Congratulations

Although I don't put family stuff up here too much, I had to take the opportunity to congratulate my cousin Bruce who received a Shining Star Award at the LSN Convention at Navy Pier for his volunteer work at Bethesda Home in Chicago. Bruce has been volunteering there for years, showing up no matter what the weather to help provide the seniors with fun activities. I know it brightens their day and having someone give their time and energy to such a great cause should inspire us all to do more in our own communities. Happy 100th Anniversary to Bethesda Home and Congratulations Bruce!

We interrupt for an important announcement

Starting Monday, you won't hear me on the air as much. Oh, I'll still be on the Family Pharmacy, Henson Robinson and other commercials. And I'll be doing weekend and fill-in work, but I have accepted a promotion in the building and I start training Monday! I know I'll enjoy the work, since I did a similar job in Rockford. To all my listeners and co-workers past and present, thanks for your support and friendship. Wish me luck! We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging...

Peeps

Easter is coming and Peeps are everywhere. You know, the marshmallowy, sugary treats. I'd rather have robin's eggs (actually colored malted milk balls) or jelly beans but if you like Peeps, there's a lot of choices for you. What's your favorite color? Bunnies or chiks? Do you heat them in the microwave? NO...they don't do well in a microwave! You may want to even try making your own. Sounds like a lot of trouble, but the recipe is here ...http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=2966706 By the way, if you do a google image search for peeps, you wind up with Peeps in various settings, like the motocross peeps shown here.

Pet food recall

If you have a dog or cat, check this website. http://www.menufoods.com/recall/ You may not recognize Menu Foods, but they supply a lot of the name brand and even off brand pet food on the market today. The problem is that there is some kind of contamination that has sickened pets and in some cases even killed them. It's wet food in pouches and cans. Check the website. It might save your dog or cat's life.

Homer's coming

While the real location of the Simpson's Springfield remains in doubt, the stakes have been raised. One Springfield will get to host the Simpsons Movie premiere this summer. Of course the clues that Springfield Illinois is the true home of Bart's family are easy to see. The power plant, Mel-O-Creme Donuts, our proximity to Shelbyville which has been mentioned on the show all seem to favor us as the Springfield. And everyone knows someone who resembles someone on the show. I've personally met a few Barney the drunks and even Flanders types.

And now Homer and Marge are paying a visit to our fair town. They will serve as Grand Marshalls of the St Patricks Day Parade on Saturday. So if you see Homer, buy him a beer and a horseshoe (or just about any kind of food will do) and let's celebrate the Simpsons and St Pats this weekend!

One Year Later

The Lauterbach Man's head has been reattached and most of the damage has been cleaned up from the tornadoes of one year ago today in Springfield. Some people without insurance still have damage. I was at work that night, having been warned of the impending bad weather. But I wasn't ready for calls saying roofs had been blown off around Parkway Point and reporting gas leaks on MacArthur, plus damage all over the place. Jerome was hit hard and a curfew was in place for days afterward. The first tornado hit about 8:20 p.m., with a second forming about 10 minutes later. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. I'm hoping for a much calmer spring this year, but you can be sure when the sky starts getting dark and there are storms in the area, everyone will be taking the warnings seriously.

Saturday Morning

One of my fondest childhood memories is getting up early Saturday morning to watch cartoons. Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo were my favorites. Then there were Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Tennessee Tuxedo, the Flintstones (I think that was in the afternoon actually) and some local Chicago stuff, like Gigglesnort Hotel where a man interacted with puppets and a blob made out of clay. Good show, but hard to explain! One I don't remember from the early 70s appears to be a Scooby Doo knock-off called Goober and the Ghost Chasers. It featured Goober, a talking dog (sound familiar?) who would occassionally become invisible. He and his friends were ghost investigators. The Partridge Family apparently made some cameo appearances. There's an episode of Goober plus some other cartoons on the Hanna Barbara website.

Commercial star may get tv series

Yes, ABC has ordered a pilot for a comedy starring the Geico caveman! The show would feature 3 cavemen who must live with prejudices of modern society. Last we heard, the Geico caveman was in therapy and unavailable for comment. This could lead to a whole new crop of shows based on commercials. How about the two Snickers mechanics? That would draw a big audience just because of it's controversial nature. And Tony the Tiger won't think "It's great!" when he mistakenly thinks his wife is cheating in the hilarious new comedy Tiger Tales. The Aflak duck meets a tragic end in the drama Tastes Like Chicken. The Hamburger Helper Hand and Arby's Oven Mitt team up for a buddy show called One Hand Washes the Other. And in the granddaddy of all commercial tie-ins, CSI-Elfland features the Energizer Bunny as a cop who keeps going and going to try and solve the murder of a Keebler Elf. The culprit turns out to be The Pillsbury Doughboy who went crazy after getting poked in the stomach all the time!

Why guys do what they do

I have to admit sometimes us guys can do some pretty strange things. They must seem especially strange to women (hey, you do things that we find strange, like having eighty-five pairs of shoes!) Redbook complied a list of strange things men do and their explanations. 1. Why do we like the Discovery Channel so much? Turn on the Discovery Channel at any given moment and you'll see people blowing things up, animals eating each other or men with ridiculous mustaches riding around on motorcycles. What's not to like? 2. Why don't we throw out those old t-shirts? Two reasons: sentimentality, and laziness. Plus we don't want to go shopping. 3. Why do we call friends rude nicknames? Giving friends nicknames shows an emotional connection, but the filthy humor prevents it from being too emotional. 4. Why the fascination with power tools? It gives men the illusion of competence. Ever watch Home Improvement? 5. Why don't we want to talk about our day when we get home? We're tired! Hope that clears everything up.