DISPATCHES FROM THE GHOST MOOSE

Here we are - the last day of February.  and we woke up to everything coated in ice.  I couldn't even scrape my windshield, it was so thick.  Good riddance to February and its snowfall record. My son left his facebook account open on the home computer.  I was looking at all the postings on his home page, most from kids from school.  their world is so innocent and uncomplicated.  I look at what I am posting on a daily basis on this blog - all my gloom and doom stories.  My negative opinions about our elected officials.  My prediction of a world war based on debt....Contrast that with what a high schooler considers important....calling each other gay, professing their love or contempt for each other, trash talking...Such a simpler time.  And since my son always seems infinitely happier than I, I believe therein lies a lesson.  but, when you get to 52 yrs old, I guess we get conditioned to look at the negative side of everything, as that a...

2 days left until March.  In like a lion, out like a lamb.  let's hope. I went for a haircut this morning, and as I usually do, went to Dick's Sporting Goods next door to the barber.  I bought a bunch of fishing lures and a dozen golf balls. So, between today's purchases and the plants I ordered last month, I am ready for spring.  Ready for warmer weather, and for longer days.  With March almost here, those days are right around the corner. Taking my son to extend his health club membership from a seven day pass to a full membership. I should probably sign up myself and get started on a program...but I probably won't.  At this point, it would be a waste of money.  But, one of these days I vow to commit and start going.  if for no other reason than to sit in the steam room.   Monday awaits.

Went to the grocery store, WalMart, and the gas station ($3.55/gal).  I am now $200 lighter than I was when I woke up today.  I remember in 2008, a week after I got laid off, Katrina hit.  My son and I were driving to his football game and gas was $3.75/gal.  About 2 hours later, gas at the same station was $4.27/gallon.  The  same gas had been increased by over 50 cents per gallon in a 2 hour period.  These days, unrest in Libya, a country that supplies 7/10 of one percent of our oil has caused the price at the pump to increase by a quarter per gallon.  Is there any wonder the oil companies are getting filthy rich by screwing us over? The state budget crisis (you thought I would mention that Illinois is the most poorly run state in the country, didn't you?) continues to get significant press....funding to programs being cut, extracurricular programs being eliminated....but no cuts to the $80 billion pension commitment.  Let's continue to pe...

this month is really flying by.  I worked in the Loop for 17 years - from 1985 to 2002.  I that time, I worked all over - from the south loop to river north, and from the lake to wacker.  in those years, I knew the loop like the back of my hand.   every restaurant, every building being built - all of it.  I have been downtown a few times over the years since.  I drove there yesterday for a meeting and had some time to walk around before my presentation.  so much has changed.  new buildings everywhere, new stores in those buildings....I used to feel like I belonged there, but no more.  Now, I don't miss working down there at all - 90 minutes each way on the best of days, all the hustle and bustle, being a slave to a train schedule.  But, life goes on.... so, a person at the meeting brought a 12 pack of corona for me and for a manager on my team. this was to thank us for helping out on various projects.  so, I had a box of...

A week from today will be March 2...Feb does fly by.  there was a story in the Daily Herald today that a cook county commissioner wanted the 40% pay raise given to Preckwinkle's friend be rescinded.  the justification given for this raise was that she was performing extra duties because several positions had been eliminated.  so, as she cuts positions, can those who are not cut expect 40% raises?  Now look at the corporate world - as jobs are cut, those not cut are expected to do their work, plus the work of those laid off.  With no raise.  and with no ridiculous pension...but in the govt sector, such graft is to be expected, and rewarded.  new administration, same crooks.  I like the quote yesterday the the governor of Wisconsin: "according to the unions, there are 2 groups: those pulling in ridiculous pensions and benefits and those who are paying for them".  but, it looks like the tolerance of those of us who have been fleeced into payi...

