Tag Archives: Chicago

The same, yet different

Posted on March 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

It’s not often I can say this to a member of the royal family:

“Kate, this has so happened to me!”

The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Visit the 1st Battalion Irish Guards On St Patrick's DayDuring yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade at the Aldershot Barracks, the Duchess of Cambridge got her high heel stuck in a grate. Husband William offered a supporting arm — and a giggle or two — while she freed her stiletto.

The soldier saluted.

Funny — almost the exact same thing happened to me during a business trip to Chicago!

I was walking with my colleagues to a nearby restaurant for dinner when a grate ate my heel. Two friends held me upright, saving me from an almost certain face plant.  So, let me belatedly salute their heroics –

Sans headpiece.

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Posted in Celebrities, Commentary, Fashion, Holiday, Humor, Life, News, Politics, St Patrick's Day

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35,000 feet treats

Posted on March 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

Guess who took the flight with me today from New York City to Dallas?

garrettsGarrett’s Popcorn

American Airlines is now offering the yummy treat — a favorite when I travel to Chicago — on their afternoon flights over two hours.

It’s a mix of cheese and caramel corn — that perfect combination of sweet and salty — that disappears pretty darn quickly when you are reading a good book or watching the in-flight movie or trying to ignore the screaming baby.

(The baby rode with me today as well.)

I know the airlines are always trying to find ways to differentiate themselves — I think American needs to feature Garrett’s in their ads.

It’s that good, people.

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Posted in Airplanes, Commentary, Foods, Humor, Life, Travel

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Temperature check

Posted on October 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you were a bartender, would you use your real name with customers? Or would you maybe use a ‘cool’ nickname like…

Skywalker

I met a bartender this very evening who made that choice…in a hotel bar in Chicago.

He wasn’t 13 years old, which seems more appropriate to me for such a nickname (and perception of what is cool).

No, he was a 13-year old who grew up to be a middle-aged man who thinks a Stars Wars character nickname is still cool at his age.

Which is…interesting.

Of course, he might have named himself after former University of Kentucky basketball great Kenny “Sky” Walker…but I doubt it.

Now, that would be cool.

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Posted in Basketball, Commentary, Humor, Life, Movies, Travel

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All roads lead home

Posted on May 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

We all know it’s a small world.  The song says so.

But sometimes the universe puts a big ol’ exclamation point on it.

I flew home to New York City late Saturday after a trip to Chicago and got in the cab, prepared to doze during the drive home.

My cabbie had a different idea.

You see, he was a talker.  He asked about my trip, what I did for a living, where my hometown was.  Since I’m a talker, I reluctantly abandoned the nap and chatted with him instead.

(He had a French accent, so it wasn’t a hardship.)

Turns out my NYC cab driver, who hails from a French colony in Africa, attended Southern Illinois University and had a roommate from Paducah, Kentucky — a stone’s throw from my own hometown.

Coincidence?  Sure…but what a fun one!

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Posted in Humor, Love, transportation, Travel

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Sticks and bones

Posted on April 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Steakhouses?  I’ve been to a few.

But Gibson’s in Chicago actually surprised me.

image

I expected the steaks to be good. They were. The atmosphere was less stuffy than many steakhouses. The service better.

But what really surprised me was how often I used the term ‘bone-in’ tonight in polite company. And how quickly it became impolite.

Actually, that didn’t surprise me at all.

I did learn why ‘bone-in’ makes your steak tasty. It’s something to do with the bone marrow melting.

He he. ‘Bone-in.’

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Posted in Food, Foods, Life, News

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Deja vu

Posted on February 6, 2012 | 1 Comment

The following post is a re-edit of a Sticky Egg blog entry dated November 5, 2009.  The names have been changed, but let’s face it…

No one is innocent here.

I’m sorry, Philadelphia Boston.  I didn’t mean to.

When I moved to New York City three five years ago, I had hoped being a sports team ‘good luck charm’ would help the Mets, but alas — the Yankees Giants won…again.

Even though my powers are extremely strong — and are becoming more legendary by the day– I’ve never had much control over them.

They first surfaced in Kansas City in 1992.  Mere weeks after I moved there, Joe Montana signed with the Chiefs.  Kansas City didn’t win a Super Bowl under Joe, but they were definitely post-season contenders.

I moved to Boston in 2000 and lived there for six years.  I think we all know the impact I had there.  Two World Series wins for the famously denied Boston Red Sox.  The Patriots win the Super Bowl not once, not twice, but three times.

But the minute I moved to New York City — we’re talking, I’d been in town just a couple of months — the New York Giants win the Super Bowl, defeating the New England Patriots.

Ouch.

My power is infinite and brutal and — with the Yankees’ World Series win just last night now that the Giants have handed the Patriots their second defeat — impossible to target.

I’m starting to wonder who’s behind my powers, and more importantly — what city is gonna pay me for them?

Chicago, I’m in the book.

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Posted in Comedy, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Sports, Television, TV

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Dough boy

Posted on October 17, 2011 | 2 Comments

Today we ponder the cupcake.

