Extra! Extra!

So Ted Kennedy died.

Every morning I eat my breakfast and watch the news. At 6:30am I go up stairs shower and get ready for work. Today was no different.

But today when I got off the train at 8:00am and walked out of Union Station the Tribune guy is yelling "Get your Tribune! Late breaking news on the death of Senator Ted Kennedy!"

Usually this guy is just background noise to my walk, but this time I spun around. What?! Did I hear that right? I was watching the news literally one hour and one half ago. No mention of the death.

Now I know Ted Kennedy did not die between the time I turned off my TV and the time I got off the train. But the news broke and The Tribune had time to print something up and get it out to the guy at Union.

So either A) The Tribune has very fast production time or B) My news media outlet needs to be evaluated.

I suspect that FOX News in the Morning might not be on the pulse of the real late breaking news.

All One! All One! All One!

Dr Bronner's Magic Soap Box. Must see documentary. Think Grey Gardens meets Grizzly Man with soap. Add it to your que. I don't want to give too much away but here is a brief synopsis. First of all if you don't know Dr. Bronner you have probably seen his soap. It's sold at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and even Target now. He is a very eccentric German fellow. He has a jolting German accent and spews his gospel of "All One" harmony on spaceship earth constantly throughout the film. He calls his gospel The Moral ABC. He is a holocaust survivor and mental hospital escapee. Oh and he's blind. Anyway he invented Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap which is a super eco-friendly, organic18 in 1 soap. You can use the soap for anything from washing your hair and body to washing your clothes to mouthwash and deodorant. The movie explores his life and his family that have taken over his company with special attention to his son Ralph, a disciple of sorts who is changing the world one hug and one bottle of soap at a time.

Here is a bit of his gospel. Read this in your best German accent.

Small minds decay! Average minds delay! Great minds teach All-One today! Win Victory-Unity & all stand by you! Delay-divide, all deny you! Remember: The only difference between the brave and the coward, is the brave has an ideal to fight for, such as helping teach the whole Human race the Moral ABC of All-One- God-Faith, lightning-like 6 billion strong & we're All-One! All-One!

I Can't Let It Go

Volleyball update. There are 8 teams in the league and we play each team twice. The first round we finished off 1 and 6. Is that how you say it when you have won one game and lost six? Anyway that's what happened. We are now on round two. We beat the team that we beat last time. Hallelujah!

Last night was the Net Nazis. We already hate them from our first interaction. Steve came up with the strategy to go in and ignore them, just play our own game and not listen to a word they say. They are constantly talking the whole time about anything... what they did last weekend, work stuff, and then the game. Letting us know about any suspect hit or that we may have crossed the net or questioning a call. It is so irritating and hard to ignore. Anyway we lost the first game. I can't remember the score maybe 9-15? The second game we were great. And they were losing it. The game kept going into a tie so it was a long one. We had really long exchanges. And then it happened. I had a great shot that dropped right on the line and their player was out of position. We were cheering and high-fiving, I went back to serve and out of nowhere. This chick from the other side of the court starts saying that it was out! She was playing right front and the ball hit the line on the left middle of the court. The three people from her team who were right there just stood there speechless. Junior asked them for a call and they would not respond. And this chick just kept saying it was out. She was in no position to make that call and no one on her team would say a word. Well not until after the next play when one of the other ladies said to me "You shouldn't have let that happen. You shouldn't let her get away with that. You shouldn't have backed down." I said "Thanks" but what I should have said was "Then you should have stepped up." Anyway we eventually lost 17-19. But the momentum from that shot could have changed the whole game. We were in the lead and just needed one more point to end the game. It was one of those moments that you wish you could relive and do over. I know it's just volleyball but it is so irritating. It was a blatant bad call and we let her get away with it. Later in the game they had a similar shot. They actually thought it was out but it landed perfectly on the line. Of course we called it in and gave them the ball. A couple of them said "Really it was in? Thanks" We can't stoop to their level. It's just wrong. I will have to admit, though, it was hard.

Game three was a waste of time. We were in no mood for them any more. We lost. Our hearts were not into it any more. I am pretty sure no one shook hands with the chick after the game. I know I didn't. I am pretty sure Junior and Jess didn't. And Steve said he barely touched her. Maybe one finger touched her hand.

We were all quiet after the match was over. Cleaned off our feet, drank some water. No one said a word. I think we were afraid to start unleashing our anger in public. One guy from the other team walked over and made point to shake hands with each one of us and tell us what a great game we played. I think he felt the guilt. But it was nice of him to come over. He was really genuine.

If you have any tips on how I can just let this go please let me know. It is still boiling in my belly.

