Mike’s Blog: What’s Not To Like?

Today is June 1st and the Cubs have the best win-loss record in Major League Baseball. 

Coinciding with yet another one penny postage rate increase, the US Postal Service today has issued a Frank Sinatra commemorative 42 cent stamp.  I’m glad to see Ol’ Blue Eyes perched on my outgoing bills, but why can’t the USPS simply raise the cost of a First Class letter by a nickle and leave us alone for five years?  They can call it “5-for5″ since they seem to getting more marketing savvy these days.

Now I have an envelope (how appropriate) full of various denominations of stamps and “make-up” stamps from which to try and assemble 42 cents for postage. Is this their way to make up budget deficits, by counting on me/us to over pay for postage because we don’t have exactly 42 cents in stamps? It changes so often - being honest here - I feel uneasy about not knowing the cost to mail a letter.  Let’s just call it 45 cents and no changes until 2013, ok?

 Meantime, here is the most excellent Frank stamp:

On Sunday my boy Ryan turns 5 years old.  Today I went out and bought him (sshhh - its a birthday gift!) his first leather baseball mitt and (aluminum) bat!  Its hard to describe to those who might not be fans of baseball, but it felt like a rite of passage getting him his first official equipment.  He likes playing ball of all types, throws lefty (=meal ticket baby!), and swings a confident whiffle bat.  But something about getting the actual gear for him made me feel quite proud and excited.  What is not so clear is whether or not he will be as excited as I am.  As a parent, I know I have to let go of any attachment to his likes & dislikes just give him the choices to make and support his chosen path. 

This was a marvelous experience I won’t soon forget.  I’m such an old softie…

Happy Earth Day to you,

Happy Earth Day to you,

Happy Earth Day dear Mother Ear-rrrth…

Happy Earth Day to you!

This evening and tomorrow, the Cubs play exhibition games in Las Vegas as a final tune-up before opening day on Monday. They’ve done this for a few years now.  So why is it I’m not there?

 Cubs + Vegas = MIKE!  Right??

Oh, did I mention I shaved my goatee on my last day in Vegas a few weeks ago?  I figured that since I grew it during my June 07 Vegas trip, it seemed fitting to shave it while in Vegas too.  Here’s how it went - photos taken in my Signature Marble Bathroom in the Augusus Tower at Caesars Palace on 2/28/08:

As a kid I attended several St Patricks Day parades in downtown Chicago.  I was usually walking in the parade as part of the 49th Ward Democratic Organization, Neil F. Hartigan Commiteeman.  That idea always looked better on paper than in reality as inevitably a cold steady rain would be part of my experience.  Still, was always a thrill to see the odd tradition of members of the plumbers union dyeing the Chicago river green.  As I recall the dye was an orange powder that they dumped off the back of a motor boat and zipped around in figure-eights to stir it in.

Yes, all of us in the Midwest are D-O-N-E with this winter.  We are looking for signs, no matter how irrational or improbable, that Spring is coming. For me, I found this one today; our lucky garden gnome has emerged from his ice castle!

Guilty as charged. I am apparently not in the minority in how I chose to spend the “extra” 24 hours provided by this 366-day Leap Year.

 This blog post intrigued me…

“If only there were more hours in the day!” Get ready, you’re about to get your wish! That’s right, it’s Leap Day! February 29th. An extra 24 hours that you don’t have to steal or squirrel away. So we got to wondering, what would savvy, intelligent and entrepreneurially minded movers and shakers do with an extra day? 

Read more: http://www.elance.com/p/trackback/2253

Evidence I’m getting old…  I come to my room about 9:30 last night to “freshen up” a bit. My room at Caesars overlooks the Bellagio fountains and South Strip. So I sit on the sofa to enjoy the view for a few minutes and promplty fall asleep by 10pm. I wake about 2:15am and decide to take off my clothes and officially retire for the evening.

 The good news is I have a massage scheduled for 9am today and now have time to get in a good (gym) workout before hand!

My values are changing.