Day 233 - 12.30.10 - Doug's Birthday

Quick on the heels of Dave's 30th birthday soiree, we held a casual gathering for Doug's 30th. The vino did flow... cake was consumed, and Doug got the Oreo, centrally located in the sweet treat pictured above.

Day 232 - 12.29.10 - Dave's Birthday

Last night, we celebrated Dave's 30th birthday at his home, where his lovely wife Amanda had arranged for a private chef to prepare us a traditional kangaroo birthday steak... outstanding stuff. It really put a hop in our step for the rest of the eventing... ahem!

Day 195 - 11.21.10 - Champaign Party (Part 2 - Post Midnight)

Things became progressively... weirder... as the night went on...

Day 194 - 11.20.10 - Champaign Party

On Saturday, a handful of friends from Chicago made the short trip down I-57 to revisit the University of Illinois for the surprise 30th birthday celebration for our good pal Josh. It was a cold, bleak day, and the campus was dead (most of the students had already traveled home for Thanksgiving Break), but our group breathed some life into the otherwise unpopulated grounds, stimulated the economy, and had a blast celebrating our dear friend. It was a wild 12 hours. Happy Birthday JB.

(Alma Mater group shot taken by Mrs. Sally Sebastian)

Day 179 - 10.14.10 - Bucktown Pub Trivia

Thursday brought a return to the Bucktown Pub for trivia night with friends Doug and Tommy. We saddled up, had a few beers, named our team The Staten Island Dump, and tested our knowledge of current events and miscellany against a bar full of area hipsters, geeks, and drunks. As usual, we placed high in the standings, but not quite good enough to crack the top three and earn free drinks. Oh well, there is always next Thursday...

Day 167 (Part Two) - 10.2.10 - Berger BBQ

The wedding celebration BBQ for Rosey and Robyn was on Saturday afternoon, and after all of the morning fiasco with the Jeep, we made it pretty much on time. A wonderful time was had by all, and we enjoyed celebrating the wedded bliss of our friends Rosey and Robyn. It was great to catch up with them, our other friends who were in town, and our friends' children; Paige Vander Weit, Norah Holzmacher, and Charlie Holzmacher. Three way tie for the cutest kiddos at the party...

Day 166 - 10.1.10 - Late Night Ping Pong

Today, a group of friends traveled from Chicago to St. Louis to attend a wedding reception BBQ (on Saturday) for our friends Rosey and Robyn (who were recently married in Seattle). We stayed at the house of Josh and Kara Bowlin. When you stay at the Casa de Bowlin, you can count on two things. PBR and late night ping pong.

Day 159 - 9.24.10 - Todd to Texas

Friday night a group of 30 or so friends said "see you later" to the inimitable Todd Devlin Milligan, who has decided to take his talents to Austin, Texas, to pursue a career opportunity. While we are sad to see Todd leave Chicago, we are excited for him and applaud the courage he has exhibited by following his gut and making this difficult decision. For any who have met him, Todd is one of a kind. He will be missed dearly, but we know we will see him again someday soon on dancin' on 6th Street in Austin or creepin' on Division Street in Chicago. Todd is pictured above, inexplicably blowing a vuvuzela on a trolley last night. See you sooner, hopefully than later pal. Tear it up in Austin.

Day 158 - 9.23.10 - Pizza in a St. Louis Dive

A work related one day trip to St. Louis brought me (along with my gracious hosts, The Guymons) back to one of my favorite STL spots, a true dive with excellent pizza pies, the Black Thorn Pub. A hole in the wall if there ever was one, this gem is tucked away in a residential area of the Tower Grove neighborhood. The beer is cold, the pizza a hot (and spicy), shuffleboard is a must, and people affix dollar bills to the ceiling with thumb tacks (by folding quarters into the dollar and tossing the expensive customer crafted decor at said ceiling). You can't find a place like this anywhere else on Earth.

Day 154 - 9.19.10 - Fat Tire Memorial Bike Tour After Hours

In the wee hours of Sunday morning after the bike tour, things got interesting...

