887892013-01-19T00:38:00.002-06:002013-01-19T00:45:17.641-06:00Hey Kool-Aid!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ahhh, yes, it's Cub Fan Convention weekend again.<br />
<br />
Hope springs eternal.<br />
<br />
Theo's stalker is locked away and it reminds me again that on our adults-getaway trip to the Dominican Republic this past November, all the help at the hotel only knew two things about Chicago.<br />
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Sammy Sosa and Alfonso Soriano. Gee, thanks for that, you can keep them. In fact, they'd make good bartenders and vibe managers. Go for it sparky!!<br />
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Well, I said it last year and I'll say it again this year. It probably can't get worse and, we're starting to see that Theo, Jed, Jethro and Granny aren't afraid to shake it up so that if it does all go boom, well, they can fully take the blame OR (hopefully) the credit.<br />
<br />
But I am hopeful.<br />
<ul>
<li>Hopeful that they they win more than 61 this year.</li>
<li>Hopeful that they might find something called a reliable closer and solid mid-relief bullpen.</li>
<li>Hopeful that they can offload Alfonso sooner than later in the season even though he keeps <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130118&content_id=41032950&notebook_id=41032958&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc" target="_blank">insisting he's here for the last 2 years of his contract</a>.</li>
<li>Hopeful that a team of no-namers (for the most part) can beat the rest of the malaise that is the National League. It really shouldn't be that tough.</li>
<li>Hopeful that Samardzija doesn't think that a fake girlfriend is going to win him any awards. He's the Shark, not the Catfish.</li>
<li>Hopeful that I really don't hate the fact that they've brought back Dontrelle Willis too too much; that is, if he can even make the squad this year.</li>
<li>Hopeful that Robin Yount realizes that most guns of any kind are illegal in Chicago and to keep his hunting exploits of accidentally shooting Dale Sveum only on their trips.</li>
<li>Hopeful that Jim Deshaies isn't too much of a homer like Brenly but also that he realizes that he's really the ATBNL (announcer to be named later) in the fake firing of Milo Hamilton in 1984 which really was a trade to the Astros.</li>
<li>Hopeful that the new guys Valbuena and Jackson earn the money that they're getting paid and don't sit back and suck it up. Valbuena is only on a one-year contract (wow, see THAT Jim Hendry, you can do that in MLB) so management is playing it smart where they can.</li>
<li>and finally, Hopeful that I can get to 2 or 3 games this year. After a 11-year run, we didn't renew. Not because we didn't want to but frankly, when they suck this bad, no one wants to own 25% of a season ticket and further many people don't want to buy the tickets off of you and would rather you'd just gift them away.</li>
</ul>
I know I can be a real negative nancy at times. I used to have this nickname called the "Angry Fan" because frankly, I demand more. I demand more for the 3+ generations of my family that have loved the organization and want demons to be put to rest especially in the face of continually increased pricing in tickets.<br />
<br />
There was roughly a three year plan with Theo and this would be season number two. 80-85 wins would be a good way to test whether or not this three year plan is in full motion. You usually need 90+ to get to the playoffs, so just missing and being in the hunt so the ballpark is 95% full in September is a really good indicator.<br />
<br />
We'll see. I'll still be watching although forgive me if I just take a couple more games this year watching the Class A club for the Cubs, the Kane County Cougars. Another indicator of the future is the farm system. It's been a bit of a wasteland as of late, the Cougars will be a good litmus test. Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-14844659187587693122013-01-15T11:51:00.000-06:002013-01-15T11:54:54.050-06:00Big Data - Data Integration #FailI know we're still in the early days of the whole Big Data/Data Integration/Data Intelligence experience, but there are some days where you see something and it's just not right and you have to analyze it. <br />
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As we're on our way upwards towards the 'Peak of Inflated Expectations', something like this appears in my LinkedIn timeline a couple hours ago. This announcement was a surprise to me!<br />
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So, first of all, I check my brain and wonder if I really AM traveling soon. I'm not.<br />
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Secondly, I know that I personally know of two other Brian LoCicero's (one even has the middle initial P, like myself) living in the United States (one in CA and the other in FL) and wonder if maybe our timelines got goofed up. They haven't.<br />
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Thirdly, I realize that at one point, I integrated my "<a href="https://www.tripit.com/" target="_blank">TripIt</a>" account with my LinkedIn account because our corporate travel agency owns that site and well, it was fun to see when I was traveling, if any of my professional contacts were also going to be in those cities and hopefully, if they are competitors, NOT at my client ;-p. (You know who you are!!!)<br />
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Yes, that was it. However, I added no trip to my TripIt account whereby _I_ was going to Memphis this week. But I know someone who IS going there.<br />