Take a close look.  What do you see?

A child’s party favorite, certainly.  A dessert small enough to eat without much guilt.  A treat that’s often pretty enough to do double-duty as decor.

But a weapon — a legitimate ‘book ‘em Dano’ weapon?

Police in Chicago fell for it.

They charged a local woman with misdemeanor domestic battery Sunday after she allegedly threw cupcakes at her husband during an argument.  When officers arrived on the scene, his head and shirt were smeared with icing.

Excuse me, but — so what?

According to the Chicago Tribune, the ‘cupcake war’ victim had been arrested three times in the last eight years on domestic battery or battery charges himself.  Wonder if his weapon of choice was something as soft and cushy as a cupcake?

I’m guessing no.

Note — his charges were all dropped.  Wonder if they will be as lenient with our cupcake criminal?

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Posted in Cooking, Food, Foods, Humor, Life, News, Relationships

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Law & winners

Posted on April 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

Before the original Law & Order television series closed up shop here in New York City, locals used to have a saying:

“If you live here, chances are pretty good you’ve been an extra on Law & Order.”

Take me, for instance.  During my first year in Manhattan alone, I skulked about in the background of no less than nine different episodes.  I even met Billie Jean King when she guest-starred as a judge.

If you owned a police officer’s uniform, you could work on the show pretty much every day. And we’re talking long days — 14 hours was fairly typical — at piss-poor pay.

Television is so glamorous.

Well, now everyone has a shot at being immortalized on Law & Order…without ever stepping foot on the set!

Just visit the contest page on AOL Television and post your favorite episode or moment from Law & Order in the comments section.  A winner chosen at random will have his/her name written into a future episode of Law & Order: Los Angeles. As if that wasn’t cool enough, the winner will also receive a $100 American Express gift card.

For once, you don’t have to live in New York or Los Angeles to ‘appear’ on a TV show.  You can live in Sacramento or Tallahassee or Albany or…

Fancy Farm, Kentucky.

Just be sure to post your comment by noon ET on April 7th!  That’s the deadline for entry.

Of course I’ve already commented about my favorite Law & Order.  And it wasn’t even one that I appeared in.

I’m so humble…

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Posted in Advertising, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Internet, Life, Television, TV

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Shake it up, baby now

Posted on March 16, 2011 | 4 Comments

“Bueller.  Bueller.  Bueller.” — Ben Stein, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

As if I really needed to credit that quote….

Everyone seemingly knows Ferris Bueller and his idyllic day off with his friends in the city of Chicago.

But imagine you were really young — or had been living under a rock for the past 20 years — and saw this trailer for “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

What would you think the movie was about?

Isn’t that brilliant??

This new take on “Ferris Bueller” comes courtesy of Joseph Brett on Youtube.  Brett used some of the more artsy photographic shots from the movie and substituted a more angst-ridden soundtrack for his movie trailer.   The two combine to change the entire mood of Ferris’ day-away and give it an indie film air of menace.

In this context, you’re led to wonder:  did Ferris end it all?  Did Cameron really drown?  Was Ferris too late to save him ??

Brett even managed to dig up that wonky shot of Sloane, so even she appears depressed.

Not to repeat myself, but…it’s kinda brilliant.

Brett has inspired me as well.  I want to go back and pull trailers of my favorite comedies and edit them into edgy dramas — my favorite dramas into slapstick!

Whether you meant it as a challenge or not, Brett — I’m in!

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Posted in Advertising, Business, Celebrities, Comedy, Commentary, Design, Entertainment, Humor, Internet, Life, Movies

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Good goes around

Posted on August 6, 2010 | 1 Comment

Sometimes, we attempt the impossible.  And it’s only with the help of others that we get ‘er dun.

Today, those somebodies were the folks at Delta Airlines.

That’s right – I’m gonna say nice things about an airline.  They deserve it…and probably don’t hear it very often.

I flew home from a business/personal trip in Kansas City today, giving myself a scant hour-and-a-half window to grab my bags, take a taxi home, get Rory Dog settled with the sitter – he traveled with me to KC – and then turn around and go back to the airport for another business trip to Chicago.

Whose brilliant idea was that?

Mine.  But when the two trips butted heads, it was far less expensive to leave the plane tickets as they were…and several weeks ago, all the taxiing back and forth didn’t seem like such a big deal.

Today?  I was sweating it.

But the Delta ticket agent kicked things off nicely by checking my bag all the way through to Chicago — even though I was switching airlines — giving me one less thing to monkey with upon arrival in New York City.

And the Delta crew landed the plane in NYC a full 35 minutes early!  So I had a little extra time at home with Rory.  Heck, I even ate lunch!

I’m writing this in my hotel room in the Windy City — exhausted, but exactly where I’m supposed to be…and there are a lot of Delta personnel ‘just doing their jobs’ to thank.

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Posted in Business, Dogs, Humor, Life, Summer, Travel, Vacation

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