BEST OF MPF 2013

BEST DAY: July 14. On my last day in Rome, I spent the entire day walking around, with Tina and by myself, seeing the sights and churches I hadn't visited yet. Runner-up: March 7. I was in New York City for the first time since leaving in 2007. I went to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, walked the streets, saw my old boss Zach, and flew home to Chicago.

WEIRDEST WEEK: Boston Marathon. There was a race, a bomb, a whodunit, a manhunt, a game of hide and seek, a capture and a cathartic Red Sox game. (April 15-20)

BEST WEEK: Rome. We spent five days in the Eternal City, seeing churches, ruins and great restaurants. It is an amazing and incredible city. (July 9-14)

This is my favorite of the pictures I took in Rome.

BEST SONG: "Royals" by Lorde (you can watch the video clip here). Runners-up: "Sirens" by Pearl Jam, "Supersoaker" by the Kings of Leon.

BEST ALBUM: Would you believe I didn't buy that much music, and almost nothing released this year. I haven't even listened to two new records I got for Christmas. So based on the two songs I've heard, I'll say "Lightning Bolt" by Pearl Jam.

BEST TV SHOW: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (Fox). Runner-up: "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" (PBS).

BEST MOVIE: I didn't see any movies made in 2013.

BEST PICTURE: It's usually me and one other person, but of all the great photos of my kid, I loved this one.

BEST WATCHING OF OKLAHOMA: The musical at the Lyric Opera (May 11).

WORST WATCHING OF OKLAHOMA: The Sooner beating the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium (October 28).

BEST BEER: Gumballhead by Three Floyds. Runner-up: Celebration by Sierra Nevada.

BEST CAT STORY: The cat sanctuary in Rome. Feral cats are taken in, fixed, and adopted out. They also have an awesome URL: romancats.com. Runner-up: The cat who got lost 200 miles from home and made it back safely.

BEST PRESS: My involvement in a high school band competition got written up in the Knights of Columbus magazine.

BEST COMMERCIAL: Bill Hader and his crappy smartphone (T Mobile, I think). A very close second: Mr. Met and the Phillie Fanatic (MasterCard).



BEST CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Pearl Jam at Wrigley Field. The band played for an hour, then we sat through a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay. The band started again around midnight and played until 2am. (July 19)

BEST NEW SPORT: After being fascinated for the last few Olympics, I finally had the chance to play curling. It was as much fun as I thought, possibly more (Feb. 18).

WORST SIGN OF THE DECLINE OF PUBLISHING: The Onion stopped printing its newspaper in the last few remaining cities, including Chicago.

Peace and best wishes in 2014! --MPF004.

Kitten No Longer Cutest Thing In House

Palatine, Ill. (AP) -- Franklin, an 11-month-old kitten, was replaced Friday as the Cutest Thing in his house, according to suburban household sources.

Franklin had held the Cutest Thing title since this photo from summer last year.

The grey striped kitten has reigned as the Cutest Thing in his house since being adopted in June 2011. But a new arrival, brought home Friday, has relegated Franklin to second place.

The new Cutest Thing has yet to make a statement to the press, beyond jagged screams and occasional gurgles, which have been confirmed as the cutest thing ever, or at least since that little grey kitten. Household cats had suspected a change was coming, because the new arrival merited its own room, whereas the cats slept throughout the house but without a dedicated spot.

Experts predict that not even putting a sports cap on the kitty can help him regain the title.

Franklin had maintained his iron grip on title of Cutest Thing with such actions as cuddling in laps, furiously chasing toys and his silly attraction to water. However, the new Cutest Thing has overtaken the cat by doing little more than sleeping. The kitten attempted to plead for attention, noting that he is smaller (approx. 5 pounds vs. 8 pounds for the new thing) and covered in soft fur. The meows were acknowledged and dismissed as the people hovered over the new Cutest Thing.

"Oh, Franklin is cute, you know," said one person close to the situation. "But he's getting bigger, he's almost an adult kitty now ... and look at this little one! Oh yes, wook at dis widdle one!"

Luckily, no kitties have to move out to make room for the new one.

News of the arrival of the Cute Queen spread quickly, with visitors arriving from out of state, and many more expected over the coming months. Despite being only a few days old, the Cutest Thing is already planning a tour this summer to display her household-dominating cuteness to the Midwestern region of the U.S.

The prior Cutest Thing in the House, 8-year-old Quigley B. Katt, was unavailable for comment as he was sulking under a bed.

Franklin might disagree, but THIS is cute.

Overjoyed

Everybody's been waiting for months now for yesterday to happen ...

...this is the very picture of anticipation at our house.

And sitting on the "daddy couch" in a mother-baby room in a hospital, having gone through one of the weirdest, most intense 24-hour periods of my life, my mind buzzes through a million different thoughts and feelings, but also, the pajamas.

The first article of baby clothing I bought in my entire life happened about a month ago at JCPenney's. I saw these and couldn't resist. And since they were on clearance I bought two sizes, so they can be in use as long as possible.

