Ahhhhhh.........

Old neon Pepsi sign (with working clock)
on top of Pepsi bottler building
yesterday morning in Quincy, IL

Had a "Mountain Dew Throwback" today in Quincy, Illinois.....
coming out with old Pepsi and Mountain Dew packaging from the 60's/70's....

Both the Pepsi and Mountain Dew are made with SUGAR instead of high fructose corn syrup.....so get a couple in before you start that diet on Friday.
(Yeah....I'm talkin' to you!)

Definitely a little sugar high when I was done.....
this will help keep the kids up way past midnight tonight!!


Click below for the whys and whats...
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=103825807&m=103826296

Marty

Just a little something.......

......to make you feel small and insignificant!

Marty
Quincy, IL

Trivia Tuesday Twofer.......

Here it is already.....the last TT of 2009.
The first correct email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the two guys above will be this week's GRAND PRIZE WINNER and have the TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.

Hints...
"Guy on left".....
middle name is Albert....only lasted 47 days in High School....his mom ran illegal abortions out of the family home....lifelong Democrat....owner of some Grammys....and Oscar...a Presidential Medal of Freedom and his own U.S. Postal Stamp.....
has had too few regrets to mention.

"Guy on right"....
middle name is Alberto....originally a Canuck.....him and his brothers (not Jonas) sold "hundreds of millions" of records......popularized a song that you usually hear this time of year.....boat racer....has a street and a bridge named after him and even has his own museum.

Marty
Wyoming, IL

Japanese Snuggie.....

Marty
Darlington, WI

A WHAM Christmas.......

A good George Michael song .....
that sounds mucho better without....
George Michael!

Marty

Xmas Lights 50% OFF......

....get a move on for next year!

Marty

We Have A Weiner and Merry Christmas Everybody!!

THE BEST CHRISTMAS SONG THAT YOU'VE NEVER HEARD....until today.


Well the EYES were the biggest clue of this week's TT.....
....and Dan McNally (brother not son) was the BIG GRAND PRIZE winner this week. Congratulations and your Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle will be in your mailbox shortly.....or at least something close to that!
Peter Billingsley (aka RALPHIE from the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story") was the correct answer....
he is a distant relative of Barbara Billingsley (Mom from Leave it to Beaver)
Currently a movie producer (ELF...IRONMAN) and had a small cameo in Elf per Will Farrell's request.

If you have never seen "A Christmas Story"....
or if it has been a while....go rent it.



Merry Christmas to ALL!

Marty
Home

Ding....Dong.....DIng.....Dong......

Marty

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

Marty

Franklin, IN

Trivia Tuesday......

OK......
second to last TT of the year......so everybody FOCUS!!
Look DEEP into this gentleman's eyes and be the first to email his name to
unobuckeroo@aol.com and you will be this week's
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
and have TT bragging rights for the next 7 days!

Hints....
Is an actor.....producer and director.....has starred in one of my favorite films.....appeared in another Christmas favorite of mine, "ELF"......started out as a child actor in television commercials with over 100 on his resume....has appeared on the Johnny Carson show....has connections to the old 50's sitcom..."Leave it to Beaver"

Marty
Indianapolis, IN

Green Brownies.......

Nothing says Christmas like Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.....
making brownies.

I don't think Martha "gets" it....

Marty
Michigan City, IN

Song of the Week......

Punk band from L.A. "The Bronx"....
which are good on their own....recorded an album of songs backed by a Mariachi Band.

They renamed themselves for the album....

Mariachi El Bronx

Would be a good stocking stuffer for somebody....

hint...hint...

Marty

BONUS....
Here's a Bronx video....
see if you can spot Cuba Gooding Junior break dancing in it?

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

.....your 4-year old son is stealing the neighbors Xmas presents, wearing a girl's dress and drinking a Bud Light, in the middle of the night!!

I can't make this stuff up people!!

Marty

We have a Weiner!!!

6 out of the 7 living First Ladies at lunch.....
obviously Michelle was still in H.S and Nancy wanted to go home.....
never liked her much.

Well some controversy this week.....
as I mentioned on Tuesday....
"I needed the first....middle and last names of both individuals"

Soooo......although I have several "almost" correct answers...
and you know how I like my answers spelled correctly.....
it took the detailed mind of an accountant to win this week......
MOLLY FLYNN your GRAND PRIZE is in the mail!!!!!!

JOHN WAYNE GACY JR. and
ELEANOR ROSALYNN (two n's) SMITH CARTER

• "Dancer" was Mrs. Carter's Secret Service Code Name.


• Gacy painted while at Statesville Prison....and one of his pieces of work was the Major League Baseball Logo....which was signed (unknowingly) by 46 Baseball Hall of Famers including Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams, Koufax, Berra and even President Nixon.

Marty
Creve Couer, IL

You know you're in the Hood when........

......you wear your Christmas tree on your head.

