“I almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It was gettin’ kinda long
I could-a said, it was in my way”

Let’s be honest, long hair on men has rarely been a good look. Yeah, it looks great on most rock and movie stars, but that’s because they have their own stylists. Before every photo shoot or movie scene, someone is making sure their hair looks perfect. Most of us are not rock or movie stars. Most of us don’t have a hair stylist. Hence, on most of us long hair looks bad….real bad!

The first time I tried to grow my hair out was in the spring of 1970. After a month or so, it had grown halfway over my ears. It looked pretty good…at least in my seventeen year old mind. One day I went to my job at the local McDonald’s. My boss told me I needed a haircut to keep my job. I mildly protested, but he persisted. The hair or the gig. I wanted the cash so the hair went.

I sold out for $1.35 an hour.

A couple of months later, I was off to college. Eight hundred miles away from my fast food boss and my parents. I was going grow out my hair. Six months before even thinking about getting a haircut. The photo at the top is a few months into my freshman year. I’m the boy in the plain gray t-shirt. My hair is flowing in the Oklahoma wind. I’m probably thinking it looks pretty good. That’s what happens when you let an eighteen year old kid think.

It became years before I really cut my hair. Yeah, I occasionally trimmed the ends, but it didn’t get too short. Here’s another example of my look. I’m the one with the wire-rimmed glasses, the beard and the hat. Jerry Garcia had nothing on me! People see that picture and always ask about the hat. My retort is what’s up with the hair and beard?

Eventually, I grew up. I finally got my hair cut. It not only looks better, but it’s easier to manage. It’s also what adults do, right? Occasionally, I’d take a trip back to my youth and try the longer hair look. One year it was a mullet. WOW…why didn’t anyone tell me? Another year, I just let it grow for the winter…and spring. WOW…why didn’t anyone tell me?

Fast forward to 2020. I get a haircut every six weeks or so. Sometimes sooner. It depends on how I think that morning mirror image is looking. When I shake my head and say a nasty word, it’s off to Hair Cuttery or Supercuts.

My last haircut was in February. I usually get it cut pretty short because that gives me some extra time before the next haircut. I assumed I was good until late March/early April. You know what happens when you assume, don’t you? The coronavirus pandemic made an ass of you and me!

As we now know, the entire world is closed. Businesses have been shut down since mid-March. That includes hair salons. It’s hard to social distance when someone is running a comb through your locks.

We see women complaining about this more than men. Yeah, there are a lot of gray roots out there. The only person making big money during the pandemic is Miss Clairol.

But, the guys are suffering, too!

At this point, my hair is now about halfway across my ears. Yes, it’s the spring of 1970 revisited….and no I’m not going to be getting a job at McDonald’s. What looked cute fifty years ago, isn’t quite as cute today. Here’s how bad it looks. I’ve recently been watching Match Game 74. The celebrities have grown out their hair because they think it’s the cool thing to do. The problem is they’re in their mid fifties and it isn’t all that cool. It’s a bad look for all of them.

That’s me today! I’m sixty-seven years old and I look like Gene Fucking Rayburn from 1974! OYYYYYYY!

But there’s nothing I can do about that, is there? The other day, I was thinking maybe I could cut my own hair. Why not, I used to do it in the late 1970’s to save money. If then, why not now. Then I looked at the photo of the dude in the hat. Oh yeah, cutting my own hair is how I ended up like that….OYYYYYY!

Eventually, the world is going to open up and that’ll include hair salons. I can wait until then. I guess I’m just going to have to tough it out like everyone else. Until then, I can pretend that I’m letting my freak flag fly.

“Well, must be because I had the flu this Christmas
Oh, yeah and I’m not feeling up to par
Oh, I tell you baby this increases my paranoia
Yeah, like looking in my mirror and seeing a police car”

Related Post: How many times a day do you wash your hands?

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Standing accused of a crime is Joe Biden

That for years, it’s alleged, he’s been hidin’.

This sexual charge,

Since released lurks at large;

A case the court of public opinion’s tryin’.

Virtual field trip episodes will post on www.HitPlayChicago.org and air on WTTW

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and Citadel have launched a weekly video series of Stay Home. Hit Play that showcases the city’s museums and cultural institutions.

Although the series is targeted toward families and students, I think anyone, even seasoned museum goers, would enjoy the tours.

The first virtual tour at the Shedd Aquarium was aired on Wednesday, April 29. In it, Mayor Lightfoot stops by the Aquarium for a visit with the penguins, feeds the sharks and says hello to Nickel the rescued sea turtle

You can see the 30-minute video here.

