Thanksgiving Weekend: Sunnyside, NIU, Donovan's Reef, T-Giving, McTurkey, Da Bears, Da 'Vacation'

**  TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23

We went to Sunnyside to watch the last NIU regular season football game since we don't get ESPNU.  Northern was blown out.  

**  WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24

Went to Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes to have the pre-T party.

**  THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25   THANKSGIVING

We had thoughts of eating at the Grand Buffet Chinese place in McHenry, but they were closed so ended up having the McTurkey at McDonald's.  (Well, actually the McDouble Bundle of fries and sandwich for $3.)

Watched the Bears "beat up" on the winless Detroit Lions 16-14 to run up the record for the season to 4-7.  Well,, at least it was a win and snapped a 5 game losing streak.

Came home and enjoyed three of the "Vacation" movies, some of my favorites.  The only one I didn't see  was Christmas Vacation."

--RoadDog

THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO SAY:  I'll try to be nicer if you try to be smarter.

Past Movie Scratches (See If You Can Guess These Movies): Crusade-- Vacation-- Express-- Scrooged-- McPhee-- Feet

Past Movie Scratches--  Movies I watched on TV in 2019.  Sure going to have a lot of these for 2020 because of you-know-what.

A Dog's Eye View of the movies.

97.  INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE--  12-3--  "Don't call me Junior."  "Nazis, I hate those guys."  "X" doesn't mark the spot.

98.  CHRISTMAS VACATION--  12-4--  Just imagine living next door to Clark Griswold.   Even if you're not a snooty yuppy.

99.  POLAR EXPRESS--  12-6--  "We're on a tight schedule" and what a ticket punch.  You've got to believe to hear that bell. 

100.  SCROOGED--  12-8--  Loved the Ghost of Christmas Past and Christmas Present.  Christmas Present could really hurt you, but Christmas Future scared me.

101.  NANCY McPHEE--  12-9--  "I did knock."  A "government nanny?"  Squares the kids up with the 5 Lessons and then there were the facial changes.

102.  HAPPY FEET--  12-10--  I can't stop dancing.  Great music and the choreography of those animated penguins!!    Mumbles couldn't sing, but sure saved the day.

"Christmas Vacation" Is My Second Favorite Christmas Movie.  --RoadLights

THINGS TO PONDER:  Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?

Past Movie Scratches: Vacation-- European-- Gremlin-- Christmas-- Vegas-- Azkaban

Past Movie Scratches--  Movies I saw on TV in 2019.

85.  VACATION--  11-25-- Hitting the road in the family Truxter (Truckster?).  But, poor Aunt Edna and her little doggie don't make it all he way.   "How much you got?"

86.  EUROPEAN VACATION--  11-11-25--  Clark pretty well destroys Europe, unintentionally, of course.  Goodbye Stonehenge and the riot at Oktoberfest.

87.  GREMLIN--  11-25--  Those Gremlins were having way too much fun in that bar.

88.  CHRISTMAS VACATION--  11-26--  If anything can go wrong with Clark's good old-fashioned family Christmas, it does.

89.  VEGAS VACATION--  11-26--  It's Clark vs. the blackjack dealer while the rest of the family does well.  Clark, not so well.

90.  HARRY POTTER:  PRISONER OF AZKABAN--  11-28--  Sirius Black is on Harry's side and was a good friend of his parents.  Meet the Dementors.  All those flying witches or whatever they are and their bad sucking attitudes.

Waiting for the Commercial Breaks.  --RoadDog

TRIVIA:  What Texas band had a hit with 1984's "Legs?"  

ZZ Top

Past Movie Scratches: Top-- Star-- Star-- Christmas-- Elf-- Planes

Past Movie Scratches--  Movies I saw on TV in 2018.

97.  TOP GUN-- 12-15--  Flying upside-down and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."

98.  STAR WARS:  RETURN OF THE JEDI--  12-16--  Ewoks to the rescue.  Luke gets his father back.

99.  STAR WARS:  THE FORCE AWAKENS--  12-16--  Now it's the First Order and Kylo  Ren vs. BB-8, Rey and Finn.

100.  CHRISTMAS VACATION--  12-17--   Cousin Eddie's heart is bigger than his brain.

101.  ELF--  12-18--    Beware the central Par Rangers.  Reminds me of the horsemen after Frodo or mounted guys chasing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  "I'll have some syrup with that."

102.  PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES--  12-19--  We all agree, one of the funniest movies ever and without all those "F" bombs now used to make people laugh.  That poor, poor car.

Those Last Three Movies.  Very, Very Funny.  --RoadHaHa

DID YOU KNOW:  Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button.  It was eliminated when he was sewn up after surgery.