Marty
Indianapolis, IN

DO NOT PRESS THE RED BUTTON!!

Click below....

http://www.85qm.de/up/BigRedButton.swf

Marty

Hartford City, IN

Trivia Tuesday Twofer.......

OK.....

Here we are with another exciting version of Trivia Tuesday.

First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the couple above.....

will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days!!

Note: I will need the first...middle and last names of both individuals!!

.

Hints.....

"Lady in Red".......

Married once with 4 children...

Member of an elite group where she is 1 of only 7 living members.....

Valedictorian of her H.S......but a college drop out.

Was known by some as "Dancer"....

Owner of a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

.

"Man in Red"...

Married twice with 2 children.....

Chicago Catholic native who was born on St. Pat's Day....

H.S. dropout....

Once a K.F.C. Manager...

Also was a contractor who specialized in basements...

Local precinct captain....

Officer in his Holy Name Society.....

Passed away about 15 years ago...not too far from my house.

Infamous painter...

.

Marty

Morenci, MI

HO.....HO.....FOOL!!

WOW.....Way too easy for Trivia Tuesday.....but too funny to pass up!!

There are so many things WRONG with this picture.....let's count together....
--Mr. T is wearing nasty-ass combat boots with duct tape holding them together, at the White House!
--Nancy Reagan has red pom-poms attached to her shoes....
--Mr. T giving the First Lady Mr. T Dolls for Christmas.....
(obviously much larger out of the box)
--Mr. T's triple green ring over the calf tube socks.....
--Nancy on Mr T's lap....smooching his noggin?


26 years ago this week......
looks like I found my Xmas card for next year.

Marty
Detroit, MI

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

WINTER TRIVIA......
98% of Americans say "Oh Shit!!"
before going into a ditch on a slippery road.

The other 2% are from Wisconsin and they say....
"Hold my beer and watch this!"

Marty

Simon Sez Santa......

Click below link....
http://www.simonsezsanta.com/index.php

and try some of my favorite commands.....
like....

-ride rudolph
-go pee
-strip Mrs. Clause
-kiss rudolph
-moon
-moon walk
-fart
-yodel
-rope
-my favorite....polka!
UPDATE.....
readers suggestions welcome...
belch!

Marty

We have a Weiner.....

Well if I learned anything this week.....
it is that I have another arch nemesis in one Molly Maley.
Just when I thought I had everyone stumped (and I did....damn it!)
Molly comes chiming in "better late than never"
with this week's correct answer.....
Mr. Burl Ives.
So by keeping in this Season of Giving.......
Congrats and your GRAND PRIZE will be in the mail shortly!!

Mr. Burl Ives played right in with all of the other "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" motifs in my updated screen shot. He voiced the narrator character Sam the Snowman in the TV special and sang "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Silver & Gold" which are still both Xmas staples......
45 years after the initial broadcast in 1964.

He grew up in Hunt City, IL and attended Eastern Illinois University.....
got bored in his English class one day and stormed out....
slamming the door behind him.
EIU named a building for him several years later.
Won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the movie "The Big Country".
Carl Sandburg considered Ives to be the best singer/songwriter of his time.
Middle name(s) were Icle and Ivanhoe.
Died of Mouth Cancer in 1989 at age 85.

VERY interesting story from 5 years ago on the Rudolph TV Special.....
The book author they interview is from Oak Lawn......
Click below.....it'll bring back memories.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=4193235&m=4194549

Marty
Burbank, IL

Oh the weather outside is frightful......

"Looks like Rueben is in the lead....."

Marty
New Berlin, IL

Fore.....

I know this Tiger thing is out of control.....but I enjoyed this game.

Click below....
http://www.break.com/games/tiger-woods-wife-outrun.html

Marty
Diamond, IL

Trivia Tuesday......

OK gang......
I am refreshed and ready to triumph this week!!
First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the gentlemen above, will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.

Hints....
Illinois native son...recording artist....
star of Broadway....movies/TV....author...
Academy Award winner....
attended College in Illinois where he played football.....
after a couple of years, decided that college wasn't for him
and abruptly walked out during a class.....
Several decades later, this College eventually
named a building after their most famous non-graduate...
cool middle name....(but too Googleable)

Marty
Necedah, WI
(Bah Humbug!)
Forecast for Tuesday 12/8/09

Snow accumulation of 7 to 9 inches.
Nearly steady temperatures 20 to 25.
Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph.
Gusts up to 30 mph after midnight.
Chance of snow 100%.

Dia Diez.......el fin.

All good things must come to an end.....
and if they end on a rainy day....all the better.
What luck.....
we woke to a nasty storm Sunday morning, that persisted for most of the day....
I may want to rethink that Weatherman job once I retire.

Mucho puddles at the airport.......

Enjoying their last truly authentic Mexican meal at El Subwayo.........

Not quite sure what this is.......but I'm sure that it's wrong!

The fam damily has landed......

and the swimsuits will go back in storage for the next 6 months.