Following the episode at Shedd Aquarium, viewers were invited to learn more by going to the StayHomeHitPlay website where they could download worksheets on the biodiversity of Earth’s ecosystems that feature educational activities targeted to various age groups.

New weekly tours,  lead by Mayor Lightfoot, will continue at institutions including the Field Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Museum of Science and Industry, DuSable Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and Lincoln Park Zoo.

Lightfoot will join museum curators and staff on virtual tours of their most popular exhibits and share hidden treasures and behind-the=scenes happenings not usually seen by the public.

A new episode will be aired every week on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. on WTTW (11.1) and on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. on WTTW Prime (11.2). The series will air online on the Stay Home. Hit Play website on Wednesdays and Fridays. All segments will offer related student worksheets that can be downloaded from the Stay Home. Hit Play website.

“The exciting launch of Stay Home. Hit Play. allows our city’s cultural gems to come to life, ensuring our students are able to stay connected and engaged with our world-class museums and institutions amidst the unprecedented restrictions of COVID-19,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “We are especially appreciative of the partnership of our parents, students, museum leaders and staff, WTTW, as well as Citadel, whose support was instrumental for the creation of this series. As challenging as this moment has been, we will get through it together, and I look forward to joining all of Chicago in re-experiencing these inspiring sites when this crisis ends.”

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Inspired by my dear friend and fellow writer Shannan

You know how in cop shows, the detectives or patrolmen meet up in their cars, driver’s window to driver’s window? They talk about leads and then speed off to crime scenes. It’s always seemed so cool to me.

I don’t remember whose idea it was, but my daughter and I somehow decided to meet up for coffees and park this way so that we could see each other without a computer mediating. I know it was my idea to call it “cop coffee.” I treasure each one.

She lives about 10 miles away and we meet closer to my town at the nearest open Starbucks. I get there first in the drive through line, wait for a long time (once for half an hour), get the coffees and then join her in the parking lot. We roll down our windows and chatter away for an hour or more.

It’s a small thing, sharing a coffee, but it’s a big thing, too. She’s just 10 miles away, but it may as well be 100 miles or more. COVID separates us from each other, from hugs, from cuddles on the couch, from watching YouTube videos together.

I remember so clearly the first night she moved out of our home. We rented a U-Haul and moved furniture up several flights of stairs, set up the bed, cleaned the filthy bathroom, tried to make her new place a home, knowing all the time that it was up to her to make it a home.

The quiet in our house that night was unsettling. She isn’t a loud person, but she loves to lie on the bed next to me and chatter about her day. She makes me laugh and those night time conversations have been so special.

Those days are long gone. Before COVID she would occasionally visit for the weekend and we could revisit some of our traditions. But she has truly made her apartment her home, and our place isn’t home anymore.

There’s a sadness in these changes, a loneliness. Especially now, there’s so much distance. I hate not being able to hug her close, to kiss her cheek, hold her hand. There’s no softening the hard fact that kids leaving home hurts.

Change is a constant, though. These moments of loneliness, of longing, also change. Both of us have weathered the storm pretty well. We have moved through to a new relationship, different, but good.

Watching her make a home has been wonderful. I suggested that she start a registry like they have for people getting married so that her family could buy her the things she needs.

She never had much interest in cooking when she lived at our home. But she is an adventurous cook now. We trade recipes and exchange ideas. We love to grocery shop together now. Cooking requires the right implements—at least they help. So we’ve had fun getting a garlic press and this pan or that gadget.

She’s also discovered working out. She calls herself a morning person now and gets up at 5:30 some mornings for intense workouts, now completed via Zoom.

When a child grows up, you start realizing that they know things you don’t. It’s both humbling and incredibly joyous. I love reaching out to her for help. So, as I’ve been trying to get back into shape, I naturally turned to her for an upper body workout.

She does her super duper gym-Zooms each day and then hosts her own Zoom with me, coaching me on how to lift weights the right way and how to stretch. I’m learning a whole new vocabulary and she’s learning how to modify exercises for me. Push-ups? I don’t think so, not now anyway. But wall push-ups, yes!

She knows other things, too. Like how to be kind or how to think through tricky ethical dilemmas. Like how to talk about difficult things with the people in her life. Like how to reach out for help when she needs it. Like how to travel on her own. Like how to live on a budget.

She struggles, too, of course. And when she does, it’s the real test of the distance. I want to be there. Now. And, sometimes, like in this era, I just can’t be.

Our most recent cop coffee was Sunday afternoon. The sun had broken through the clouds and it was warm. We found an open Starbucks and I backed in so that we could be window to window. We talked about things, little things. I had to shield my eyes from the sun. We laughed. We griped. We told stories.

