The Brothers Schlenbecker
“It snowed last year too: I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.”
- Dylan Thomas
2 comments December 31st, 2009
Archive for December, 2009
FAIL – Willis Tower
Look, I get it. The company, Sears, hasn’t been in the Sears Tower in some time, so it does make sense that they probably shouldn’t continue to benefit from the free advertising. We live in an age where there’s hardly a new building or sports stadium in the country that hasn’t sold its naming rights to the highest corporate bidder, but that doesn’t necessarily make it right.
As still the tallest building in the country, Sears Tower (ie. Willis Tower, though it’s gonna be some time before I ever call the building that) is a national monument. Not only does it define the City of Big Shoulders’ skyline, but it’s a modern architectural achievement of the most amazing proportions. And it just doesn’t make sense to me that the name would be so easily changed to try and lure a new tenant into three floors of the 108-story building, and apparently at no additional cost.
Wrigley hasn’t owned Wrigley Field in almost three decades, but the newest owners of the friendly confines have decided not to sell the naming rights. It would seem that they (and the other non-Wrigley owners before them) realize that you can’t put a price on everything. That in the long run, maybe taking the easy cash up front isn’t always the best decision. That there’s actually value in tradition. It’s just too bad that owners like them are clearly in the minority these days. And so, Willis Tower it is…until it isn’t.
Add comment December 30th, 2009
Da Bears
Somehow, the Chicago Bears managed to beat Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings last night, clinching the 36-30 victory in dramatic fashion with a touchdown in overtime and in front of full crowd of very cold fans. It was my first football game at the not-so-newly renovated Soldier Field, which is gorgeous on the inside, but an atrocity to look at from outside. Why they didn’t just tear the whole thing down, except for maybe the columns out front, is beside me.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not much of a football fan these days, but the game was a lot of fun, albeit a tad chilly. It does kind of amaze me what people will pay to stand outside for several hours in the Chicago winter cold to watch a bunch of dudes play football, but fortunately, my ticket was free (thanks again, Dave!). Myself, I would never pay that kind of money to watch just about anything. But that said, I won’t apparently flinch at paying $8 a beer (several times over), so to each his own.
Add comment December 29th, 2009
Whiteout
“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”
- Robert Frost
1 comment December 27th, 2009
Happy Holidays!
Our little fur ball loves being in the annual holiday card, so the above was our pic for this year (in all likely hood, we’re aware that she probably has no real concept of the holidays nor holiday greeting cards, but we like to think she likes it).
Happy Holidays to you and yours, and here’s to lots of treats in the new year to come!
Add comment December 24th, 2009
Adrian!
“You’re gonna eat lightnin’ and you’re gonna crap thunder!”
- Mickey Rocky
Add comment December 23rd, 2009
Vegas Baby
“What was I doing here? What was the meaning of this trip? Was I just roaming around in a drug frenzy of some kind? Or had I really come out here to Las Vegas to work on a story? Who are these people, these faces? Where do they come from? They look like caricatures of used car dealers from Dallas, and sweet Jesus, there were a hell of a lot of them at 4:30 on a Sunday morning, still humping the American dream, that vision of the big winner somehow emerging from the last minute pre-dawn chaos of a stale Vegas casino.” – Raoul Duke Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Add comment December 22nd, 2009
