Eggo My Lego

This is a snowfall that started about a week ago and hasn't stopped. We've have a few inches since this was taken and about 6 more by x-mas.


The view of the bush outside my window. It has about twice as much snow after today.


This is Nick's "Yankee Gift Exchange" for Megan. Lego Star Wars guys!


They are so epic


Brave!


Fast!


LOYAL!


and the latest addition to our toy shelf...


Here's Grover on the lunchbox flashing the "Van Buren Boys" gang sign


Megan love "It's A Wonderful Life." So, when she saw that it was going to be on the big screen at the Music Box as a double feature, we had to go. We were completely unprepared. We thought we were going to a movie, not an experience. It was their 25th x-mas show that featured a choir, a organ player, and a possibly drunk Santa leading a sing-a-long. Everyone (except us) was dressed up and insane. Every time (literally) Mr. Potter came on the screen everyone hissed. Whenever Clarence was on screen people would ring their little bells. We were completely unprepared, but it was good fun.


The show was sold out. This is before. The second movie was "A White Christmas" with Bing Crosby and George Clooney's grandma. Megan has never seen it and I forgot which movie that was. Once it started, I remembered I really don't like that movie and Megan leaned over half way through and said, "I really don't like this." So, we left. The crowd for the second movie was weird too. There was some Army guy that was so excited by everything and sang along to the "Sisters" song.

Christmas plans are still somewhat in flux. I'm staying in Chicago for the 25th for sure. We're heading to a couple parties that day after we open gifts under our little tree. Michigan for a quick weekend trip (pending weather that won't kill us).

On a final note: You have to check out this story from Chicago today. It's like something out of a movie. Amazing and stupid at the same time! http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/man-survives-100-foot-fall-from-dan-ryan.html

Memorial Whiryball Taco Day Party

A big thanks goes out to Cliff and SME for hosting the completely awesome BBQ Wednesday Taco Party last week. It was a nice break from the sausages.


It's like a daycare center for young adults...


Cliff, Frances, and Mike Nummerdor BBQ Taco Night


Brent (Remember it's Red Wings & Pistons Playoffs tonight!), Amanda, Karli, Nick, Angela, and Kevin. I think I got that all right...


While all my friends went up to Manistee to shoot guns and all, I stayed in Chicago with Megan while her friends from New York City came in. Here's Ian, not from NYC, and Danny, from NYC. We're playing Apples-to-Apples.


He's much happier when he plays the "Helen Keller trump card."


This just looks like one of those photos you find of your parents from before you were born.


I don't understand why it's so difficult to get her to take a nice picture with me once in a while...


Danny, Chessie (sp?), Kevin, and Lorraine.


I sat next to this kid for a long time and can't remember his name. What an ass I am...


This is some very serious Apple-to-Apples play.


Man, you'd think we were gambling or something.


Here's Paul. I think he's a distant relative of someone from Muskegon because he's a very Muskegon-esque kind of guy.


Me and Ian. Ian seems to be awaiting my "Festering Wound trump card."


Megan demonstrating how to straggle someone taller than you.


Com'on guys, just one nice photo...


WHIRLYBALL! Here's a description of the game from http://www.whirlyball.com/home/index.php:

"Agility. Speed. Strength. None of these qualities will be of any use in the highly-competitive world of WhirlyBall. Although it combines lacrosse, hockey and basketball with bumper cars, WhirlyBall has caused great athletes of every stripe to laugh and holler their way to a crushing defeat.

If you choose to accept the challenge, you'll use hand-held scoops to propel whiffle balls at your scoring target. In a team of five, and with the help of a professional referee, you'll have a bang-up time trying to outscore the competition."


I found it amusing that the only other people at the Whirlyball place when we were there was a group of eight year olds playing pool.


Here's my team: The Chicago Queef! We never did get to do the flying-V in the bumer cars. Next time...


I like this photo because it looks like I smeared vaseline on the lens. It was difficult to take pics while playing because the bumper cars shook so much.


Have you ever been in a car accident. You know how you remember things happening in a blur? This is the best photo I've ever seen capturing that kind of moment right before Danny smashed the hell out of my cart.


Sweet Victory


Here's couple of the all-stars from my team


Gotta love action shots


I guess Johnny Depp is in town for the new gangster movie "Public Enemy." Here's more info if you want it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152836/. This was on the set, which is actually just Lincoln Ave. (just north of Fullerton) all dolled up.


Here's the Biograph Theater. You might know it as the place where the Feds killed Dillinger. If you are a hipster, you might know it as the theater next to Clark's Diner. If you're a Lincoln Park Trixie, you don't know anything about it and think the gangsters where around in the 1800's when Chicago wasn't anything more than a swamp in the western United States...


So many people were talking about how much nicer the area looked without all the billboards, neon signs, and other junk. It's an international trend to ban that kind of stuff. Think Olympics 2016 Chicago...


Look at the streetcar rails in the center of the road. Those are not real. It's a think veneer of bricks and metal to replicate the old streetcar system.


Here's Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant. It's pretty hard to recognize since they literally put an entire new facade on the place. It was pretty amazing that all of the stores and restaurants were still open during the down time of the shoots.


From old architecture to new. Here's the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building downtown. It's a 30-some story tall building on the north side of Grant Park. It was designed so it could be added to and they decided to do so. So, they are going to add another 25-30 stories to the building. Pretty amazing.


Here's Trump Tower. I don't care what architecture snobs say. This is far better than the Sun Times dumpy warehouse that stood on this spot. It's a whole lot more interesting than Mies van der Rohe's super boring IBM Building. Yeah, I said it...


The new stature of King Lear on display at Tribune plaza.

That's about it for now.

xoxo,

Mike

Humboldt Park: The Movie

They are filming a movie in my neighborhood. Here's the article:

"There's no shortage of movies shot in town, but it's rare that one has its heart rooted as squarely in the city as the forthcoming 'Humboldt Park.' Produced by local-boys-made-good Robert Teitel and George Tillman, Jr., of State Street Pictures--which has also produced such films as 'Soul Food,' 'Men of Honor' and 'Barber Shop'--'Humboldt Park' ups the local love factor by bringing in Humboldt Park native Freddy Rodriguez to star, and will be shot entirely in the neighborhood starting this month. That's enough to make us want to go see it already, but, for those who need more: Directed by Alfredo De Villa (Washington Heights), the comedy-drama tells the story of a first- and-second- generation Puerto Rican-American family as the various members return home for the holidays to Humboldt Park and, like many of us, work on sorting out their functionally dysfunctional lives. Rodriguez plays a Marine with a heart of gold returning from a tour in Iraq while John Leguizamo has signed on to play his go-get-'em Manhattan-lawyer brother. While the film promises to entertain and is filled with laughs, it's not all fun and games, as one question it poses is: What happens when the family you thought you could always fall back on begins to change? Even Chicagoans will have to wait and see.


Megan and Noah contemplating Scrabble


FRANCES! I CHALLENGE YOUR USE OF THE WORD "TRON!!!!"


Noah, Frances, and Megan understand that drinking makes Scrabble interesting


Noah changes things up with Chutes and Ladders.


One of many recent snow storms in Chicago


Katherine, our Georgia Peach, is excited about snow and we gave he instructions on how to build a proper snowman at Goldies.


Nick throws the best Halloween parties. Too bad I showed up fully dressed the day after...


She's a quick learner.


Katherine and Nick


MORE SNOW!! AND MORE COMING TONIGHT!!!

That's it and thanks to Megan for letting me use her camera and all others who offered.

Mike