The Tour

The Tour de France is maybe my second favorite thing to watch on TV. It seems boring, 3-4 hours of watching people ride their bikes. If you really get to know it, there is so much more going on here. It's not just a straight up race to the finish.

There are teams and each member has a specific role. A man's career could be hugely successful, but he is strictly a domestique. His job is to ride in front of his leader to block the wind, sacrifice himself to allow the leader to conserve energy. Fall back to the team car and pick up water bottles. Even give up his bike if his leader's bike is destroyed in a crash.

There are competitions with in the race. There are special jerseys which denote a rider’s status. The leader in the time competition wears the yellow jersey, the leader in the sprint competition wears a green jersey, the king of the mountains wears a polka dot jersey, and the best young rider gets a white jersey.

There is etiquette. If your team has the yellow jersey your team is expected to lead the peloton. If the yellow jersey rider falls the race will slow giving him time to catch back up. You never attack when the yellow jersey is down. Never attack if the peloton is near, in or leaving the feeding area. Never attack when a large number are having a bathroom break. (They pee on the fly). There are so many more you will learn if you watch The Tour.

And don't for get the spectators. They line the course days in advance to watch these riders fly by in about 3 seconds. In the mountain stages the riders are slower and the peloton is broken up. Most of the fans have also been drinking for days. They will run along side the riders for as long as they can carrying a flag or screaming encouragement ...or just naked. And the most famous of them all is the The Devil.

But the main reason I watch is the commentating. There are only two men in the world that can make 3-4 hours of watching a bike race interesting, Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett. The hours are filled with wit, analogies and quotes that will be classics for years to come, at least in the cycling community. To be honest nothing is really going on 90% of the time yet they talk the entire time and some how make it interesting. Here are some classics.

"The peloton is passing a field of white cows. This region of France is known for its bovine....Of course, none of that matters to any of the riders, except that they might like a nice steak at the end of day."

"The weather is something of a damp squid"

"The race is no respecter of reputation, your only as good as now".

"He's done his job at the front and now he must concentrate on getting his enormous carcass up the rest of the way"

"Its only a mountain, one of many you can see on this French Country morning, but for 171 young men it would be a place where they would dare to ask themselves the questions of greatness"

"The history of the Tour De France was chiseled into these walls of rock by men willing to ask more of themselves knowing that this time for some, the answers from their bodies would be...no more"

"He's really having to dig deeply into the suitcase of courage"

“He’s reeling them in like a fisherman with a trout on the line”

"Bridge to engine room-more power. There is no more"

Michael Jackson, 1958-2009, The King

Rest in Peace Michael

I found these 50 interesting facts about Michael from the day of his 50th birthday...

1. Jackson's Billie Jean was the first video by a black artist to air on MTV.

2. Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem South Carolina on My Mind, recorded by Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge.

3. Jackson's waxwork features in five Madame Tussauds museums across the world. Only Elvis Presley and Madonna have more Tussaud figures - they have six each.

4. Jackson's total lifetime earnings from royalties, solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million.

5. Jackson has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for radio play, located at 1541 Vine Street, and one for recording at 6927 Hollywood Boulevard.

6. Jackson received a Presidential Humanitarian Award from Ronald Reagan in 1984 for his support of charities helping people overcome alcohol and drug abuse.

7. Michael Jackson is the seventh of nine children.

8. Jackson fought fellow 50 year old Madonna on MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch - he lost.

9. Three of Jackson's albums - Bad, Dangerous and Thriller - are among the bestsellers of all time.

10. Thriller remains the biggest-selling album since records began.

11. Jackson has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.

12. Jackson wears his trademark black armband to remind fans of the suffering of children around the world.

13. Jackson's favourite superhero is Morph from the X-Men.

14.Jackson picked up his iconic moonwalk moves, which he debuted at the Motown 25th Anniversary show in 1983, from streetdancers he spotted performing outside a hotel.

15. MC Hammer once challenged Jackson to a dance-off. He was told to Beat It. Jackson reportedly responded, "I've seen your videos and every single dance move you use, you got off of me."

16. Little Richard wanted Jackson to play him in a biopic.

17. Bubbles the chimp and Ben the rat are two of Jackson's most famous pets, but he also befriended a ram called Mr Tibbs, a python called Crusher and Louie the llama.

18. An obsessed French Jackson superfan committed suicide in 1984 after his mother refused to allow him to undergo surgery to look like the star.

19. In 1984, a U.S. library accused Jackson of owing it over $1 million in overdue book fines. Officials said they would scrap the fines if he returned the books autographed.

20. Jackson dedicated his 1997 Blood On The Dancefloor album to Sir Elton John.

21. Jackson is a vegetarian.

22. Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Jackson 5 on May 6, 1997. He was inducted as a solo artist on March 19, 2001.