When you’re connected by love, change can serve to strengthen the bond. Life is different now, both because she’s no longer living in our home and because of COVID. But life is good nonetheless. We have pivoted, adjusted, created a new us that is helping us grow.

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Charles Evans, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, held a chatty, telephonic presser with twenty or more business journalists this morning for an hour at 9 am (CST). The over-riding theme? The Treasury and the Fed are in lock-step on handling the Covid19 crisis (There was no mention of President Trump, presumptive 2020 Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden or specific state governors). His emphasis? If the country stays together, believes in and acts on “Shared sacrifice,” we will get through this, although there is plenty of uncertainty as to the exact path to take and outcome that will result.

Two things we all know: 1st quarter U. S. GDP declined at 4.8 % and 2nd Quarter consensus forecast is a 20% to 40% GDP decline.

President and CEO Evans clearly is working to formulate policy with his Fed colleagues on the 19 member Open Market Committee, led by Chairman Powell, with that depression era consensus forecast hanging over them. That’s perhaps why Congress, Treasury, the Federal Reserve & Trump seem non-plussed by their three trillion dollar “Economic Relief,” federal program.

The 3rd and 4th quarters are shrouded in mystery. If you are a business economist, you place your bet, and we’ll see who gets it right.

What’s President Charlie Evans predict? He didn’t quite say. But, Charlie seems to think we are a bit more likely to have growth in the 2nd half of this year than not, but it doesn’t sound like he would bet the ranch on that.

He did however emphasize that the Fed is not set up to take financial losses. Especially it’s $600 billion Main Street lending facility. It’s not giving out grants on this one, but making loans, with little if any “Forgiveness.” That facility is intended to assist borrowers who are Not-For-Profit, small and large companies and universities that are illiquid, not insolvent.

President Evans emphasized the Fed works closely with the Treasury, who can cushion losses for Fed run credit facilities. That’s part of Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s job.

Asked about the massive and growing national debt, Evans indicated this is not the time to focus on that issue.

Instead, he thought the federal government team (including the Federal Reserve on this one) realizes that with 10 yr treasuries at 61 basis points, now is the time for needed social investment whose social benefits far exceed the borrowing costs.

Evans was asked by this reporter about the contrarian view of a COVID19 solution coming from former Stanford chief neuroradiologist Scott Atlas, WSJ, Wirepoints and others that Fed and other policy makers should put greater emphasis on avoiding the human toll of another depression by opening up the U.S. Economy sooner rather than later and sending kids back to school and non-at risk employees back to work.

Evans replied that he was aware of the herd immunity argument, but didn’t touch on the notion of self-isolating the high risk- elderly and/or those with underlying conditions, as opposed to essentially quarantining most of America by having 330 million people Stay at Home.

Nor did President Evans comment on concentrating our resources on protecting the most vulnerable and taking advantage of the fact that almost anybody can get infected but, other than those most vulnerable, not seriously ill from COVID.  Evans emphasized in his response “We put a high value on human life.”

The economic data driven President Evans discussed U.S. unemployment perhaps reaching levels like 20% or higher soon (if not already) and what unemployment might look like in January 2021.

If the U.S. unemployment rate falls back to 5% by the end of 2020, higher than our 3.5 historic low of earlier this year, well then- Evans said we would seem poised for a strong 2021- which President Trump has predicted will be a “Great year.”

Alternatively, if unemployment is at 9% in early 2021, then, unless fiscal and monetary policy can offset that in short order, President Evans suggested we are probably headed for the sluggish, slowish economic recovery of 2011-2014.

President Evans, who has no Fed OMC vote this year, but a strong voice on the Open Market Committee, is not worried about inflation (notwithstanding the extremely high, recent rates of growth of the money stock). He said, “Prior to COVID19, we could never even reach our targeted inflation rate of 2%.” Nor did the Chicago Fed President seem worried that interest rates might hover around zero per cent for a long time.

No, the 12 year Chicago Fed President is counseling patience, commitment and generally staying the course in terms of our current fiscal, monetary and other governmental efforts to survive this once in a life time, health issue of COVID19.  He says there is a lot we will have to try, see how it works and adapt, as needed.

President Evans has no silver bullets nor unclouded crystal balls, but his is a steady, firm hand on the Chicago Fed’s tiller, while many others might panic during the pandemic.

Lake County Forest Preserves (LCFP) announced today that all summer camps, science explorers and nature programs for summer of 2020 will be cancelled–many will be replaced with “virtual” programs (see below)–due to the Covid virus.