A Dickens Christmas, Chili Cookoff and Top Christmas Movies

DECEMBER 13, THURSDAY--  Finished putting up Christmas decorations.  Movie "The Possession of Hannah Grace"  Subdivision decorations and "Miracle on 34th Street."

DECEMBER 14, FRIDAY--  Legion for 50-50.

DECEMBER 15, SATURDAY--  "It's a Wonderful Life" Antioch's Dickens Christmas with statues along the streets.    Stores and the Lodge.  Sunnyside in Johnsburg.

DECEMBER 16, Sunday--  Fox Lake American Legion for Bears game (Win). Also, chili cookoff.  I love chili cookoffs.

I now am missing just one of my top four Christmas movies and that is "A Christmas Story," but I know TNT and TBS will have their marathon Christmas Eve and Day so am not worried.

My Top 4 Christmas Movies:

#1 .  "A Christmas Story"
#2.   "Christmas Vacation"
#3.   "It's A Wonderful Life"
#4.   "Miracle On 34th Street"

--RoadDog

FOOD COMMENTS:  "I told my doctor I get very tired when I go on a diet, so he gave me some pep pills.   Know what happened?   I ate faster,"    Joe E. Lewis

Root Saluting the Summer of 2016-- Part 3: "California Girls"

And, don't forget that Bob Stroud will be going back to the Summer of 1976 on his Rock and Roll Roots Show on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM this Sunday from 7 to 8 a.m. CDST.  It streams on www.wdrv.com.

VENTURA HIGHWAY--  America
SUMMER IN THE CITY--  Lovin' Spoonful
SATURDAY IN THE PARK--  Chicago

MR. BLUE SKY--  ELO
DO IT AGAIN--  Beach Boys
CRUISIN' MUSIC--  Raspberries

IN THE SUMMERTIME--  Mungo Jerry  (My all-time favorite summer song.  I'd like to be the one going, "Chh, Chh, Chh.")
BUS STOP--  Hollies
SUMMER BREEZE--  Isley Brothers

RACING IN THE STREET--  Bruce Springsteen
CALIFORNIA GIRLS--  Beach Boys
SUMMER--  War

Now, if this doesn't get you in the mood, nothing will.

Name That Tune:  "I Think It Was the Fourth of July."  --RoadDog



"Saturday in the Park"

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

I am getting into the Christmas spirit even if 144 years ago a Union fleet was commencing one of the biggest bombardments ever in history up until that time on Fort Fisher, guarding Wilmington, North Carolina.

Earlier today, General "Beast" Butler had exploded a ship loaded with powder in an effort to knock the earthen walls of the fort down, but had not succeeded in much more than waking the garrison up.

The date, December 24, 1864.


"A CHRISTMAS STORY"

I'm getting set to watch this movie a couple times on TBS. I have been writing a lot about the house featured in the story in my travel blog:

http://roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com

I see that AMC is running a "Christmas Vacation" marathon this year. No doubt cashing in on the success of TBS. I'll see that one at least once as well. Go squirrel, Go little squirrel!!!


FESTIVUS

According to the Chicago Tribune, we missed it. It was Wednesday. Was it George or Kramer's family holiday on that Seinfeld episode?

You can get a 6-foot Festivus tree at festivuspoles.com out of Milwaukee for $39. Such a deal.

Happy Festivus to You and Yours. Let us now have the airing of grievances.

Desperately Seeking Egg Nog, But Will Settle for Irish Cream. --RoadDog


Military Humor: You might be a Taliban if you wipe your butt with your hand but consider bacon unclean.

Top Christmas Movies

Two other sites I visited with top Christmas movies and rankings.

Yahoo top searched movies 2007.

#3 A Christmas Story

#15 It's a Wonderful Life

#16 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation


Moviefone's top 25 all-time Christmas movies

#21 Gremlins-- forgot about this one. Definitely hilarious.

#10 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation--1989

#2 It's a Wonderful Life--1946

#1 A Christmas Story--1983

On my Third Viewing of A Christmas Story Now. --RoadDog

And, My Top Three Christmas Movies Are...

I generally like all of the Christmas movies, but I do have a Top Three.

#3 is "It's a Wonderful Life"-- that ending always gets to me.

#2 is "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"-- I can't help but thing of old Clark Griswald while trying to connect all those lights and then not having them go on.

And my all-time favorite Christmas movie is....

"A Christmas Story." I can just watch this over and over and over. Come to think of it, TBS has just started the 24-hour marathon!!!! I'll see it at least twice. And I won't put my eye out!!!

I Triple Dog Dare You... --RoadDog