I am off to bed before heading back to reality tomorrow.....

Buenos Nachos......:)

Marty

Dia Nueve.....

Saturday was on the vacation schedule as a "do-nothing" day.....
and we lived up to that.
Again......
beautiful.....
partly sunny......
mid-80's.....
slight northeasterly breeze.....
bla..bla..bla.....another day in paradise.


Maribeth finished another book.......

Molly....Katie....and Dan.....

taking in their last day of no "wind-chill factors" for sometime.

Erin....was invited for this shot,

but spent too much time at Sr. Frogs last night....and was a little "green".

My last obligatory "walking-down-the-beach" shot....

"WHERE IS EVERYBODY?"

Obviously the Mexicans believe that this whole poor economy thing....

will be short-lived.

Sweet condo development going up just north of where we are.....

perfect location.

If you're interested I can get you a deal.....

well not really.....

I don't have my Mexican Real Estate license yet.

I only have my Wal-Mart Greeter and my Singing Caballero license so far.

Try this website.....

http://www.delcanto.com.mx/

Condos next to our building....

have rooftop swimming pools on top of the penthouse condos.

When 3 out of 4 are asleep before 4pm on vacation.....

you know it's time to go home.

(Erin made it for this picture....well kind of)

Made a last minute run to Wal-Mart tonight after dinner for more crap souvenirs.

We ran into Napoleon Dynamite on our way out.......sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Marty

Dia Ocho....

Moved down the beach today to a cool 4-bedroom condo in Kite Towers,
that I found on http://www.vrbo.com/.
I have used this website over the years in WI and FL....
but this is the first time in Mexico.
You deal directly with the owners as opposed to agencies or Real Estate offices....and then it's "Lets-Make-A-Deal" time in this economy.
My AC bill for 2 days will be more than I paid to stay.

Turns out that the lady that owns this lives in downtown Chicago.....
and she made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
We are on the 4th floor of building #1, which is the left one above....the balconies go around 3 sides of the condo.
Great way to wind down the last couple of days.


View of the pool.......I think we are the only ones in the entire building.....HELLO?

Molly's bowl from yesterday.....with some added touches......

Hit the Dolphin Swim this afternoon.....above is my Kodak moment.....

one of the dolphins had a baby in the other pool while we were there.....

and within minutes was swimming along with Mom.

Dan and friend get to know each other........

Molly does the Macarena with Flipper.......

Erin goes for a ride.....

The further north you go.....the quieter it gets....just how I like it.

Going.....going.....going......

Gone.

Marty

Tenemos el Weiner....y Dia Siete

The answer to this week's TT was none other than Mr. Jimmy Hoffa....
pictured here with late Mayor Richard J. Daley.

He was born in Brazil, IN and resided for most of his life in the Detroit, MI area.....his middle name was "Riddle".....his first job was as a stock boy with Kroger's Grocery and actually organized his first strike while still in his teens....was pardoned by Richard Nixon (after receiving a substantial campaign donation from the Teamsters)....disappeared after a lunch date in the Detroit area and believed to be buried in an oil drum under the endzone of Giants Stadium.

Congratulations to Molly Maley who was the FIRST among many to email in the correct answer.....Your GRAND PRIZE will be in your mailbox shortly!!

Now back to vacation.....
bad news is that today we have to leave the Grand Mayan....
good news is that we are moving right down the beach for a couple more nights in a sweet condo. (More on that later.....)


Molly and I enjoying a Daddy/Daughter lunch after a grueling ceramic painting session.....

Here is Molly's finished product.....before of course the owners detail it and fire it up in the oven....we will pick up the finished-finished product in the morning.

And this is my finished product.....

OK....so actually no.

I just sat in the lounge chair giving Molly moral and color support.

This one was completed by the owner.

Can you find the iguana?

He was next to my beer....and when I grabbed for it....

we scared the shit out of each other...

as I flew out of my lounge chair and he flew into the tree.

Overcast afternoon provided a nice sunscreen for Dan & Erin's game of beach volleyball....

For those vacationers from Indiana whose Hoosier physiques will not fit into the standard lounge chair.....there is a whole pool area with queen size beds.
Obviously....no Hooisers here this week.

Dan and Erin seemingly have the entire Pacific Ocean

to roam on their jet-skis....

for 30 Mexican Minutos.....

Last night we attended the Mexican Fiesta....complete with food/drinks and entertainment. Above are the Mayan flag pole dancers who climb a 10-story flag pole and swing down by their feet. Not enough tequila in PV for me to do that.....and obviously no OSHA offices down here.

Complete with fireworks......

An excellent Mariachi band with horns and strings.....CHA...CHA...CHA.

Erin's going " clubbin' "

....and I'm going to bed.

Erin tries on the table centerpiece for size......

I've finally got my retirement plan figured out.....

Wal-Mart Greeter by day....

Singing Caballero on a dancing horse by night......

Marty