Monthly Archives: September 2018

years ago, i remember hearing someone say “did you ever notice that every character tony danza plays on TV, is also called tony?” most of us remember seeing him first as a boxer/cabbie in the 1970′s as tony banta on taxi…a few years later he was cast as tony micelli in a series called who’s the boss that ran from 1984-1992. in that show he played a retired baseball player turned housekeeper…this year he came back in a netflix series called the good cop. his character, tony caruso, is an ex-cop who did jail time for a corruption conviction (i’ve watched 4 episodes & so far the show hasn’t explained the details of the actual charges) he is currently living with his son TJ, who has a spotless record & actually is a good cop. ahhhh tony tony tony.

dry feet, sunset, wet feet. before the week was over we saw one adult and two children go all the way into lake michigan. i’m pretty sure they came out looking like smurfs. even though the water temp was never above 68 degrees, we can’t wait to go back.

space? big deal. that’s how frank borman felt when he orbited the moon in 1968. i found this out on a recent episode of this american life. during the interview, borman says he couldn’t have cared less about being in space– he was more concerned with beating russia to the moon. so over the moon is one of my favorite stories yet. on a more exciting note, my friend matt hawkins bought a space helmet and jammed like a bluegrastronaut this weekend!

i ate a bag of chips with strangers & watched alejandro escovedo rock out yesterday afternoon. the man is in his 60′s, but his opening song had a serious punk edge. the event was part of a reoccurring noontime performance that vinyl renaissance hosts when recording artists are playing in kansas city. escovedo’s band, don antonio is from italy, and they also had an amazing sound. i hit the record button on my smart phone and captured them as they warmed up for the show.

christy sent me this text tuesday morning, and my reply was “GAAAAHHH!!!” because johnny cascone’s is only 12 blocks from our house. i was sitting at home watching TV while my favorite ghostbuster, bill murray, was right down the street. the good folks at johnny cascone’s posted an autographed menu on facebook.

the weather was great, but the first couple of days that we stormed the beaches on lake michigan, the water temp was only in the upper 50′s– basically it felt like refrigerator water. we were still determined to wade in it. here’s a video of jenny freezing her feet off.

jenny & i went back to lake michigan for the first time in 3 years. there’s even a 2015 state park sticker on her windshield to prove it. on this trip we went 100 miles further up the coast to stay in the village of pentwater & got a room at the channel lane inn. lake michigan’s water temperature was too cold to swim in, but the beaches were sandy (no rocks!), the weather was perfect, the natives were friendly, and it was over too soon.

mom & jim gave me a lowe’s gift card last christmas, and i finally used it! i bought a tarp and a power converter. the truck bed isn’t 100% weather proof on long roadtrips– but if our travel bags are pushed up against the cab & wrapped in a tarp, everything should stay dry. a power converter is just something everyone should carry on the road.

saw my doctor for an annual check up & she said “find a physical activity that you like, and just do it.” so i drove to lake olathe last friday, and walked on a path that went from the dam to the beach house. the last time i went to this part of the lake, it was only as far as a geocache hidden just off the path. i never made it to the beach house until now. later i went to a pizza place and played pinball.