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Don’t forget, we’ll be live from Miami, Florida this weekend—okay well Ft. Lauderdale actually, but it’s a very close drive. We’ll be on at our usual time, 6-10am, bringing you the happenings in Florida for the SUPER BOWL BEARS!! Hope you can join us.
Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you know that we will be broadcasting live from the World of Wheels show coming to McCormick Place on Friday, January 26th, from 7-9pm. Come check out some cool cars and swing by the broadcast. Brendan and I will have our hoods popped so you can check out the manly power our mom’s cars are working worth. Hope you can make it.
One thing that sucks about living alone is that you never wake up to find breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen. Nothing is better than bacon and eggs waiting for your consumption. I never get around to making myself breakfast, besides the occasional bowl of cereal. I am currently in possession of a box of Fruity Pebbles. But no milk. Dammit. I think that Fruity Pebbles might be my favorite cereal of all time. I know it would be more mature to choose Total or Honey Bunches of Oats, but I can't live a lie. I don't like them because Fred Flintstone is the spokesman or because of the entertaining, non-challenging games on the back of the box. I've based my decision solely on taste and texture. For me, there is just something utterly delicious about the way the pebbles taste. Plus, the bright colors can illuminate even the gloomiest mornings. And if you eat too much and get sick, you puke a rainbow. It's magical.
For most people, the first cereal you are introduced to is Cheerios. It's one of the first solid foods you eat that isn't manufactured by the Gerber people. I like Cheerios, but it's a cereal that leaves you wanting more. Bland and boring is what comes to mind when I think of regular Cheerios. (This is in no way an indictment of Honey Nut Cheerios, which are a taste sensation.) Unfortunately, up until a certain age, Cheerios are all you know.
That's when advertisers come to your rescue. You've hit age 4 or 5 and you're ready to branch out from Sesame Street or Mister Rogers or whatever PBS shows you've been locked into since you learned to sit upright on your own. The commercial breaks during Saturday morning cartoons open up a whole new world to you. You're bombarded with ads for toys, Disney movies and, yes, sugar-filled cereals. That's about the time I got hooked on Froot Loops. That Toucan Sam was a master salesman. I stuck with the Loops for several years. Fruity Pebbles were also in the mix, as were Frosted Flakes, Cap'n Crunch, Trix and several other flash-in-the-pan cereals that never made it past their first year on the market. The most memorable of those, for me, was Nerds Cereal. Nerds was a high-fructose concoction patterned after the candy of the same name. I became immediately infatuated with Nerds, but it wasn't to be. It didn't last more than a few months on the supermarket pageant. I took it hard. The weaning process was reminiscent of a scene out of "Trainspotting". I held out some hope that the treat might resurface. But, alas, the world wasn't ready for Nerds Cereal.
There were occasionally some circumstances that prevented me from achieving my morning sugar high. The summer before I was to enter the 3rd grade, my cousin and I were sent to spend a few weeks with my aunt and uncle in Boston. Upon our arrival, my aunt informed us that we could choose a few cereals that she would get for us to enjoy during our stay. After a brief conference with my cousin, we compiled a draft board containing our favorite saccharine-laden choices of the moment, complete with contingencies. (E.g. "If they don't have Cocoa Puffs, then we are willing to accept Count Chocula. Cocoa Krispies should only be considered as a last resort.) That's when a harsh reality was thrust upon us. My aunt notified us that this was a healthy cereal house. After the initial shock wore off, we all agreed on Kix, just as the commercial predicted we would. And all was well.
There were also times that I convinced myself that I liked Wheaties, despite the unpleasant taste. This occurred in junior high, when I was trying to be grown-up, and Jordan was on the box cover. (For the record: I also drank Gatorade, bought Nikes and wore Hanes undershirts. Hell, I would've purchased Dentu-Creme if MJ were in the ads.)
Luckily, advertising doesn't affect me much anymore. Nowadays, I choose food strictly due to taste. Now, if you'll excuse me, something is telling me that Carmen Electra would be attracted to me if I get Taco Bell for dinner.
Here’s a shot of my brother, father, and me letting out a sign of relief after the Bears secured a spot in the NFC Championship. I have had the luxury of being able to attend a few ‘high profile’ sporting events in my life, but this is definitely not one I will soon forget. To make it even more enjoyable, our mom attended her first game of the season, sharing in all the emotional ups and downs a game of this caliber is likely to bring about. The good thing about having mom there though, is that she attempts to prepare you for the possible feelings of intense sadness and disappointment in the unlikely event that something might not go our way. I don’t necessarily think her nerves were properly conditioned for the circumstances, as she would frequently grab onto my dad as though the stadium was about to collapse, or cover her eyes during a clutch kick.
To the best of my recollection, I believe it was also her first time involved in a Dahl family pile up. This is our traditional celebration after a huge moment, in which all inhibitions are lost, and we immediately start jumping on each other and aggressively shoving. It doesn’t matter where we are, or who else is around. There is an unsaid element of, “HOLY SHIT! DID YOU SEE THAT!� which is easily read off each of our faces. For those few moments, there is nothing but pure excitement, adrenaline, and shock. These are the types of moments I remember most, as they involve not only the game, but my family as well. For example, I’ll never forget the look on Pat Dahl’s face as we turned to each other after Paul Konerko clubbed his grand slam in Game 2 of the World Series, immediately before our pile up. His jaw was on the floor, and his eyes were as wide as flying saucers. There aren't many things in life which lead to this kind of reaction, but sports are definitely one of them. I am lucky to have memories like these to store, and I do not take them for granted.
I’m sitting in the computer lab at DePaul University currently, attempting to kill some time between classes. The professor from my morning class decided to let the class out 40 minutes earlier, which to most is treat, but not for me. I have a hard time filling empty minutes while on campus, as I don’t enjoy hanging out by the school coffee bar, and the it’s far too cold to check out girls in the quad. In fact, there is a phenomenon at this school most men are familiar with, where hundreds of pretty birds (and I mean ladies), seem to disappear for winter quarter. Maybe they are migrating south, who knows. However, they do return triumphantly each spring, donning their tight white pants and tank tops. It’s really a celebration. That’s when you’ll find me creepily sitting on the quad grass, possibly with my video camera.
My school schedule is a bit heavier right now, because I am still trying to make up for the credits I lost when I accidentally enrolled in Chorus for a quarter. I figured the class would be a slam-dunk, which it was, and the credits earned reflected that-only one of four needed. Now, I have to take one more class each quarter until I graduate, which is a nagging reminder of my previous choral mistakes. But, don’t start thinking I’m taking anything too academic. My extra class this quarter is “First Aid and Emergency Response�, which in reality may be one of my most practical courses this quarter. The teacher is kind of hot too, so I’m hoping for a chance to demonstrate my keen abilities for opening up airways and chest compressions. Well, my friends, I must press on to “Police in Chicago�, which is as close as I can get to one of my favorite shows, ‘COPS’, while at school. That way when I’m engaging in another all day 'COPS' marathon, I can call it studying. Genius, I know.