Give me a beat......!

Marty
South Bend, IN

License and Chocolate Frosted Please.......

Insert your own joke here.....sorry Dan.

Marty

Time to dust off the Schwinn......

Marty

We have a Weiner.....

Mr. "App" Tim McNally comes out of left field to command a back-to-back win with this week's first (and ONLY .....%#*%@!) correct guess.
Chicago's 16th MAYOR.....
"Long" John Wentworth.

Your GRAND PRIZE will be arriving shortly....after I take Katie's new Back-to-School shoes back to Wal*Mart for a refund......hope you ENJOY!

"Long" John Wentworth....

• Was born in Sandwich, New Hampshire in 1815...
• Came to Chicago back in 1836 when Chicago's population was only about 5,000 people.
• Was the editor of Chicago's first newspaper the "Chicago Democrat" (probably the same circulation numbers as the modern day Tribune)
• Stood 6'6" and weighed over 300 lbs thus deserving of the prefix "Long"
• Personal friend of our 16th President.....Abe Lincoln.
• Served 6 terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives...some as a Democrat and some as a Republican.
• While in the House, a controversial vote arose by which Wisconsin claimed land in Illinois as far as the tip of Lake Michigan. If Wentworth voted to give the land, including Chicago, to Wisconsin, he was promised a Senate seat. Wentworth declined the offer....thus saving you from Cheese-head status.
• Served 2 terms as Mayor (Republican)....running a tight ship, instituting "chain gangs" to clean up the city while closing down the ever popular brothels. Hired spies to tell him who was frequenting the brothels....and cracked the whip!
• Was married to Roxanna LOOMIS.
• His "cool" Country Estate was 5,000 acres of land at 5441 South Harlem Ave, (probably smelled better because it was pre-Argo) which is now part of Summit and Garfield Ridge. His original house was torn down in the mid-60's to make way for the Garfield Ridge home explosion.
• Famous quote while running for Mayor...(probably after his daily whiskey)
  "You damned fools. You can either vote for me for mayor or you can go to hell!"

Was buried in Rosehill Cemetery on the north side and has a 6-story monument marker which in 1888 cost 38,000 dollars. Simple "JW" marking on the front...not buried with family.

Marty
Coal Valley, IL

Its a Small World.....and a CHA-CHA-CHA!!

This is a promotional video put out by Disney
to showcase Disneyland from the mid-50's!

This is someone's home movies from 1956....
and they bumped in Walt himself making the above promotional film.

Look who's a College Freshman and another year older!!

Marty

Nashville, TN

Only 3 months of shopping days until my birthday....

I'll take two....
one with a snow tire.

Marty
Nashville, TN

Trivia Tuesday......

Since GRAND PRIZES are starting to flow out of the McNally household like Back-to-School clothing dollars.....it's time for a deal breaker!

You know the rules....first correct email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the gentleman above....will win this week's GRAND PRIZE!!

Hints...
One time Chicagoan....Journalist....Lawyer....Politician....friend of Abe's....had "16" in common with Abe....he and his wife run parallel....saved you from being a "cheese-head"....enjoyed a pint of whiskey each day.....liked to consume up to 40 different types of food at one sitting...had a cool Country Estate....that is not so "cool" or "country" now....was the subject of a WHAM song....

That's enough.....
and OK....the WHAM hint isn't true.

Marty
Nashville, TN

But wait there's more......

Billy Mays passed on this one......

Marty
New Berlin, IL

Song/Video of the week.....

Diggin' the Grizzly Bear.
(Creepier in HD)

Marty

You know you're in Indiana when.......

Marty

We have a winner.....and a CHA-CHA-CHA!

"Mr. Apple"....
Tim McNally was the FIRST correct answer to this week's TT contest.

He probably has an "App" to remind him each Tuesday...
the rest of you correct guessers need that "App" because you too were correct.....
but a tad bit late!!

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak....founders of Apple Computer....were the correct answers.
Not great marketers though.....first Apple computer sold for $666.66.

Steve Wozniak...

• Recently a contestant on "Dancing with the Rich Guys".


• Plays with Lego Robots.


• Crashed his airplane in 1981....deemed unqualified by the NTSB to have been piloting.


• Had amnesia after the accident...no recollection of the accident nor did he recognize that he had been in a crash....would walk into rooms and not remember why...could not recall what day it was....would go to work on Sunday...and take off on Wednesdays?


• Founded a company in 1987 that brought the first Universal Remote control to market.


• Dated "D-List" comedienne Kathy Griffin.
  

Steve Jobs....

• Only class he enjoyed in college was Calligraphy...which is one of the reasons why you can change "fonts" on your computer.