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Ahhh, that's it!! Separately, I also let the TripIt website connect with my personal email account where I forward all of my work travel plans so that it could periodically scan my email, pick up travel emails that have specific details and then integrate them into the TripIt site so my lazy butt wouldn't have to type all of them in. TripIt also has a nice mobile app for when you're traveling which is a convenient place to find your itinerary.<br />
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But here's where the intelligence broke down. My WIFE actually forwarded me her travel itinerary so that I'd know where she's going to be and when. TripIt wasn't smart enough to pick up it wasn't travel for ME and integrated it and then LinkedIn picked up the feed off of there.<br />
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One could see how this sort of mix-up could make spouses get a little nervous that communication has broken down. What if my boss forwarded me his travel schedule which coincided with a conference I was going to. It could make people freak.<br />
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I'm sure this will all get sorted as we move along the hype cycle but it shows how wrong one could be without thoroughly checking the data.<br />
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Have fun in Memphis honey!Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-36367302146833823972013-01-15T04:00:00.000-06:002013-01-15T04:00:13.742-06:00Our little puzzle masterAs a kid, we never had Lego to play with.<br />
<br />
Not sure if it just wasn't popular enough or if they hadn't figured out that by making pop culture translate into Legos, you can sell a hell of a lot or if it was just the fact that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinkertoy" target="_blank">Tinker Toys</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Logs" target="_blank">Lincoln Logs</a> and other building kits were just more popular at the time. It was the 70's so go figure.<br />
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And since we waited until later in life to have our son (he's 5 now) maybe we just didn't see the rise of Legos to the crazed frenzy that they now occupy in the lives of kids these days.<br />
<br />
But our son is now a die-hard Lego builder and has more fun sorting through hundreds of pieces to build characters from his favorite shows or movies than I ever thought he could.<br />
<br />
Now admittedly, from a very early age, he was enamored with puzzles. He would do them, break them up and then do them again. He started out with the very simple <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_%26_Doug" target="_blank">Melissa & Doug</a> ones or just any good old 12-24 piece puzzle, but he would bang through them so quickly that we found it problematic trying to keep challenging him. Before we knew it, he was up to 100 piece puzzles and knocking them out in less than an hour.<br />
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So it really shouldn't come as a surprise that he's attacked these 3-D puzzles so voraciously. As of late he has been taking on the 120-150 piece Lego sets all on his own, and working with Daddy or Mommy for anything larger.<br />
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Until this past Sunday. As Mommy got caught up with work from her normal gig and Daddy vegetated out watching some playoff football, little man took on his 452 piece <a href="http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/9448_Samurai_Mech" target="_blank">Lego Ninjago Samurai X Mech</a> and completed it in about 2 1/2 hours.<br />
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Here's a shot of our little wunderkind and his completed Lego set.<br />
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He and I have been working on <a href="http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/9516_Jabba%27s_Palace" target="_blank">Jabba's Palace</a> (from Star Wars) which is 717 pieces. But I will admit that for the most part, I just take care of finding the pieces for the next step for him and have only put on about 30 pieces on the set. We're about 70% done.<br />
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Future in Engineering for him? Who knows but the skills required are mostly critical thinking, ability to visualize and of course, following directions which could lead him in any direction. Whatever direction he decides is going to be a real hoot to watch though.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-90587105147377293032013-01-14T06:00:00.000-06:002013-01-14T06:00:05.602-06:00Cold As Ice - ForeignerAlthough I fully do not intend to do this "<a href="http://duey23.blogspot.com/search/label/Old%20Music%20Monday" target="_blank">Old Music Monday</a>" series in chronological order, I will stick with 1977 (my <a href="http://duey23.blogspot.com/2013/01/everyday-buddy-holly.html" target="_blank">Buddy Holly song</a> came to me in '77) with probably Foreigner's most famous hit, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_as_Ice_%28song%29" target="_blank">Cold As Ice</a>".<br />
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Now, at the age of 11, there's no way I understood that this song was about some evil 'cold as ice' bitch but what I did know was that 4-part harmonies sounded like butter to my ears and this song was in massive heavy rotation on WLS-AM. After listening to the lyrics a few hundred times I started figuring out what was being sung about.<br />
