Twas a dark day in Dallas, November ’63
A day that will live on in infamy
President Kennedy was a-ridin’ high
Good day to be livin’ and a good day to die

November 22, 1963. President John F. Kennedy is shot to death in Dallas, Texas. Everyone from my generation can give you a detailed account of where they were on this day. I was in sixth grade, at recess after lunch, when we first heard of the shooting. An hour later, my class was watching as NBC’s Frank McGee announced the death of the President.

On this date, Bob Dylan is a twenty-two year old folk singer. He’s at the start of a legendary career. Like everyone else, the way he looked at his life, and the world, changed on that November day. Almost sixty years later, Bob Dylan writes about the day that does live in infamy.

A month ago today, Dylan released “Rough and Rowdy Ways.” Now seventy-nine years old, it’s his thirty-ninth studio album and his first of new music since 2012’s “Tempest.” The reviews have been wonderful. Some have claimed it’s his best work since “Blood on the Tracks.” While many of his contemporaries stopped creating new music years ago, it’s uplifting to see that at his age, Bob Dylan still has plenty to say….plenty he wants us to learn. It’s certainly a pleasant and unexpected change from his last three releases of standard tunes.

Although there’s more speaking than singing, Dylan’s voice sounds better than it’s been in years. The music is lovely and the lyrics are accessible. and It’s easy to follow along. It’s a straight forward record. You don’t need to spend a lot of time trying to read between the lines deciphering what he really means to say. It’s well worth the seventy-five minutes of your time to give it a listen.

The jewel of the album is “Murder Most Foul.” It starts by telling the details of the Kennedy assassination and then moves forward into the pop culture of the music that followed. From JFK and LBJ to the Beatles, Woodstock and Altamont. He’ll ask if Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby know the truth about that weekend in Dallas; then out of nowhere asks The Who, if Tommy can hear him. Among others getting a shout out are members of the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, as well as Jazz legends Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk.

Back and forth, up and down, “Murder Most Foul” is a seventeen minute roller coaster ride. Yes, you read that right. It’s the longest song of Dylan’s career, but even for those of us with attention span issues, the time flies by.

I admit that I’m not the biggest Bob Dylan fan. I like his songs, but I like them better when they’re done by other artists. But there’s something about “Murder Most Foul” that gets to me and gets to me deeply. I think most of the baby boomer generation will get the same feels.

Play “Love Me Or Leave Me” by the great Bud Powell
Play “The Blood-stained Banner”
Play “Murder Most Foul”

Related Post: Neil Young “Homegrown”: Four decades later, the music is timeless

Related Post: 50 years ago today-Memories of the JFK assassination

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Hector is a 13-year-old, gentle, sweet, easy to walk, 14-pound, male tan Shih Tzu/Silky Terrier-mix looking for a loving guardian.

Little Hector sleeps on a cushy dog bed for most of the day. He loves his walks and has a happy pep in his step. He easily goes up and down stairs. But, he never gets on beds or other furniture.

He is absolutely fine with most other dogs and completely ignores cats.

Hector wears a belly band in the home because he needs to pee quite often.

He had his remaining four teeth cleaned a couple weeks ago and had the rest extracted. He is just about deaf, neutered, up-to-date on vaccines, microchipped, heartworm tested negative and on monthly prevention.

His adoption fee of $200 benefits the Friends of Petraits Rescue and includes his leash, collar, bed, belly bands and favorite food.

To meet and possibly adopt Hector, please e-mail [email protected] for an adoption application.

He is currently being fostered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood.

In the dozen or so years I’ve been a Chicago Greeter, my tours have stayed near the lakefront — the Loop, the South Loop, Prairie Avenue, Andersonville, Argyle Street, Graceland Cemetery, Lincoln Park Zoo. It’s familiar territory, since I’ve lived within walking distance of the lake for nearly 30 years and rarely venture west of Ashland Avenue.

Recently reading The Chicago Bungalow, a book published by the then Chicago Architecture Foundation in 2001, made me realize what an incomplete picture I give when talking about the skyscraper as Chicago’s contribution to architecture.

“[T]he Chicago architectural contribution most common to the city is one that is attached to no particular architect or single home but to thousands of them — the Chicago Bungalow,” says the book’s first paragraph.

Now the bungalow, as many of you know, is not unique to Chicago. Basically a modest 1½ story residence with a sloped roof, the style housed working-class families across the country. I grew up in a 1927 bungalow in Joliet. But it differed from the Chicago Bungalow. What makes the Chicago Bungalow deserving of a capital B are certain characteristics, including a brick exterior, an off-center front porch and entrance, and a rectangular shape (narrower than it is long) that fits on a typical Chicago lot.