Members of the Lake County Forest Preserves Operations Committee approved a recommendation to cancel or modify all special events, concerts, and in-person education programs scheduled for this summer and fall.

Among the cancellations are the popular Civil War Days and Gospel Fest along with the Summer concert series at Independence Grove.

LCFP Golf Courses will open in phases with restrictions and no golf outings will be held. All Forest preserves and trails wii remain open 6:30 am to sunset but Dog Exercise areas will remain closed. The beach and marina at Independence Grove will also be closed for the summer of 2020.

Here are the details on events and programs that have been canceled or altered:

• In-person summer camps running June 15–August 14 are canceled and many will be replaced with virtual camps to offer a balanced learning experience for children ages 6–14. Fees and schedules will be modified and auxiliary activities will provide at-home learning along with an outdoor adventure component. Virtual registration will be available soon at LCFPD.org/camps.
• Science Explorers in Nature will be offered virtually. A remote version of the program using traditional e-learning techniques will be offered to students from disadvantaged communities.
• Conservation Explorers is canceled. The program has a two-night stay in Indiana, which is in question because the venues students visit are currently closed.
• All nature and history educational programs, senior programs, and USG-sponsored Thursday Night programs will be conducted remotely through the rest of the year.
• Civil War Days is canceled. The event requires up to 600 volunteers to interact in close proximity. In prior years, up to 4,000 people have attended this event over the course of the weekend.
• Kids Nature Funfest is canceled. The event requires many organizations to participate with hands-on activities.
• OAKtober Celebration may be modified. The tree and shrub sale could be accomplished safely through online sales and curbside pickup. The family activities and educational portions of the event may be modified to fit general health guidelines at that point in time.
• Halloween Hikes may be modified to adapt safety features.
• Adlai Stevenson Historic Home programs and events are canceled.

Dunn Museum
A future reopening date is undetermined and modifications may have to be made to permanent exhibitions to address public health concerns for visitors and staff.

School Field Trips
Educators are working on curriculum support for teachers. These resources help teachers with their classroom’s e-learning, supporting topics they had chosen as their field trips. Staff is piloting remote field trips when requested.

Other Events, Programs, Facility Rentals

• Golf Courses are opening in phases as allowed under current restrictions. Check LCFPD.org/golf for details.
• Golf outings are canceled for the season.
• Summer concert series at Independence Grove in Libertyville and Greenbelt Cultural Center in North Chicago are canceled.
• Gospelfest at Greenbelt Cultural Center is canceled.
• Banquet and facility rentals at Independence Grove, Greenbelt Cultural Center and ThunderHawk Golf Club are canceled through May and may remain canceled into the future until state guidelines are in place that allow for large gatherings.
• Food service at ThunderHawk Golf Club is canceled through May and will then be re-evaluated.
• Independence Grove beach and marina will not open this season.
• Dog Exercise Areas remain closed and will not reopen at this time based on CDC guidelines that say, “Do not let pets interact with people or other animals outside the household. Avoid dog parks or public places where a large number of people and dogs gather.”
• Youth group camping areas and the model aircraft field are closed.
• Picnic shelter rentals are canceled through the end of May and may remain canceled into the future until state guidelines are in place that allow for large gatherings.
• Special use permits for third-party events held within forest preserves are canceled.
• Staff will work with members of Stevenson Center for Democracy at the Adlai Stevenson Historic Home and the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, both license holders of the buildings, to assist in following the state’s public health and safety guidelines.

Forest preserves and trails remain open 6:30 am to sunset, said Executive Director Ty Kovach. “Our Ranger Police continue to closely monitor preserves and trails to ensure safety rules, social distancing and other public health guidelines are being followed,” he said. “As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we will continue to follow CDC guidelines and work in close coordination with the Lake County Health Department and other local partners.”

Due to seasonal flooding, before heading out to a forest preserve, check the interactive map at LCFPD.org/closures for the current status (open/closed) of preserve trails, community trail connections, and trail underpasses along the Des Plaines River Trail and the Millennium Trail. Public access is restricted at closed trails and underpasses. Please follow preserve and trail signage, and use caution around closures, construction or detour zones.

Check the Lake County Forest Preserves website (LCFPD.org) for updates.

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The NBA will donate all proceeds from the sales of the face coverings to Feeding America in the United States and Second Harvest in Canada. 

Masks are available for purchase here. 

Tribune Publishing may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

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

On May 3, 2011, Derrick Rose was named NBA MVP. At 22 years and six months old, Rose is the youngest MVP in NBA history.

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