Archive for November 2015

Menagerie à Trois: Almost As Much Fun As It Sounds

We gotta get out of this place… …if it’s the last thing we ever do. The Animals-1965 You all remember Max . Our 90 pound multi-breed will greet you at the door with his Irish Wolf Hound-like smile, a loud but friendly bark, and a demand to be loved. He is Barb’s shadow, though happiest when I... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 29, 2015 at 7:45 am • 

We Want To Be On HGTV Too!

Shiny happy people… …holding hands. R.E.M., 1991 I stepped on to the elliptical at the health club, turned on my iTunes, and was about to slip on my headphones when I glanced at the television sets hanging on the front wall. A game show on the left, “The View” on the right, but in the middle–there they were. The damn... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 24, 2015 at 8:51 am • 

Getting Serious about a Bad Medicare Recommendation

Frank Zappa and the Mothers Were at the best place around In Memory of Frank Zappa Prostate Cancer Victim Yes, we got a site permit. Yes, a construction fence is up, though I have not seen it yet, and by the time I get to our lot it may be buried by snow. But that... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 20, 2015 at 9:19 am • 
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What Looked Like a Step Forward Becomes a Step Back

I’m fixing a hole… …were the rain gets in. The Beatles, 1967 First some clean up from our last blog post. A mea culpa is in order. In this world of instant gratification, I had assumed that since I had ordered my razor blades three weeks ago, they must have arrived already. I assumed that... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 18, 2015 at 10:21 am • 

Why a Good Wife is Better than a Pack of Razor Blades

Look through any window… …what do you see? The Hollies, 1965     Sunday morning in the Raff home. Me: I can’t find the new razor blades I ordered on line. I am pretty sure they came last week. Barb: Where did you look? Me: Everywhere. Sunday evening, bed time. Barb: Why did you order... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 16, 2015 at 10:29 am • 

Food for Thought--37 Years of a Great Wife and Great Chicago Restaurants

Food glorious food… …hot sausage and mustard Oliver!–Lionel Bart, 1960 Not much on the housing front this week, but today is a special day. Barb and I are celebrating our  wedding anniversary! We have been married since 1978, and for thirty seven years we have used our anniversary as a chance to indulge ourselves.  Travel... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 12, 2015 at 7:01 am • 
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First "Doctors without Borders", Now "Pathologists without Houses"

All in all it’s just… …another brick in the wall Pink Floyd–1979 WARNING–PARODY ALERT–WARNING–PARODY ALERT–WARNING (The following script for a never recorded television advertisement for “Pathologists without Houses” was discovered in a drainage ditch somewhere in Chicagoland.) Narrator speaking in hushed tones with an upper class British accent: This is a lot in suburban Chicago.... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 10, 2015 at 6:43 am • 

Five Things We Get From Our Parents

Isn’t it ironic… …don’t you think? Alanis Morissette-1995 There is a bit of hoopla this year about the 20th anniversary of the release of “Jagged Little Pill,” the Alanis Morisssette album that, at least for awhile, turned the young singer-songwriter into a superstar. Laury was 9 at the time and wanted to buy the album,... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 7, 2015 at 7:25 am • 

This Blog is Based on True Events--Really!

True colors are beautiful… …Like a rainbow Cyndi Lauper–1986 Been to a movie lately? It seems every time Barb and I go to the show, the film has opened with some variation of the “Based on True Events” tag. I interpret the phrase to mean the screenwriter has taken one  fact, factoid, or grain of... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 5, 2015 at 7:03 am • 
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If You are A Parent, or Have Ever Had One--The Forever Plan is for You

And don’t it seem like a long time… …seem like a long time… …seem like a long, long time. Rod Stewart–1971 I am not sure if it quite qualifies as my favorite album, but Mod Rod’s masterpiece is the only recording I have ever bought in both the vinyl and CD versions. The album lays... Read more »
By lesraff,
November 3, 2015 at 7:28 am •