• Due to his Pixar affiliation....he is the single largest shareholder (7%) of Disney stock.


• Has been sick over the last few years with cancer of the pancreas.


• Bloomberg mistakenly printed a 2500 word obituary in August 2008.


• Calls his LSD experimentation in his youth....one of the two or three most important things he has done in his life. (Note to self....2010 resolution!)


• Huge Beatles fan....and patterned the Apple Business Model on them....
  Here is his thinking...Goo Goo Ga Joob!
  "My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people."


• Gives a pretty good speech......life's short....but give me 15 minutes!!
  You'll be glad you did!
  
  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE ASTRONAUT!!
CHA....CHA.....CHA!!!

Marty

Olivet, MI

Before the Jumbotron.....

8/20/1938...
71 years ago today.

Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd and final Grand Slam.....
a record that still holds today.

He retired the following year after Spring Training and gave his farewell speech below on "Lou Gehrig's Appreciation Day" on July 4th 1939.

He would be dead within 2 years at age 37.




Marty
Lapeer, MI

Up in the morning and out to school......

Summer is over for one Mr. Daniel Martin McNally.....
he is officially a Senior as of 6:44am this morning.
Due to overcrowding in the new High School...Lockport has started split shifts where he will start everyday at 6:44am and will be out (and probably back in bed) by Noon.

We wrapped up his last night of freedom with a losing trip to see the White Sox.....
And can I ask....who invited Freddy Garcia back???
There has only been about a half dozen teams between when the pot smoker left the White Sox last time and now.....
I know Ozzie and Freddy are related but....come on already.....can I get 5 innings please!?!?!

Say cheese....
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=0&userid=wsfanfoto&gallery_id=1716621&image_id=2&pos=3

You can put this on a "Vintage" Chicago White Sox Mouse Pad for only $29.99!!
You can also buy unsold tickets for Mark Buerle's recent Perfect Game at FULL price.
God do I hate Reinsdorf....the $23/parking...the 6.75 bottles of warm beer....Connie's Pizza races...the CTA bus races and the new McDonald's Big Mac race.....arrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!
What happened to going to see a BASEBALL GAME!!!???

I'm soooooooo done with it.....
Nothing beats a long car ride with Ed Farmer and DJ on the radio side of it.......
you can actually imagine a game without "races"!!

Pardon my rant......I'm getting old.
.
Marty
Colona, IL

Trivia Tuesday TWOFER......

Here we go with another week and another TWOFER.!!
The first correct email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the two gentlemen above will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days!!

Hints....
Both of these gentlemen share the same first name....but different last names. Not the greatest marketers initially....and have been multi-millionaires for almost 30 years.

The bearded gentlemen.....
HAM radio license holder by the 6th grade....has "danced" recently on TV...still plays with Legos....college drop-out....survived a plane crash....had amnesia....helped develop the first universal TV remote 20+ years ago....taught 5th graders.....dated a comedienne.....plays Polo on a Segway.

The other with the nice 80's collar.....
Knows how to give a good speech.....likes the color black....was adopted....also a college drop out but not before he took a calligraphy class which would help him (and YOU) later in life... went to India, shaved his head and came back a Buddhist.....a vegetarian.....a big Beatles fan....bigger fan of LSD....owns more "Mickey" than anyone....and has had his obituary published, but is not dead yet!!

Marty
Chicago, IL

How do you get to Carnegie Hall???

Edit.....Edit....Edit!



Stick with this one....

Marty
Ottawa, IL

Song/Video of the week.....

Oren Lavie.....
..........good Sunday Song.
Can't get this one out of my head.

Marty
Heath, OH

Crunchy or Smooth?

$40.....
some people have too much time on their hands....must be a bitch to clean.
This would go right next to my unopened Ice Cream Maker!
http://www.lighterside.com/product/67271.do?WT.srch=1&code=QLP&AID=10388556&PID=1830967#

Marty
Heath, OH

We have a winner.....

.........and its a team effort.

Joe and Nancy McNally were the first correct email to correctly name Hugh Hefner and Doris Day.
(Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff would have also been accepted)
Your GRAND PRIZE will be arriving shortly!!

• Doris turned down the role of "Mrs. Robinson" in the movie "The Graduate" on moral grounds.
• Her son Terry Melcher was a collaborator with The Beach Boys, The Byrds and other California bands of the '60s...was introduced to Charlie Manson by Beach Boy, Dennis Wilson. After falling out and severing ties with Manson, Terry and his girlfriend Candice (Murphy Brown) Bergen moved out of their rented home. It was then rented to Roman Polanski and his girlfriend Sharon Tate.....this home ended up a murder scene when the "Family" returned to kill Tate and 4 others in Melcher's former home.
• WHAM song "Wake me up before you Go-Go" features the line...
  "You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day"
• Currently lives on an 11 acre ranch in Carmel, California....Que sera sera!