Busy, busy. I saw an article a few weeks ago that gas would be $4/gallon by Easter, and higher this spring.  Well, the unrest in Libya, where we get .7 of 1% of our oil, has caused gas to go up 8.5% today.  One day.  Another case of the commodity markets being rigged.  And those responsbile for rigging the markets will enrich themselves with no chance of recrimination whatsoever.  Here's a link to an article about the financial market you will probably find infuriating http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-isnt-wall-street-in-jail-20110216 It is just amazing that fraud like this goes on unpunished.  it is actually rewarded. oh - Illinois (the most poorly run state in the country) today cut all funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation.  But no action yet on the $78 billion pension problem.  On the news today there was someone taking about the Chicago mayoral election.  He quoted Daley as saying that in order to address the p...

Dreary, gray day.  supposed to snow today too.  enough already. I got a kick out of the comments from the senators talking about a shutdown of the government.  and that spending on programs such as social security would have to be looked at....so, we are not given the same consideration as pensioneers - the state constitution protects their pension.  the state constitution guarantees that they should be able to collect many times the amount they contributed....the Illinois (the most poorly run state in the country) constitution allows for them to collect multiple pensions, and to be fraudulently given raises and bonuses in their last years of employment that will artificially inflate the amount they are scamming us all out of.  But, social security can be messed with.  makes no sense to me.  and it will continue to bother me as long at my tax bills are as unaffordable as they currently are. but, please step away while the big hogs come to eat at th...

What happened to Saturday?  the usual stops - Wal Mart, then 2 different grocery stores to buy whatever is on sale, then the gas station to put 40 bucks in the tank, which is about 3/4 of a tank.  So, every Saturday, I spend about $150 to $200 on the things that you need for the week.  Trying to save a few buck so I can pay the property tax bill - the one that came 6 weeks after the previous one.  Trying to save a few bucks since our Illinois (the most poorly run state in the country) income tax has been increased by 66%.  Trying to save a few bucks since my share of the Illinois pension mess is $3500.  Trying to save a few bucks since I owe the IRS over $1000, since apparently I did not get bled dry enough by them in 2010.  I would imagine I am not alone. Unless you are rich, or have one of those lucrative pensions, you are probably buying the wal mart brand soda instead of coke.  you are buying chicken instead of steak, or frozen pizza instead o...

Two weeks ago there were 4 and 5 foot snow drifts everywhere.  Last Thursday, the car thermometer said 5 below when I drove to work.  Yesterday, the temp was 45 degrees at the same time.  and today, there is quite a bit of grass showing were there were drifts last week.  A 50 degree swing in a week.  Amazing.  In less than 2 weeks, it will be March.  In like a lion, out like a lamb.  or so we hope. The story from Wisconsin was pretty funny - the Dem lawmakers fleeing to Rockford so they didn't have to vote on spending cuts.  What next?  As in, what state is next...what crazy antics will politicians resort to in order to avoid doing what should be/has to be done?  I consider myself reasonable intelligent (and by comparison to our politicians, I am a frickin genius) but I see no way out of the mess many states, and our county in general, are in.  We have gotten beyond the point where those in office can put on a band aid that wi...

A gray day, but the temp is in the upper 50s.  The snow that fell 2 weeks ago is melting, and those ugly piles of black ice are everywhere.  I naively hope this is the end of winter, but we will certainly get dumped on a time or two before we can call it spring.  I threw out the 2 Christmas figurines that were front of the house.  I am a pack rat, and it pains me to toss anything that is remotely usable.  but, out with the old.  I'll have to get something new next year. I continue to be fascinated by the stories about the state budget process.  Yesterdays cuts were to health care for the elderly and for school district funding for bus operations.  and the state will borrow billions more....what's that you ask?  has the pension issue even come onto the radar for discussion???  no.  I would liken this to a household being badly in debt, and attacking the problem by cutting the expenditures on items like toothpicks and paper towels, ...