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Also, since I had my shiny new first cassette player, this is one of those songs that I would record off of the radio onto blank tapes. You know, the press record and play buttons simultaneously while it sat NEXT TO my am/fm radio. I'd always get mad when the DJ (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Records_Landecker" target="_blank">John 'Records' Landecker</a> most likely, as he did nights) talked up to the post or jumped in during the fade at the end.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Gramm" target="_blank">Lou Gramm</a> had one of those voices that stuck out in the crowded music I listened to. With <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Jones_%28Foreigner%29" target="_blank">Mick Jones</a> the guitar playing was a highlight on many of their other songs as well and given his pedigree (Leslie West Band, played with Frampton and George Harrison on some of their albums/tours) this band was destined to be a big hit and were.<br />
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For some reason on this one, the repeating/rhythmic keyboard sound got to me. Also, what I learned later, was that there was this unique sound of a Hammond organ being used. There's a couple of other songs I'll share later on where the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_B-3_organ" target="_blank">Hammond B-3</a> is front and center. This song wasn't the B-3 though. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Greenwood" target="_blank">Al Greenwood</a> (the keyboardist) said in an interview in the late 70's that he was using the Hammond L-100 with an EML 101 synth. He did say that in the early 80's he then switched over to the B-3 (a cutdown version)<br />
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Enjoy this video which was the official release from back in '77. Loves me the 70's hair and who couldn't love this all being done by a Union Pacific Commuter train. What the hell did THAT have to do with the song? Remember, this is still before MTV. <br />
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<br />Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-43486695781816465462013-01-08T15:53:00.000-06:002013-01-08T15:53:04.639-06:00Stop doing me favors!!Oh boy.<br />
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I've always known that Alex Jones was a conspiracy lunatic and frankly a bit unstable. When you see boogie men behind every shadow, you may have a form of mental illness.<br />
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But then he goes on Piers Morgan to talk about a) his petition to have Piers deported and b) gun rights.<br />
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When you can make Piers Morgan look like a rational, logical, non-biased pinnacle of the press, you are NOT doing your side of the argument any favors.<br />
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Alex Jones together with the nuttiest of the nutty in the NRA do more harm with the more they say than any moderate gun owner in the United States can do in any normal debate.<br />
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Shut your overfed pie-hole you bloated asshole.<br />
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To quote comedian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Norton_%28comedian%29" target="_blank">Jim Norton</a>, that sweet little boy from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opie_and_Anthony" target="_blank">Opie & Anthony Show</a> (SiriusXM 105) "for a guy who is so afraid of the government and who thinks the government is murdering our own people he sure holds a lot of faith in the FBI statistics that he wants to use to make his case".Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-85618198297186201952013-01-07T06:00:00.000-06:002013-01-07T06:00:01.757-06:00Everyday - Buddy HollyWell, the first song to share is older than _I_ am.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Holly" target="_blank">Everyday from Buddy Holly and the Crickets</a>. <br />
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Totally stripped down in its original format. As I got older, I realized that I was always drawn to very unique or different sounds in music. Things like unique instruments or unique vocal arrangements will always capture my attention. <br />
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Although it isn't the first song I can remember hearing, it's significant because it was a song I really loved on the very first Cassette Tape I ever bought with my own money. Honestly, about five times through listening through it and I had the words down and would sing along.<br />
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For some reason buying my first cassette tape sticks out in my head because I bought it through a fund-raiser that my grade school, Fairview Elementary (now closed), was having. I was in 5th Grade, Miss June Coradetti's class and it was Spring of 1977.<br />
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<br />Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-18810510455943860012013-01-04T12:36:00.000-06:002013-01-04T12:36:14.186-06:00New Year, New FeatureIn a very forced attempt to ensure I contribute to my OWN blog on a regular basis, for 2013, I will be posting once a week about a song (or a couple from the same artist) that significantly shaped my life in one way or another.<br />
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They won't be long posts, unless warranted, but will, where legally allowed, have a link to a YouTube video (or other sources) along with why that particular choice was made.<br />
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In the industry, new records are released on Tuesdays ("New Music Tuesdays") but since these aren't new, I'm going to call my posts "Old Music Mondays".<br />