• Hugh is a graduate of Steinmetz High School in Chicago.
• Served time in the Army during WWII.....during this time his first wife cheated on him...at which time I bet he went out and bought a pipe and red velvet P.J.'s....and the rest is history!
• Original name for Playboy was "Stag Party"
• Started Playboy with $8,000 from 45 investors (including his mother)
• He was arrested in 1963 for selling obscene literature after an issue of Playboy featuring nude shots of Jayne Mansfield was released. A jury was unable to reach a verdict.
• Has a species of rabbits named in his honor..."Sylvilagus palustris hefneri"
• Has a Genius IQ of 152.
• Currently at the age of 83...he is dating 19-year-old twins.
• ;)......"dating"

Marty

Heath, Ohio

HOT?

This will cool you off.



OK.....so maybe it's not real!?!?
Still looked cool though...



Marty
Heath, OH

Old Chicago.....

O'Leary's Pub at 4183 S. Halsted.........1908.
(Double click on photos to enlarge)

If you... like I....
are a fan of old photos....and have way too much time to kill.
I can let you in on a little secret sworn only to former Chicago Daily News
paperboys of which I am a card carrying member.
.
There is an archive, through the Library of Congress, that stores over 55,000 old Chicago Daily News photos from 1902 through 1933 ....which is categorized and pretty cool to say the least.
(See if you can find St. Rita "College"??)
.
Warning Will Robinson......
this site is very addicting and WILL cause sleep deprivation.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnhome.html
.
I will post my favorites in my Pic of the Week box....send me some if you find additional.

Here is a shot of the William H. Kniering Saloon
at 3258 South Princeton in 1905.

Over 100 years later....you Sox fans knew it as Jimbos! This was just a lucky find on my part. Which is good to know in case I am ever time-warped back to 1905 and thirsty!

Compare with StreetView below...
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=41.834553,-87.634005&spn=0,359.945154&z=14&layer=c&cbll=41.834553,-87.634005&panoid=hAioxoS5VLnLi5gKRrG6DA&cbp=13,304.93,,0,-6.26

Marty

Detroit, MI

Trivia Tuesday TWOFER......

A TT Twofer this week.....
First correct email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to name the above (2) peeps
(dog's name not needed) will win this week's GRAND PRIZE
and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.

Hints....another week of two people.....that I never would have thought would EVER appear together .....on the same negative.
.
"HE".....is a native Chicagoan and graduate of our
fine Chicago Public School System....
also a graduate of U of I in Champaign.....married twice....
single now.....throws cool parties.....owns the crypt right next to Marilyn Monroe...but never met her.....mmmmm?!?!....last initial same as the first.
.
"SHE"......is a Grammy....Golden Globe...and Oscar winner!!
As a female star, has ranked in more $$ than....everybody!!....she is STILL numero uno.....married 4 times....was almost "Mrs. Robinson" (and I don't mean Jackie....coo coo ca-choo)...her "only son" was a co-songwriter with and almost a target of Charlie Manson....was mentioned in a WHAM song...
her glasses in this pic make Harry Caray's look like reading specs....
last initial same as the first.

ENOUGH!!! (If ever I reference "WHAM" as a hint.....I know that I have gone too far!)

Marty
Cassopolis, MI

Vacation Beards....

Welcome back from vacation.....time to shave.



Stick with this......a little different!
Marty
Springfield, IL

Block Party '09

The timing couldn't have been any better.....
the first real hot, 90*+ Summer Day and our Annual Tonelli/St. Charles BLOCK PARTY......
early morning rains cleared out just in time....
and the hot breezes were just right for a party......Good time had by all.


Lockport Fire Truck and Ambulance showed up and gave us a show.

Fortunately....they did not have to return before the party came to a close!!

The 3 Amigos.....after a wet jousting match.

What's a Block Party without a water balloon contest......

Mike holding on for another round......

Hoping for the payoff splat-in-your-face-shot.....but Joe hangs on to live another round.

Organized chaos!!

The BLUE MONSTER.....

worth every freeking penny today!!

Kids were on this from 10am until 11pm. The best part is that it is not being picked up until Monday.....so 15 half-drunken neighbors dragged this from St. Charles all the way down the street to my front lawn at the end of the party.

I wish I had a picture.

If you're in the neighborhood on Sunday...stop by......Surfs Up!!

