Hizzoner


Beverly Arts Center Playbill

I really love Chicago and I love theater. So, if there’s a play about Chicago, I will go see it. And that’s why I went to see Hizzoner, Daley the First at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St, Chicago, IL 60655. Yes, gentle reader, there are theaters on the south side! I was lucky enough to get tickets because they sold fast, and all the dates were sold out almost immediately.

Hizzoner was written by Neil Giuntoli who also stars as Richard the First very convincingly. Neil is a talented writer and actor who captures the persona of Daley very accurately. So much so, that some of the audience members began speaking to him at times as if he were the actual Mayor Daley. Of course, Neil responded as if he were the actual Mayor Daley. And he was quite witty, too.

Growing up, Mayor Richard J. Daley was the only Chicago Mayor that I knew. Da Mare would show up to some of our park district events and we got to see him in person occasionally. So, when he died, I was a bit shocked.

As a bonus to seeing the play on the south side, I met some of my previous acquaintances. For example, I had gone to the birthday party of a Chicago police officer the night before and I met a couple at the play who was also at the party. I also met my former 18th Ward Alderman Thomas Murphy who is now a judge. I was pleasantly surprised that he remembered me because I only met him a few times. For Halloween, I would take my sons to Trick or Treat at his ward office, which was right next door to his law office. Once he told me, “Go next door. They have better candy there.” And when we went next door, he was there, too, passing out candy.

DDR

Ladybugs


This pencil is pointing at a ladybug.

I will always remember my house as the house of the ladybugs.

I bought this house in Beverly on August 25, 2003, and moved in immediately. Within days, hundreds of ladybugs moved in with me. My cousin told me that they’re good luck. But I bet the ladybugs would disagree because most of them starved to death.

Every summer, I see ladybugs in my house. Sometimes they’re still alive, but mostly I see them after they die from being burned by light bulbs. I think that they entered my house when I moved in and now they breed somewhere inside my house. I didn’t see very many ladybugs outside this year. In fact, I don’t recall seeing any at all outside.

Each year I see less and less ladybugs in my house. Actually, I don’t mind seeing the ladybugs since I don’t have any pets. However much I like them, I end up flushing them down the toilet.

DDR

My Halloween “costume”


Great America, Gurnee, Illinois

Okay, despite the fact that I really love Halloween, I really hate to put on a costume. I enjoy watching others wear costumes and I love going to Halloween parties. But I don’t like to pretend to be someone I’m not.

I went to my cousin’s Halloween party even though I didn’t want to dress up. She always insists that everyone wear a costume, so I didn’t want to disappoint her.  I also decided not to buy a costume even though I couldn’t think of one to make.

My girlfriend offered many helpful suggestions, but I didn’t like any. Finally, an idea struck me, like a pumpkin striking my head. I took a white plastic garbage bag that I would wear over my body and I taped some children’s artwork on it, I put a grocery list on it too, and put some of the magnets from my refrigerator on it. I must admit that all that thinking and taping for a whole five minutes totally exhausted me!

When I got to the Halloween party, everyone kept asking me what I was supposed to be. Would you believe that not one person guessed that I was supposed to be a refrigerator? However, I believe that I was asked the most questions than anyone else about my costume was supposed to be.

Needless to say, I didn’t win the costume contest!

DDR

My one superstition


Photo by David Bartus on Pexels.com

I’m not a superstitious person by nature. However, I truly believe that it’s bad luck to talk about car accidents while driving. I’ve already had two car accidents while talking about car accidents while driving. Both cars were totaled. So if you’re ever in a car with me, don’t talk about car accidents. If you do, I will tell you to shut up. If you continue talking about car accidents, I will punch you. If we then get into a car accident, that will prove my that my superstition is true. All because you were talking about car accidents!

DDR

Little Caesar’s sign guy


He’s tireless. And that’s what makes him a great salesman.

He stands on the corner of 103rd Street and Western Avenue perpetually waving his $5 Hot ‘n’ Ready Pizza sign. He wears a baseball cap over his gray hair, but he’s much more energetic than his age would indicate. He’s effective because he makes eye contact with potential customers driving by. I’ve bought a few pizzas because of him. My sons see him and immediately want me to go into the mini strip mall parking lot as the sign guy points the way.

Whenever he’s not there, his younger substitutes aren’t as effective or as tireless as the regular sign guy. One day as I drove past Little Caesar’s, I missed him when I didn’t see him out there hawking pizzas. But then, as I drove past 103rd Street and Kedzie Avenue, I saw the sign guy holding a different sign and directing future customers into the gas station on the corner!

DDR