I'll admit it - I have some Christmas decorations that are still outside the house.  I had 2 woven-reed figurines in front of the house, and couldn't bring myself to throw them out (they have seen better days).  So I left them where they had resided since early December - and was going to take them to the curb (really I was) once I had grieved for them properly.  then the blizzard hit 2 weeks ago.  Now that the snow is melting, I can see the tops of the 2 figures - kind of sad.  I guess once they are exposed enough to pull out of the snow, and I unceremoniously leave them at the curb to be tossed in the garbage truck with all the other trash, I can close the book on what was a very nice holiday season.  Since that will have been about 2 months post Christmas, I suppose that is about time I did so.  soon my plants will be delivered, and I can look forward to planting something where the figurines used to be. A new season of Survivor starts tonight - I...

It was announced yesterday that Gov. Quinn, the governor of the most poorly run state in the country, was ending free rides for senior citizens....a move that will save Illinois, the most poorly run state in the country, $38 million....what's that you say???? the pension issue if somthing like $12 billion????  well, you would be right....$3500 of pension debt for each citizen of Illinois, the most poorly run state in the country.  It would be a good thing to face up to the pension issue, and pronto...but at least we were able to stop the free transit rides for seniors...I feel better knowing that....hey wait...had anyone even asked for the Gov to end those rides....not that I heard.... there was a song by Ten Years After in the late 60s called "I'd Love to Change the World"...the lyric was: I'd love to change the world but I don't know what to do so I'll leave it up to you we have left the changes up to a bunch of self serving crooks. 

Happy Valentines day.  I remember as a kid, making the shoe box for the cards you would be getting.  Before the days of having to have a valentine for everyone in the class so as to not leave anyone out..... I got a real kick out of Gov. Quinn, the governor of the most poorly run state in the country, saying that because of budget problems, it would be a lean year.....did he mean a lean year for people like me, who earn significantly less than they did 5 years ago, and have had the income tax increased by 66%, and have gotten 2 property tax bills in a 6 week period, or does he mean a lean year for the bureaucrats like former Gov. Edgar who gets a pension of over $300 grand per year....or the people who are pulling in a six figure pension from one job they retired from while working another 6 figure job?  or perhaps the friend of Toni Preckwinkle, who is getting a raise from $100 grand to $143 grand....while the county is broke??? who is going to feel the pinch of...

One week to go for Daytona.... Last March, I was flying to Phoenix, and watching "The Blind Side" on the plane.  I had the earphones the airline provides, and noticed that every time I looked away from the overhead screen to the magazine I was reading, I could no longer hear what they were saying in the movie...then I realized how much I was relying on reading lips to hear.  Selling t-shirts at about 1000 concerts in my younger days probably contributed to hearing loss, as well as many years of listening to loud music of my own choosing....This morning, I was up early, catching up on the internet reporting of last nights MMA fights, and the dog wanted to be let out.  So, I let him out and chose to stand by the sliding door to wait for him to run back up the stairs and wait to be let in...the reason I chose to stand there was that my back hurts so much getting in and out of chairs, that it was easier to just stand there a few minutes.... The accomodations we make to agin...

A busy day spent doing nothing.  not much, anyway. I saw a story that it has been 10 years since Dale Earnhardt's death at the Daytona 500.  Ten years....Doesn't seem that long ago.  I was thinking of how time flies earlier today.  I went to my son's basketball game, and was going to the grocery store after.  I passed a middle school where I have coached my son's basketball teams in years past.  Now that he is in high school, my coaching days are over.  Occasionally, I pass the elementary school he attended, or the middle school he attended...pretty soon, it will be the high school he ATTENDED...well, that will be in a few years anyway. time does fly...far too fast.  the saying "too soon old, too late smart" makes more sense all the time now.

February marches on....supposed to warm up this weekend.  Hopefully it will melt some of the mountains of snow left from the blizzard last week.  I went ahead and ordered some plants from Michigan Bulb.  so, soon the box will be delivered, and will sit on the workbench in the garage waiting to be planted...and I will plant them and eagerly await them to sprout, grow, flower, wilt, die, and soon we will be back in another snowy winter..but that is jumping ahead too fast...in between, there will be dozens of bbqs, golf games, vacations, fishing trips, football games.....all the dreams conjured up by a box of unplanted bulbs and roots.  can't wait until I get them.

