Author / admin

by admin

Book 21 (of 52) – Home Is Where The Bodies Are

Home Is Where The Bodies Are – Jeneva Rose

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but you can certainly be drawn in to a book because of one.  Such is the case with Home Is Where the Bodies Are, the latest from Jeneva Rose about a family that reunites following the death of their mother, bringing decades old secrets back to the surface.

Nominated for a 2024 Goodreads Choice Award for favorite mystery and thriller, the book drew my interest due to its use of a video cassette tape as a cover, standing out from the crowd of nominees.  It was my first experience with the work of Jeneva Rose and I may be on the lookout for more going forward.

And with that, we draw to a close my relationship with the Chicago Public Library.  I’ve saved a lot of money over these past four years and read a lot of books I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.  Time to see if my smaller, local library can fulfill the same at a similar pace.

by admin

RIP Mongo

Former Bears great and NFL Hall of Famer Steve McMichael died today aged 67.  He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in January of 2021 and was removed from his ventilator and moved to hospice care earlier today.

McMichael spent thirteen seasons as a defensive tackle with the Bears, earning All-Pro honors twice.  He’s currently second in franchise history with 92½ sacks and third with 814 tackles.  He made a franchise record 191 consecutive starts, starting in week 7 of 1981 and lasting through the end of the 1993 season and was a key part of the fabled “46” defense that led the Bears to the Super Bowl XX title.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame last year.

Following his football career, McMichael turned to professional wrestling, where we worked with both the then-WWF and WCW.  In August of 2001, he appeared at Wrigley Field as the guest conductor of the seventh inning stretch.  Prior to belting out Take Me Out to the Ballgame, McMichael had a few words for home plate umpire Angel Hernandez, who was involved in a questionable call the previous inning.  Hernandez stared down McMichael from the field and, eventually, McMichael left the booth, having been ejected from the stadium.

by admin

Fitbit XI – Week 13

A down week thanks to some packed mornings with lots of back-to-back meetings.  The week got off to a good start on Sunday, finishing with 4700 steps thanks to a trip down to Rate Field to see the Sox of White battle their brothers in Red.  Monday kept up the pace, coming in at 4600 steps.  A big falloff on Tuesday put me down to 3700 steps.  Another drop on Wednesday dropped me to 3200 steps.  The nadir of the week came on Thursday as I fell to 2500 steps.  An improvement on Friday left me 26 steps shy of 4300.  Another dropoff on Saturday ended the week with 4000 steps.

Total steps: 27,278

Daily average: 2896.9

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #71 – 77

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the four remaining songs tied for 77th place with 43 plays, the four tunes tied for 73rd place with 44 plays, and, finally, the two tracks with 45 plays apiece, good enough for 71st place since my stats began in late 2007.

#77: The Crystal Method – Bones Theme
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 11/27/2019
Previous ranking: #41

An original composition by the group for the long running FOX show, it has gone unheard in more than five years.

#77: The Cranberries – Zombie
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 2/7/2024
Previous ranking: #125

Written about the IRA bombing in Warrington in 1993, the first single from the Cranberries sophomore effort jumped nearly 50 spots on the rankings.

#77: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I’ve Got A Theory/Bunnies/If We’re Together
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 8/31/2024
Previous ranking: #60

This entry from Once More With Feeling, where we learn the truth behind the evil that is bunnies, added five new plays over the previous five years.

#77: Bad Religion – Infected
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 8/31/2024
Previous ranking: #98

The third single from the band’s eighth studio album, it peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

#73: Foo Fighters – Breakout (Live)
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 6/6/2024
Previous ranking: #60

This live version from the group’s 2006 show in London’s Hyde Park picked up six new plays since 2020.

Continue reading →

by admin

Book 20 (of 52) – Blue Sisters

Blue Sisters – Coco Mellors

A year after the death of their sister, three women, a lawyer, a boxer, and a model, try to get past their grieving and start to put their lives back together.

Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors, was a 2024 Goodreads Choice nominee for favorite fiction.  It is an interesting tale of how people are able to heal once they allow themselves to grieve and that the healing process may not always be a straight line.  I had never heard of Mellors before, so I don’t know what else, if anything, she has out there.

 

by admin

Locking Down The Library

Back in the summer of 2021, despite not living in Chicago, I got myself a digital Chicago Public Library card which gave me access to eBooks and audio books that I would never have had otherwise.  In the nearly four years since, I have read, or listened, to hundreds of books, starting with The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss in late July.

Earlier this morning, I received an email that the Chicago Public Library is retiring their eCards program as of May 1st.  Thankfully, I picked up a Frankfort library card last December, so I can move on with (hopefully) minimal interruptions.  It looks like Home Is Where the Bodies Are, by Jeneva Rose, will by my final book.

by admin

2024-2025 Final Standings

After losing in the play-in tournament for the third time in as many years, the 2024-2025 NBA season came to an end for the Bulls last night.  I made it to the United Center for the first time in a decade last November to see Zach Edey and the Memphis Grizzlies take on the Bulls.  Unfortunately, Edey didn’t play, but the Grizzlies still managed to pull out the victory.

2024-2025 Team Records

Team Won Loss Winning Pctg
Memphis Grizzlies 1 0 1.000
Chicago Bulls 0 1 0.000
by admin

Book 19 (of 52) – The God Of The Woods

The God Of The Woods – Liz Moore

When a teenage girl goes missing from a summer camp in the mid-1970s, it brings to mind a similar case from years earlier, one involving her brother.  While the police interview the family and the campers, they learn more about both disappearances, officially solving the earlier one while unofficially solving the second.

Winner of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Award for favorite mystery and thriller, The God of the Woods is my first experience with the work of Liz Moore.  She puts together a good mystery, interweaving the disappearance of Bear years earlier with the disappearance of Barbara.

by admin

Fitbit XI – Week 12

My streak of 30,000 step weeks ends at two after a down week.  The week got off to a decent start on Sunday, finishing with 4600 steps.  Monday was just 13 steps lower, again finishing with 4600 steps. shy of 4000.  A big falloff on Tuesday put me down to 3600 steps.  A slight improvement on Wednesday left me 27 steps away from 3700.  Thursday was the low point of the week, finishing with 3100 steps.  A trip to Rate Field on Friday to see the Sox of White battle the Red pushed me up to 5900 steps.  Another drop off on Saturday ended the week with 3500 steps.

Total steps: 29,112

Daily average: 4158.9

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #77 – 89

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the two remaining songs tied for 89th place with 42 plays and begin the first batch of tunes with 43 plays apiece, good enough for 77th place since my stats began in late 2007.

#89: Cracker – Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)
iTunes stats: 42 plays, most recently on 12/17/2024
Previous ranking: #68

This entry, which charted at #1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks, arguably broke Cracker into the mainstream.

#89: Concrete Blonde – Joey
iTunes stats: 42 plays, most recently on 3/31/2024
Previous ranking: #68

The band’s biggest hit, which spent four weeks atop the Modern Rock Tracks chart and hit #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

#77: TLC – Creep
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 1/5/2024
Previous ranking: #98

The lead single from the band’s second album, the group’s first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

#77: Mott the Hoople – All the Young Dudes
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 12/27/2024
Previous ranking: #79

Written by the David Bowie, the song was rated #253 in the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.

#77: The Lonely Islands – Dick in a Box (ft. Justin Timberlake)
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 11/12/2024
Previous ranking: #68

The SNL Digital Short premiered on December 16, 2006 and became a viral hit when the uncensored version was posted online the following day.

Continue reading →