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I hope you enjoy a bit more about my life.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-14327830137035679682013-01-04T02:21:00.000-06:002013-01-04T02:26:30.725-06:00Pain & Suffering/Mental CrueltyAnytime you see civil lawsuits and take a look at the actual 'action' that created them, you have to wonder if it's just greedy-ass lawyers wanting to pile on the desire for more money or if there's a real human condition that can be quantified called 'Pain and suffering' or sometimes 'Mental cruelty'.<br />
<br />
While I think it's impossible to put a true value on what the cost of that condition really is, (does one count years of therapy, either mental or physical, or the relationship cost for those that have to live with the victim, or the loss of income due to the fragile mental state?) I think almost all of us can realistically know what it feels like whether we've been a true victim or not.<br />
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And we can because of the two most recent national news stories over the last several weeks, the Sandy Hook shootings and the Fiscal Cliff.<br />
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I am NOT going to get into the actual tragedy or political positioning for either of those, however, the 24-hour news cycle with both graphic images and details as well as political rhetoric in combination with social media is perpetuating some form of 'mental cruelty' on the American public.<br />
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The constant inundation into our lives probably drives 60% of America's psychological state on a daily basis.<br />
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Now, please do not take this post as a call for the death of the news media and profession. But do take it as a human-to-human warning that we need to all step back and recognize when these constant images, commentary and 'liking and sharing' of any one of a millions memes starts taking it's mental toll on our psyche.<br />
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While Sandy Hook was horrible in every possible way, after the first day, I really just didn't watch the news and avoided the vast majority of posts or direct messages to me. I'm not being cruel or insensitive. I'm the Father of a five-year old and ensure that every day I do as much as possible to keep him safe but at the same time, I realize that there really IS nothing I could do to change what happened.<br />
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As for the Fiscal Cliff and our elected morons in Washington, when you step back and recognize that these same idiots are the same people who waited until the night before the final exams in college to cram and study to eek out a C so they could still get their degrees and are now employed next to you, you stop worrying about whether or not things are going to get done.<br />
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Whether or not their decisions put me or my great-grandchildren in better or worse financial position is out of my control. Not to the point that I'm helpless but frankly, all I can do is play the hand dealt me every day, week and year.<br />
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Have all of our lives become so boring that we need to wallow in the misery that happens on a regular basis around us in the world? Clearly so since we also feel the need to live vicariously through vapid, wealthy socialites like the Hiltons, Kardashians, Real Housewives and the ridiculously stupid white trash such as Honey Boo Boo, Cajun Gator Hunters and some Hillbilly Pest Control dudes.<br />
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Just watch, repeat and then treat with anti-depressants OR turn it off, block it out, recognize it for what it is (mentally draining on us all) and get out of the house and love your family and friends. Trust me, your mental state will be much better AND the world will STILL continue to revolve around you. Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716459.post-35671443723157094952013-01-03T05:54:00.002-06:002013-01-03T05:54:44.585-06:00A Hearty Welcome...not!!I just want to say welcome to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/113th_United_States_Congress" target="_blank">113th Congress</a>.<br />
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My expectations for you are lower than whale sh*t on the bottom of the deep blue sea, so you don't have to do MUCH to jump over that bar. Remember, I'm sure whatever decisions you make, it's all about how you position yourselves for the mid-term elections and NOT how it helps the rest of us working stiffs.<br />
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Meet the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Won%27t_Get_Fooled_Again" target="_blank"> new boss; same as the old boss</a>.<br />
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There is ONE exception and that is <a href="http://www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=about_senator" target="_blank">Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL)</a> who returns today after suffering a devastating stroke that impacted his speech and motor skills. After a year's worth of therapy and the spirit of a true American Military Veteran, he will climb the 46 stairs into the Capitol building on his own today.<br />
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One man who frequently works across the aisle for the people of Illinois and the country. The rest of you lot should learn from him.Dueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03895281169586752576noreply@blogger.com0