Remember when the US was the symbol of military strength.  the arbiter of the world's disputes, the keeper of peace?  the link to the attached story shows just how far we have fallen.  http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/09/source-saudis-tell-obama-humiliate-mubarak/ the US is still looked at to send our military wherever in the world they are needed.  The rest of the world is pretty cavalier about the loss of US lives, and the money it takes to wage war.  but they are all too willing to enjoy the security and rewards of US lives and money.  the oil continues to flow, the terrorists are engaged in a war in the middle east, and have less opportunity to spread terror overseas....but, now the terms are dictated by the Saudis...the country that contributed the majority of the hijackers to the 911 attacks.  The country that holds us hostage with oil supply.  The US is now answering to both China and the middle east.  Let's hope some of the...

Bitter cold, and a few more days of it.  supposed to warm up some by the weekend.  let's hope so.  Funny how when you get an idea in your head, you instinctively see all the related stories as they hit the media.  I saw an article today that the Illinois speaker is open to reducing the current pension payouts....open???  the one big drag (of many) on the state budget (the worst run state in the country), and he is open to reducing the payouts...how about actually reducing the payouts.  that takes more guts than being open to the concept.  Illinois is a state that is not paying its bills...but has enough money for the big hogs to eat.  there is no more likely outcome than for the state to declare bankruptcy, then to reorganize its debts, like GM did.  You'll see.  and Illinois won't be the only state to do it. the other thing that caught my eye was the mayoral candidates comments on selling naming rights to Soldier Field.  the mone...

Supposed to get much colder.  this winter is really getting old. the super bowl fallout continues - Christina Aguilliara's career will forever be defined by flubbing a line from the Star Spangled Banner.  You would think she would be better prepared for the big stage, but everyone makes a mistake... the todo about the Groupon ad for the Tibetan restaurant is a real joke.  Are we now supposed to have China review all our media to make sure they are not offended by something?  They will own this country soon enough, but until we pass title to them they should just learn to take a joke.  getting back to business as usual at work.  the storm of last week exposed some areas that we need to fortify, and that is what I have begun to do.  Of course, it costs money to prepare for an event that may never happen again, so we shall see where this all goes.  should be an interesting project nonetheless. stay warm. 

The super bowl was pretty entertaining.  the game has morphed into something that involves football, but is polluted by so much commercialism. The opening segment with the reading of the Declaration of Independance was well done, but made me think of some issues in light of the current situation in America: - the principles this country was built upon have led to its demise; our open door policy has led to unchecked immigration and unsustainable entitlement programs - Our willingness to take the rest of the worlds huddled masses has led to Castro emptying his jails and mental institutions under Carter's watch and sending all those wonderful folks to Miami.  Our unwillingness in 2001 to insult a non- American led to someone on the no-fly list being allowed on a plane which was flown into the World Trade Towers.  Just 2 of a few thousand examples of our misplaced largesse andhow is has impacted our country.  Think of it this way: We spend billions enforcin...

More snow.  Not that much, but one of those continuing annoyances that we all wish would end and end soon.  Supposed to get cold, then warm up next weekend.  At this point, I am looking forward to seeing the black piles of ice/snow which only appear after a long period of melting.  I am thinking of ordering a bunch more plants for spring planting.  In all probability, very few will take root and grow, but like the fishing trip that we booked for August, it gives something to look forward to beyond the winter.  Having that box of bulbs and roots on the workbench in the garage is a reminder that there will be things to do once spring has sprung.  I have completed the critical tasks for super bowl preparation - I bought beer and doritos.  I am going to order wings and some other bar food, and will be all set.  My prediction: not much work will be done tomorrow.  as for the game, I could not care less. enjoy the game.

