A Busy Weekend-- Part 1: President George H.W. Bush, Memories and Movies

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6

Wrote about yesterday's funeral for our 41st President, George H.W. Bush, in all of my blogs.

Bob Stroud went to 1971 for his Ten at Ten.  A great year of music for me as I was at UGA for the first half and NIU the second half.  My high school and college years are still my favorite for music  That would be 1965 to 1973.    I always pick a favorite song of the ten, usually ones that bring back a memory.

However, today, I had to pick two.  "Reeling In the Years" by Steely Dan always reminds me of driving the famous "Ramblin' Wreck," my 1963 puke green Rambler station wagon back and forth between Palatine and Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, during my student teaching.  The other song is Pure Prairie League's "Amy."  However, Bob  pointed out that it was released in 1972 but didn't get popular until 1975, when I really liked it.

Drove to Round Lake Beach and saw two movies at Regal Cinemas:  "Widows" and "Overlord."  I am trying to reach my yearly goal of 52 movies seen in theaters and have a bunch to go and running out of time.  Both great movies.  And, Regal Cinemas has $6 tickets, a free mall bag of popcorn ($2 for a large tub), $2 drinks and best of all, $2 Nathan's hot dogs all day Monday to Thursday..

Ate at Hardee's in RLB.  We don't have many Hardee's here in northern Illinois.  Try their double sliders.  Sorry White Castle.

--RoadDog

POLITICALLY INCORRECT CHRISTMAS SONGS:  "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"    Bullying.

Where Were You October 4, 1968?-- Part 1

As is his current custom, Bob Stroud went on a Time Warp at the beginning of the month, this time back to the date in 1968 and then skipped ahead five years to 1973.

On October 4, 1968, I was a Senior at Palatine (technically Township) High School in Palatine, Illinois, and thoroughly enjoying my year as Top Dog. I was sports editor of the school newspaper, the Cutlass, as well as the yearbook. I did not get along too well with the advisor. She especially disliked me after I "hired" buddies Jerry and Kevin to fill out the newspaper sports staff. They'd had a run-in with her junior year and had been "fired forever." Both Kevin and Jerry went on to careers in journalism.

I had "assigned" myself the football beat and we had the best year since 1965, finishing 7-2, with just losses to Arlington and Wheeling. We had been so bad the previous two years, we played in a lot of homecomings and messed them up for the respective schools. AND, even better, we BEAT arch rival Fremd.

Fremd was even more rivalry, because our class had gone there freshman year 1965-1966, so we had lots of friends from that school. That is, friends unless we played them.

I was going steady with Liz, who I ended up marrying and am still married to her. She had my class ring and ID bracelet, and I wore her ring.

Music Coming Up Next. --RoadDog