Given my roots in a bungalow and in the working class, I’m surprised that local bungalows didn’t attract my attention sooner. That’s likely because you have to go outside the lakefront neighborhoods to realize how much they dominate Chicago’s built environment. There are few bungalows in the parts of Chicago that were developed before the first world war. What came to be called “The Bungalow Belt” emerged between 1910 and 1940 in a crescent shape on the outskirts of the central city. More than 80,000 bungalows — one-third of Chicago’s single-family housing stock — went up in areas developed for working-class people seeking to leave the city’s core.

I decided to put together a Chicago Bungalow tour because of their historical significance. Bungalows offered home ownership to the working class for the first time. The simple homes offered affordable comfort. Well-built and sturdy, they had modern conveniences such as plumbing, electricity, and heating; lots of natural light; warmth in the winter; and thoughtful, utilitarian design. Moving into a bungalow meant upward mobility.

While ethnic neighborhoods were characteristic of the inner city, class-based neighborhoods became more common in the Bungalow Belt. Newly constructed bungalows in Portage Park — the neighborhood I chose for a tour — cost between $5,000 and $6,500, which would have been manageable for working-class families in the 1920s, according to The Chicago Bungalow. Insurance companies, building and loan associations, and banks created low-cost mortgages so that people could buy a bungalow for the cost of renting.

But what would I show people on a two-hour walk? Isn’t the rap against bungalows that they look pretty much alike, that seeing block after block of bungalows is monotonous?

Not true. Although bungalows were constructed from stock plans, their exteriors were individualized by using brick in multiple colors and patterns and creating different designs with the limestone trim. Since bungalows differed more on the outside than the inside, I could give a tour even without being able to take people into a home. Showing a typical floor plan and photos from The Chicago Bungalow could take care of the interior. On the exteriors, differences in brick and limestone, the positioning of the front porch and entrance, and the windows (bay windows, leaded-glass windows, dormer windows) are fodder for comparison. We could also look for the rare clay tile roofs (most bungalow roofs were asphalt singles) and original garages.

Choosing from among the 13 Chicago Bungalow Historic Districts for a tour, I settled on the one in Portage Park because it’s easy to reach from the Loop on public transportation and walkable, with dozens of bungalows on a few contiguous blocks. The district is well preserved, attesting to the pride owners continued to take in their bungalows even as other styles and bigger houses became the stuff of prospective homeowners’ dreams.

Now when visitors ask for an architecture or a Chicago history tour, I can offer the Chicago Bungalow as an option. Having been persuaded that little else says Chicago so well, I hope that the Chicago Bungalow lands on many visitors’ must-see lists.

*****

ANTI-TRUMP COMMENTS: 123RD IN AN ONGOING SERIES

“One of the many painful aspects of the Trump presidency is that it has sown fundamental doubts about our nation. A candidate can win without showing the slightest sign of competence or conscience. A dangerous, corrupt commander in chief can stay in office no matter what. The voters can’t always be trusted, and the Electoral College compounds the disaster. Maybe the Constitution isn’t a work of genius.”
— Jill Lawrence, USA Today

We all know that one person who struggles with their hearing. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you think of someone who is dissatisfied with the way they are hearing, an Audiologist can change that. It doesn’t matter where the hearing aids were purchased or if hearing was evaluated at another clinic.

Making the investment in better hearing is a big leap with a great deal of trust placed on the provider. Sometimes we make wrong decisions and that’s when it’s time to pivot and turn. Never accept inadequate resolution or disappointment. Make arrangements for a second opinion to set up for a good experience.

Not all hearing aids can be adjusted in every clinic. If that is the case, it is still possible to show what needs to be changed to develop a better outcome. This may require that the original provider be involved. Don’t be surprised if a repeat hearing exam is also needed.

We are all unique. An individual’s ability to hear and understand can heighten or limit results. There are instances where a hearing aid is not enough. Assistive technology or accessories added to the hearing aids can often make communication easier and sometimes these add ons are exactly what is needed.

We all have different lifestyles and abilities which makes it critical that expectations are realistic. An Audiologist should set you up for success, even if it’s taking baby steps. Turning on hearing aids is not the same as flipping on a light switch. Adjusting to hearing aids is a complicated process. We hear with our brain, and retraining takes both time and patience.

If you or someone you know has made the investment in better hearing, and are less than satisfied, seek out another provider. There are Audiologists that would love to meet you.

I wrote a post yesterday about Lacoste masks and whether they were worth the money: 3 for $50?