I have been busy today - a few stops at stores, 2 of my son's basketball games and some outside work (mainly walking in the driveway).  Time to catch my breath now.  watching golf from Scottsdale, AZ.  they had frost delays each of the 3 days of the tourney so far.  so, I guess no one is immune to this crappy winter weather.  took the dog for a walk, and it is pretty treacherous - the sidewalk all the way to the end of the block has been shoveled, but is really slippery. I was looking at cnn.com - what passes for news is that Miley Cyrus has gotten her 5th tattoo, Lindsey Lohan has some kind of a beef about a stolen necklace, and Kim Kardashian is doing stupid things that a no talent hack would be doing.  Look at the crap that the media spoon feeds to us as news.  I guess if the media reported on how bad things actually were, we'd have anarchy.  I saw a program last weekend about the 4 major threats to America...debt, nuclear bomb, water and over...

to thank us for enduring the blizzard this week, Mother Nature now sends a cold snap...oh well - March is not far off. I am wiped out today.  the culmination of the weeks activity/craziness has come home to roost.  Looking at the blizzard on Wednesday, and our work that day, I would have it no other way.  Had I been home, I would have been sitting in front of the computer, aimlessly surfing the same web sites, playing game after game of hearts...I would rather be in the middle of the action.  and I was...or at least standing at the ready while the team was in full swing.  Of course, we dealt with a lot of issues yesterday: missing deliveries, late deliveries, etc....and not a single thank you.  I suppose that is a commentary on the fickle nature of clients.  but, as I wrote yesterday, I know what it took to do what was done. There are some that will come join the battle, and some that stand by, do nothing, and walk the battlefield later to bayonet th...

Let's hope some calm is restored after 2 days of mayhem.  The roads are still not great, and the cold will probably keep things really icy. As I wrote yesterday, the weather issues caused us to radically change our processes - basically, getting done whatever we could and trying to stay one step ahead of road or airport closures.  You watch the news, and hear of those disenchanted that Lake Shore Drive was blocked, or that shipments were not moving, or that flights were cancelled.  NEWS BULLETIN - THIS WAS A 30 YEAR STORM. What I saw over the last 2 days was a team of dedicated people who worked late into the night of the blizzard and stayed at a local hotel to be available yesterday....I saw two women with kids at home who stayed at the hotel to be ready for the next days work....I saw 2 guys on my team volunteer to drive some packages to Rockford to get them on a plane so they MIGHT make it to their destination.  These guys didn't know how the roads would b...

What a crazy 2 days.  with the onset of the blizzard, we tried to get our shipments out, only to be thwarted by the FAA shutting down O'Hare.  But, it was really encouraging to see a department made up of a broad cross section of demographics really go all out.  They left work in the middle of the worst blizzard in 30 yrs, and were among the few people to come back to work today to answer the call.  It is nice to be proud of the department you manage.  I suppose, to pat myself on the back, they respond in the manner they have seen me respond.  I have a great manager I work closeley with, and from a team standpoint, we all feel like there is nothing we can't accomplish.  Having worked in many different environments has provided me the opportunity to refine my management skills and my approach.  I guess once you have made enough mistakes, you sometimes make the right call the first time....or perhaps, like a broken clock, I am right twice a da...

Bracing for a blizzard.  Already snowing, and a lot more supposed to be on the way.  I got the jeep out of the garage and am ready. last night, there was a knock at the door at 9 pm.  My next door neighbor, 42 yrs old, having severe chest pains.  my wife called 911 and they came in a matter of minutes....Turns out, he had a heart attack.  42, in good shape, always active....but, his job had just been moved out of state - after getting notice 3 months ago, this was his first week off...and I would imagine the stress of that event was a major contributing factor to the heart attack....I am just sick about that today.  A guy I have spoken with for the last 15 years was now in my house with severe chest pains and no feeling in his arm.  My wife stayed with his kids until 3 am when his wife got home from the hospital...I imagine they were terrified, so it was nice of the wife to stay until their mom was home. when I started writing this blog in 200...