Day 153 - 9.18.10 - Fat Tire Memorial Bike Tour

9 riders. 8 bike helmets. 1 hockey helmet. 27 miles. 1 beautiful lake. 7 bars. 8 hours. 18 sore legs. 9 sore butts. Mission Accomplished...

Day 146 - 9.11.10 - The Bachelor (Part 2)

A little golf. A little dinner. Several bars. Multiple drinks. The Bachelor Party came and went with a solid bar crawl ending at our favorite Saturday Night haunt, Baby "Thug" Atlas, AKA the basement of Lakeview bar Matilda. A great time was had by all... we think...

Day 145 - 9.10.10 - The Bachelor (Part One)

Tonight, a bachelor party weekend begins. Pictured on the right you have my closest and oldest friend Doug (and our buddy TO Double D). Doug will wed his lovely fiance Michelle this November. This weekend we celebrate the end of his bachelorhood...

Day 141 - 9.6.10 - Six Feet Uunder @ Maple Meadows

Headed out to Addison today with long time good friend Doug and his brother Dan to hit the links at Maple Meadows. The golf was decent, the weather was blustery, and a good prep round was had by all (Saturday we'll have a go at the challenging Harborside International Golf Center for Part One of Doug's Bachelor Party). As we waited for the group ahead of us to clear the green, I spotted this lone tree that reminded me of the one that appears in the opening credits of Six Feet Under. Man, I miss that show...

Day 140 - 9.5.10 - Three @ Wrigley

Three brave souls (pictured at a post game watering hole) traveled to Wrigley Field on Sunday to say goodbye to the Cubs and Wrigley Field until next spring. The weather and the ambiance were unparalleled, but the quality of play on the field, sadly, conformed to reputation and fell short of expectation. Though the Cubs won the weekend series against the NY Mets, the North-Siders dropped this game 18 to 5. Typical...

Day 133 - 8.29.10 - LouFest Sunday - Jeff Tweedy Day

On Sunday, August 29, 2010, Mayor Francis Slay declared it Jeff Tweedy Day in St. Louis. A proclamation was presented to the Wilco frontman an hour or so prior to his stellar solo set at LouFest. Again provided with incredible access to the back and side stage areas (thank you Kara), my friends and I were able to spend a quick moment with one of our musical heroes, grab a quick photo with him (photo credit to Kara as well), and enjoy his music from just feet away on the stage. It was a beautiful night that will not be forgotten... Happy Jeff Tweedy Day.

Day 131 - 8.27.10 - GDB in STL

Gary Donaldson Bowlin, dog son of Josh and Kara Bowlin, friends from St. Louis, waited on the couch to greet Michael and I as we arrived in STL for a weekend of fun and music at LouFest... Band photos tomorrow...

Day Forty-One - Not Your Ordinary Pizza Party

Friends Doug and Andrea Marello had a pizza party last night. There were good friends, good cocktails, good beer, good wine, good cookies, and most of all, phenomenal pizza. Every pizza (there must have been at least 40) was expertly hand crafted by Doug right down to the homemade sauce and crust. Topping and flavor combinations were plentiful and all pies caused the party goers to sing the praises of the chef and the hostess. I'm convinced this is some of the best thin crust pizza I've ever had, and as my growing waistline will eloquently describe to you, I've had my share. For me, it's all about the crust. This crust was the perfect balance of thinness, taste and texture, crispy enough to stand up to the fresh and delectable toppings resting on top.

I have no doubts that Doug's pies are restaurant ready. He could sell these round masterpieces 365 days a year. There would be lines out his door. If Doug and Andrea ever turned this into a commercial venture, I'd be there once a week, waiting in line, chatting with the other salivating patrons about how I was there at the beginning, when the Marellos were churning these hot, crispy, savory, cheesy, herbaceous, meaty, and mouth-watering pizzas out of their home oven. Even the Noid would wait in line for this stuff. It is that good. This was definitely a pizza party like no other...