Well, the Lacoste face masks sold out. So, it appears, a lot of people thought they were worth the money.

I’m not here to judge. As a matter of fact, I LIKED the masks. I felt compelled to write about them because I, myself, was conflicted about making this purchase. Essentially, this is fashion over form. I love fashion, but I have plenty of form, masks, at home. Do I have a Lacoste mask, with the cool American-Flag-Alligator, no?

I wanted it, but I couldn’t see myself spending the money, so I put the choice in your hands. “I Love Lacoste, But Is $50 For 3 Masks Exploitation?”

You, the public, responded with your money and the masks are now sold out! If you bought these, please send any pics you have wearing them, with any comments about how they function. Whether you like them or not. I would love to hear your feelings.

Subscribe to my blog below.

Stinko. Rotten. Wretched. Unforgiveably self-conscious.

As I understand it, you folks in Chicago didn’t get to see ESPN’s broadcast of the White Sox-Cubs exhibition game Sunday night. It was blacked out.

But I got to see it. At least some of it until I was absolutely sickened by it. I happened to be in Virginia visiting my son Don and his wonderful family, when I heard him say,”Dad! Dad! The White Sox are on.”

Don is a Sox fan like me so we sat down together as the Sox were losing 2-0. Lucky for us, we got to see the big Sox offensive explosion (as promised) and turn the score into a 6-2 lead.

That remarkable inning seemed like a footnote to the broadcast team of Jon Sciambi, Rick Sutcliffe and Chipper Jones. While the action on the field was unfolding, the three were blah, blah, blahing  about almost everything except the game.

Little about the players coming to bat or insightful kinds of discussion of the strategies on the field–the kind that White Sox play-by-pay announcer Jason Benetti and analyst Steve Stone do so well. An occasional “he’s out” interrupted whatever they were discussing. 

Sometimes we couldn’t tell who was batting. I thought I saw AL batting champion Tim Anderson hit a single, but then he showed up being interviewed out of uniform by the Terrible Trio. Maybe we missed something, because they made the game so uninteresting that we talked among ourselves.

It’s as if they were doing a radio talk show because, well, you know, sports fans would rather hear talk about the game than see the game itself.

Like I say, my mind kept wandering during the broadcast because I didn’t know what was going on, so maybe I’m not being fair to ESPN.

But what I know is that if Benetti and Stone were doing the game, I would have been riveted. They are Chicago’s best sports broadcasting team in the more than 70 years that I’ve been paying attention. You Chicagoans should be thrilled that you are blessed with this kind of skill, energy and dedication.

Unlike what I get from ESPN.

You are a dude on some planet killing endless hordes of mutants. If you need to know more than that then you an’t gonna like this game. Savage Studios’ S.C.A.R (Which stands for Simulating Carnage And Rockets) is an action shooter where you basically just kill tons and tons of mutants. There is no backstory or objective given. Just kill or be killed!

All that is clear about S.C.A.R is that you are not on earth and the inhabitants absolutely do not like you! There are different levels that need to be completed in a certain order. Once one level is beat the next one is unlocked and the main hub. There are several different weapons you can find and pick up during the game, and also health and armor power ups. Different guns have different special features too like homing and rapid fire. You also have a nifty grapple hook that will help you get the higher places. You don’t really love lamp or anything, but you do have a double jump ability and if you hold the shift button you could dirt ahead quickly which helps you get away from enemies and also can be used up to three times to go a long distance especially over a cliff.

One thing you need to know about S.C.A.R Is that it is INSANELY DIFFICULT! Seriously unless you’re a hard-core pro it’s shooters you’re not gonna get very far without dying a ton of times. Basically the point of the game is to survive as long as you can, then brag to your friends about how far you got this play through. The save feature is your friend here!

I realized quickly into S.C.A.R that there is no point trying to kill all the mutants because they just respawn forever. What you have to do is kill a certain amount and the door to the next area will open. So basically running is also your friend here! There are a ton of health pick ups around but honestly it only delays the enevitable. When you die the game likes to make fun of you as well, I was called a useless slug and some other choice things for losing miserably. But at least the game provides an awesome heavy metal track to listen to while your being massacred!

S.C.A.R Is hard as hell, unforgiving, and downright hectic! At least If you get a cool grappling hook! I give it 3 1/2 baby dragons.

If I haven’t scared you off yet and you still want this crazy complication of carnage and chaos (hows that for alliteration?) then you can buy S.C.A.R on Steam for only $4.99! Go ahead, challenge yourself and your patience! It’s your funeral 🙂