Danny and Nick prepping for the big Bags Contest ......$$ and bragging rights until next year!!

Jumbo Jousting Cage....complete with Jumbo Q-Tips and over sized Boxing Gloves!!

Even more challenging when squirted down with a wet hose.....

(Did I mention that the ambulance did not have to come back?)

Sorry Son......you must be 16 or older to get into the Bags Contest!!

And they're off.......

Pay your money....we pick your partner.....

good way to meet a neighbor....and/or piss one off if you beat them!!

Over 40 people in this year's battle of the bags!

Charlies Angels.....with future Angel in tow.

Hey Dad.....look what Uncle Brian taught me!!

Angela....Steve.....Ed and Craig take home 1st & 2nd in the Bags Contest!!

They will surely report all of their winnings to the IRS!

(Last names are left off to protect me.)

Mucho Liquor + Oversized Boxing Gloves

= Time for Bed!

Great way to end the day!

"It's Midnight......do you know where your neighbors are?"

Marty

Song of the week.....

"Where You At?" -- Astronomy Class

I bet you're dancing in your chair??!!

Thought so......

Marty

We have a winner.....

Several correct answers this week ....along with a Tina Turner thrown in for good measure....but newbie Kathy McCormick rings in first with a second win with the Queen of Soul.....

Aretha Franklin.

Your GRAND PRIZE will be arriving shortly.

• Famous for her hats.....
  

• Godmother to Whitney Houston
• First African-American woman to appear on TIME magazine.
• First Woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Voted the #1 singer of all time by Rolling Stone...ahead of Elvis/Ray Charles/Beatles.
• Proud owner of a Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Has had over 40 "TOP 40" hits since 1961.
  
  Here's Aretha playing and singing....great song that I don't think I ever heard of until last week....co-written by Phil Spector!
  
  

Marty

Belleville, MI

You know you're in Indiana when.......

Low miles.......little rust........Central Air!

.

Marty

Kokomo, IN

I don't do windows.....

The Aqua...
Cool building off of Columbus and Randolph....not your average building!

Not your average window washer....

Marty
Cassopolis, MI

Trivia Tuesday......

Ahhh.....a new week and another mystery person.
First correct email to unobuckeroo@aol.com will receive this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.

Hints.....
This person, although well known for her singing....is actually a better piano player than a singer (which I will demonstrate on Friday)....classified as a child prodigy.....cut her first child at 13.....cut her first album at 14...cut her second child at 15......grew up in Detroit....down the street from "Smokey" and "Diana"....but was not with Motown...(Doh!)
.
She has several "amazing firsts" which are too easily googleable (word?) to post now.....has a famous Goddaughter.....wears cool hats!

ENOUGH......let the guessing begin.

Marty
Pekin, IL

Flower Talk........

OK....here is the mid-2009 summer flower update.

.
"The Gutter Garden" ™ will have to wait to launch until 2010....the "test" Gutter Garden is in the backyard and is doing fine....problem is that I just had new siding/gutters & roof installed and the measurements are different than the original gutters.
So....next year, new gutter gardens will be manufactured and the official kickoff will begin.

(Sorry Rabbits)

Investment inquiries are welcome.

The Gutter Garden lays in wait with several types of Marigolds blooming......

Front corner popping with Zinnias.....Larkspurs....and Dahlias....this shot was from Sunday and is about a week past the maximum color when all of the larkspurs were popping. I highly recommend Alsip Nursery in Frankfort.....pretty and hardy bloomers and the Dahlia bulbs were their recommendation for late Summer color.

Marty's Mystery garden....aka The Deadhead Garden......

This garden was created with nothing purchased....and has no relation to the Grateful Dead....or anything illegal growing in it.

Everything is from deadheaded flowers that I saved from last summer.....and deadheads that I pulled from this year....Zinnias....Marigolds.....Morning Glories....Sunflowers.....about another few weeks from full color.

This pic does not show all the colors....but trust me....deadhead seeds are pretty neat.

One of several Dahlias that popped this week.....good timing as the Larkspurs are dying down.

Another Dahlia.....

More Dahlias.....these all came from about a dozen bulbs that looked like dried out potatoes....never thought they would grow....looks like there are enough flower bulbs to pop right through Thanksgiving!

.

Marty
Springfield, IL

Back full circle.....

Stopped by today for a visit with Dad.....and per Dr's. prescription.....
we both enjoyed a couple of cold Heinekens. His first brews in 3 months.....
I must say they tasted pretty good!

He promised to stick to two on Sat and two on Sunday.....and no Manhattans.

Speaking of Heineis.......
watch below....in order!!

Marty

Song of the week.......

Brilliant!!!!!

Marty