23. Jackson once dated Brooke Shields and Tatum O'Neal.

24. Jackson has several media nicknames. They include The Gloved One, Wacko Jacko, Jacko, The King of Pop, and MJ. Close friends call him Smelly!

25. Jackson's music video for Thriller was voted the greatest music video of all time in a recent Channel 4 (UK) poll.

26. Jackson won an MTV Movie Award for Best Movie Song in 1994 for his song Will You Be There from the movie Free Willy.

27. The Scream music video Jackson made with sister Janet is the most expensive promo ever made, costing more than $7 million.

28. Jackson's double album HIStory is the biggest selling double album ever released in the U.S.

29. Jackson's Blood on the Dance Floor is the biggest selling re-mix album of all time.

30. Jackson really is a King in West Africa - he was given a royal title by villagers in Gabon, Ivory Coast in 1992.

31. Jackson's pre-concert ritual includes drinking Ricola candy dissolved in hot water. He claims the beverage helps to keep his throat and his singing voice clear.

32. Jackson owns the patent for a stage shoe device that allows performers to lean forward and appear to defy gravity.

33. Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958. The town is planning a tribute museum to the pop superstar.

34. Movie star Macauley Culkin is godfather to Jackson's two eldest children, Paris and Prince Michael.

35. Culkin helped Jackson design the amusement park at his Neverland Valley Ranch home in California.

36. Lisa Marie Presley's former brother-in-law and his wife were the witnesses at her Dominican Republic wedding to Jackson in 1994.

37. Jackson shares the record for the most Grammy Awards won in one year with Carlos Santana and Norah Jones - they each won eight.

38. Jackson co-wrote charity anthem We Are The World with Lionel Richie.

39. Jackson is godfather to Nicole Richie, Bee Gees star Barry Gibb's son Michael, and Oliver star Mark Lester's kids.

40. Jackson and brother Tito were best men at Liza Minnelli and David Gest's wedding.

41. Jackson's performance during the 1993 SuperBowl half-time show drew the largest TV audience in American history.

42. The directors of Jackson's videos have included Martin Scorsese, John Singleton and John Landis.

43. In 1999 Jackson paid $1.5 for the 1939 Best Picture Oscar, which was presented to producer David O. Selznick for Gone With The Wind.

44. Jackson appeared on a postage stamp in the Virgin Islands in the mid-1980s after locals voted him the superstar they'd most like to honour.

45. An extensive 1997 survey declared Jackson was the Most Famous Person in the World.

46. Jackson helped plan neighbor Gregory Peck's funeral.

47. Jackson once described close friend Elizabeth Taylor as "a warm cuddly blanket that I love to snuggle up to and cover myself with.”

48. Jackson provided a voiceover on The Simpsons - but it remained a secret for 12 years. He voiced a character in a mental institution in the Stark Raving Dad episode, which aired in 1991, but, because of a contractual problem, Jackson had to be credited as John Jay Smith. His contribution to the classic cartoon series remained a rumour among fans until The Simpsons creator Matt Groening confirmed it really was Jackson when the episode was released on DVD in 2003.

49. Jackson shares the same birthday as U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Other celebrities who share Jackson's birthday include moviemakers Sir Richard Attenborough and William Friedkin, and actresses Rebecca DeMornay and Carla Gugino.

50. Jackson's comeback plans have been scuppered by a new online poll - 71 per cent of 59,000 people voting on website PopEater.com answered `Not a chance' to the question 'Can the King of Pop make a comeback?'

Steve's Swim Coach Called at 6:30am

Good Morning Roesslers
This is Coach Walker calling in regards to Stephen Roessler
I was just kind of concerned about his attendance for practice
It is now at the point where he has missed more practices than he has actually gone to
This is concerning to me
I just want to make sure that at the time you think he is here he is not
And I just want to make sure he is not sleeping in the Forest Preserve.

Salad Spinner

A quick update on my homeless friend, I talked to him when he got back from his surgery and he said everything was fine and he felt much better. That's great news. Still have no idea what was wrong.

There is another homeless guy I walk by on my way home. I think he has been around forever. I have NEVER seen him without sunglasses. He has a whole set up with a chair and a big sign (maybe 4 feet x 4 feet). The sign changes sometimes but always has something about feeling Jesus in your heart today or something like that. I thought he was blind since he always wears sunglasses, but one day when I was walking by, I was staring at his sign to take it all in. I figured why not stare he doesn't know. I know, how rude. Well he is not blind cause he asked if I wanted to be saved. I just smiled and said "No Thank You."

Anyway he has been giving me a reason to smile in this cloudy, rainy, cool weather we have been having. For the past couple of weeks his money collecting container is a salad spinner. He doesn't have the top part obviously just the clear plastic part and the colander thing.