I was just leaving a note for a friend on a LinkedIn post when I added a comment that I recognized his paperback copy of Strunk and White (as we word mavens call the classic book by those two, “The Elements of Style”).

I wrote that I had two paperback copies of the book and wore them out. Then I bought myself a hardcover copy (which is still within reach as I write this).

Then it struck me that I always refer to my books that way — paperbacks and hardcovers, They’re never papercovers and hardbacks, at least not to me. I had to make sure I could type the previous sentence.

I’ve heard some people refer to paperback and hardback books, and some to softcover and hardcover… come to think of it, that second one is usually the kind of people who talk about “editions” rather than books.

I wonder whether it’s like pop. soda, and coke — another regional expression that varies around the country and the world.

I still have to tell people I don’t know well that if I say yes to a soda, I’ll expect ice cream. I’ve had a bottle of pop already today, and I had to remind myself to refer to it as Pepsi when I bought it. I grew up being asked “Want a coke?” followed by “What kind?” (The answer was always yes.) The answer to “What kind?” was sometimes root beer, and sometimes ginger ale!

So  if paperbacks and hardcovers are in for some similar linguistic changes, I think I’ll be glad that only in rare cases do I have the same book in each form.

Margaret Serious has a page on Facebook.

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The Look Chicago Partners with Billboard Advertising company Blip to sponsor a week of ads for small businesses in the Chicagoland area during the pandemic

It’s no secret that small businesses have been hit hard during the Covid-19 pandemic. To help local businesses get back on their feet, The Look Chicago, launched its first digital shopping platform called Shop Lookpreneur “The List” which features small businesses all around the Chicagoland area. Now, just two months later, they’ll be expanding the project by introducing Shop Lookpreneur “The Billboards”  To kick off this exciting initiative, The Look Chicago has teamed up with Blip to co-sponsor Billboard airtime for local businesses for one week. After that, businesses will be able to submit their company for the  “Shop Lookpreneur” Billboard advertising each month. 

Blip, is a self-serve advertising platform, with 1500 digital billboards across the nation. They help thousands of local businesses around the world get instant access to billboards on any budget. Blip and The Look Chicago will select 7 small businesses who will each receive 1 full day of free Billboard advertising, designed and executed by Blip, and sponsored in full through cooperation between Blip and The Look Chicago. . 

“We are so excited to partner with Blip on our Billboard initiative. Our priority to help small businesses is always at the forefront of what we do”. said CEO Nellisa Heath

“Blip’s VP Marketing, Daniel Fleischer, added: “Giving local businesses some advertising exposure on high visibility billboards will let them tell the world that they are OPEN FOR BUSINESS! We’re thrilled that The Look Chicago’s tremendous local reach will not only jumpstart these businesses’ exposure when it’s needed most, but also help them understand that billboard advertising is accessible and affordable on any budget if they want to keep building their brand as the economy recovers.”

The “Shop Lookpreneur” Billboard will be located off the 290 Eisenhower expressway just 2 miles East of the Austin Blvd exit. The goal of this initiative, is provide another proven outlet for small businesses to advertise their brands and remain visible. We also want to give consumers a place to find reputable small businesses that they can support within their own communities. The Look Chicago and Blip both believe that supporting a small business means that your supporting  someone’s dream” Chicagoans will begin seeing The Look Chicago’s branded Billboards beginning in June.

If you would like more information about this topic or would like to become a sponsor email [email protected]

To learn more about Blip services visit https://www.blipbillboards.com/

With most sports around the world on pause, revisit iconic sports moments from the past to help fill that void.

In this excerpt from the Under Center Podcast, Jarrett Payton discusses why his father Walter Payton and Michael Jordan got along so well. Perhaps, it was due to their shared desire to be truly great at their sports, Jarrett suggests.

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Latest on ChicagoNow

• Sports lookback: Why ‘His Airness’ and ‘Sweetness’ clicked

  from ChicagoNow Staff Blog by ChicagoNow Staff
  posted today at 3:27 pm

• The Look Chicago Partners with Blip

  from The Look Chicago by The Look Chicago
  posted today at 2:20 pm

• Of paperbacks and hardcovers — why?

  from Margaret Serious by Margaret H. Laing
  posted today at 12:05 pm

• Support your local businesses: Wear a mask

  from Windy City Legal Geek by Windy City Legal Geek
  posted today at 12:03 pm

• Mike Pence’s self-quarantine turns ugly

  from The Quark In The Road by Aquinas wired
  posted today at 10:42 am

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Suppose They gave a pro baseball game – and nobody came.

An empty stadium with players on the field is too Twilight Zone for words. And it’s nonsensical, really. The fun of a ballgame comes from the people in the stands, at least if you’re there. Most of the people I have seen at Wrigley are pretty oblivious to the action on the field. It’s more about the selfies and how cute the girls look in their baseball hats with pigtails sticking out, and for some of us, the beer and the hot dogs.

Where do the players think their salaries come from? It’s those $275 tickets, and $8 beers, and $5 hot dogs, and $50 parking. Take that away, and you’re cutting back a lot of bucks from those $30 million a year salaries. The games would become like pickup games at a Park District, where grown men relive their glory days with only adoring girlfriends and curious old people watching

The fanless stadium is not ideal, according to Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson. “It’s not something we’re going to necessarily enjoy, fans not being there. But if it’s something we have to do, you have to pay that price.”

I don’t have to pay any price, Hoss. If baseball goes away for the season, I don’t really care. And if your overblown salary goes away, too, well, that’s the price YOU pay. You and your overpaid owners. You are nonessential.

Broadcast games are meant for bars mostly, except for the stalwart hardcore fans who sit through whole games on TV. With bars closed, the whole thing pales a bit. But for the people who actually watch games on TV, I have a suggestion. I have been watching old clips of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron and Carl Yastrzemski – and, yeah, Harry Caray, who may only have picked up a bat that one time August Busch came home early to find Harry with his wife.

The fans packing Yankee stadium whooping it up when The Babe came to the plate. That sea of straw boaters, and the lusty yells that knocked upon the outfield wall and recoiled at home plate. The days before steroids and corked bats embarrassed Chicago. The days before Barry Bonds’ head turned into a big brown globe.

Seeing The Bambino step up to a plate without anyone in the stands would be filled with pathos – genuine sadness. You’d expect somebody to recite Grantland Rice’s poem “Game Called” which he wrote at the passing of The Babe.

Let’s wait this one out, fellas. A vaccine might happen, though not in any kind of Trumpian time frame. Let’s take the bench for a while, grill a hot dog or two, and remember the ones we had when we could cheer and boo as much as we wanted, in the stands, where we belonged, with our best buddies sitting right next to us.

Turn to the comedians! That’s how I get through good times and bad. Let’s say it’s pouring torrential rain in the midst of a global pandemic. Several weeks ago your hair went Cruella de Vil and your spouse is stomping around the house because of … well, whatever the latest quaranscream irritation is. And you’re exhausted from sanitizing an entire bag of navel oranges. (Was it even necessary? Who knows!) Then the big things. The economy. Health.  All the concerns. But All is not Lost!

I asked some of my favorite people – comedians from Chicago! – the following question:

“When these times are getting you down, how do you pick up your spirit?”

JAN SLAVIN:

When these times get me down, I reach for the Skinny Pop.  I’ve gone through bags and bags and bags of it since the lockdown. Skinny Pop is very light and airy, and sparsely salted, and you never truly get the crunch and the salt factor you’re after, which makes you eat more, like an addict looking for the perfect high. It really puts you into a great zone, especially while binge watching Ozark. It falls into your bra and underpants, and onto the couch and floor. Vacuuming it up keeps me pretty busy. I often find it on  the bathroom floor when I pull down my pajama pants to go the bathroom.  It’s a great little hobby, though it can be expensive which is why I always get several at a time as it is cheaper that way.

I recommend mixing the Cheddar and Original, but that’s just how I roll. You can use a spoon to eat the small pieces on the bottom of the bag if you want to be neater and not have it fly out of your hands and drop out of your mouth all over the place.  I’ve never done it that way, but it has crossed my mind.

For clean-up, a hand vac works as well as a Hoover. I have both but I always forget to charge the hand vac so I gotta bring out the big guns most of the time. I actually can measure time by how much I eat in a day. A half a bag is about 22 minutes. I can get through a whole bag in about an hour and a half. You have to allow some extra time for the bloating factor, which tends to slow you down. Once I’ve finished a bag in one sitting, I hate myself a lot so I move on to chocolate. Anyway, one thing I can state with certainty: Skinny Pop does not make you skinny.

More about Jan here. Jan was also kind enough to speak with me here.

RAY CHAO:

One of the mottos that I try to live my life by is, “take the good with the bad.” Yes, it’s trite, and no, I did not read it in a fortune cookie. Looking back on my childhood, I realize that I was raised this way because my father was eternally optimistic, while my mom was more pessimistic. It was never more apparent than growing up in Chicago and watching the Bulls during the ‘90s with my mom saying they were bound to lose, and my dad saying they would win at the buzzer.

To me, taking the good with the bad means that when life is not so great, don’t run from it, rather lean in to it. Embrace it and respect it.

When I was a kid, I cried very easily. I was always self-conscious about crying because boys weren’t supposed to cry. As an adult, I realized that sadness is just another emotion. It is no stronger or worse than happiness.

We are currently facing many challenges as individuals and collectively. Certainly, there is much to be sad about. But there is also much to be happy about. As an actor in LA, the changes have been swift and drastic. However, I continue to be creative. Work on staying connected to others and my craft. And yes. I cry a lot.

More about Ray here. Ray was also kind enough to speak with me here.

DENISE MEDINA

 How do I pick up my spirit?

I limit my time watching or reading the news. I get updates every couple of days and try to scroll past all the “social media experts” otherwise it could be overwhelming.

I have a few picture boxes filled with loose photos so I sorted them (I want to put them on DVDs) and turned on music from those days and had fun going down memory lane. It was on my “to do” list and now I have the time so….and it feels good when you knock something off your list.

I walk my dogs (they love it) and we get some exercise, fresh air and a change of scenery. Sometimes I’m feeling too lazy to get started but it feels good once I’m doing it so I have to stop thinking and just put my shoes on. The dogs take the cue and help nudge me out the door. They’re relentless!

I’ve cleaned out just about every closet and storage area in the house! More on the “to do” list done. It’s also my form of meditation. Not only do I clear out my house, I clear out my mind.

I checked in on and had chats with a few friends on the phone and through FaceTime

I also took an online stand-up workshop with Dave Schwensen, wrote some jokes, read some books, watched all 6 seasons of Grace and Frankie which I LOVE and can’t wait for season 7, learned how to use Zoom and am co-producing A Taste of Comedy airing this Monday, May 18th at 7pm (Central Time) airing on Facebook live at www.facebook.com/ThatDeniseMedina.

More about Denise here. Denise was also kind enough to speak with me here.

NOTE FROM TEME: Denise’s show will be fab! Extraordinary lineup – not to be missed!

More Council Counsel to come! Comedians will get us through this!

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