I was rightfully proud of that first choice, even though I didn't know who (or what) would occupy those pajamas. And now that I know, I can't wait to get her home and sleeping in these:

The words on that chest label, by the way, say "Mommy's Rockstar."

Thank you to everyone who sent their good wishes via text or email. So many song lyrics flying through my head at this busy time, including many from Craig Finn, like "the kids at the shows will have kids of their own" or the idea of the "First Night." But I think it's best to just simply say: "We were overjoyed."

BEST OF MPF 2011

BEST DAY: July 1, the day we got medical confirmation that we are pregnant with our first child (due late February). Runner-up: Six days earlier, on June 25, we adopted a kitten named Franklin.

BEST ALBUM: The two-disc compilation “The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition.”

BEST SONG: “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Runner-up: “Discoverer” by R.E.M.

WORST TITLE FOR AN OTHERWISE DECENT SONG: “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” by Coldplay.

BEST CONCERT: Robert Plant at Ravinia (June 16). Runners-up: The Hold Steady at the Metro (Aug. 25), Scott Miller at Schubas (Nov. 9).

NOT BEST DAY OR BEST CONCERT SO I GUESS IT GETS ITS OWN CATEGORY: The Dave Matthews Band Caravan (July 10), a daylong music festival at the old US Steel site on the South Side’s lakeshore. We saw Emmylou Harris, the Jayhawks, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, David Gray, Flaming Lips and DMB.

BEST PICTURE: Keeping with the theme of new additions, I think I’ll go with these two:

The 20-week ultrasound.

Franklin's first day home.

BEST OPENING ACT: Nick Lowe (for Wilco, Dec. 12 at the Civic Opera House). Runner-up: Big Head Todd and the Monsters (for John Hiatt at Ravinia).

BEST COVER: I saw many cool versions this year, but the winner is the Flaming Lips doing Pink Floyd's “Dark Side of the Moon” at DMB Caravan. Runners-up include “Secret Agent Man” by the Gin Blossoms (Frontier Days in Arlington Heights, July 1) and Big Head Todd and the Monsters’ "America the Beautiful" (Ravinia, on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11).

The magical weirdness of the Flaming Lips. (click to see detail)

BEST NEW VENUE: We finally saw a show at Lincoln Hall (Old 97’s, July 20) and enjoyed the intimate space with great sightlines.

BEST VACATION/BEST WAY TO WATCH A BEARS GAME: Our Caribbean cruise/the big screen by the pool deck, wearing shorts in winter (Jan. 23-30).

BEST AD: I don't always watch commercials. But when I do, I prefer the Most Interesting Man in the World (Dos Equis).

I actually saw this one before it was released, as part of focus group testing. The cat on the table was my favorite part.

WORST AD: I covered my ears when I heard the incessant earworms of State Farm’s “get to a better state” radio jingles. I also hated AT&T’s “that’s so 12 seconds ago” ads.

BEST MOVIE: True Grit, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen (released in late 2010, saw in the theatre early 2011).

BEST TV SHOW: Louie (FX). I didn’t watch a lot of TV beyond sports and news, but this was incredibly funny and honest.

MOST FUN DURING THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON: The Pick Six game I managed. Last year we had about 12 people, this year we had more than 50.

BEST CUBS GAME: My first ever Cubs-Sox game was in the midst of a Cubbie losing streak, but the North Siders got the win (July 3).

BEST NOTRE DAME GAME: After an 0-2 start, the Irish steamrolled Michigan State 31-13 (Sept. 17).

BEST ROAD TRIP: Many good nominees here, but I’ll go with my first trip to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio (Oct. 14-16). The football team lost the Homecoming game, but I really enjoyed seeing the campus.

Franklin's original ad from the adoption agency.

WORST THING ABOUT THERE NOT BEING A DOUBLE-A BASEBALL TEAM AROUND HERE: We could have completed the grand slam, as we went to major league (Cubs, twice), Class AAA (Toledo, May 28, although it turned into a rainout) and Class A games (Kane County Cougars, July 29).

BEST T-SHIRT: The one that said "National Sarcasm Society" and below in smaller letters "Yeah, like we really need your support." (spotted on Randolph Street near Wells)

BEST PLAY: The Les Miserables revival we saw (Cadillac Palace, Feb. 25) was neat and all, but did match lofty expecations, so I’m giving it to a small play we saw in Boston called “Or,” (Lyric Stage Company, Oct. 29).

WE’LL MISS: Rock band R.E.M., who called it quits after a 31-year career on Sept. 23.

We are looking forward to an exciting new adventure in the new year. May God’s blessings be on you and your family in 2012.

Big News, Told With Movie Posters

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actually),

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.

Your two biggest questions: the

is late February. Now,

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and the kid COULD be born on Feb. 29.

you ask? Well to me: an 80-year-old who can't legally drink alcohol.

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so we're not finding out and going to

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Thanks to everyone for all your wishes and prayers!

Hello Franklin

Good thing we have a "TMMPF News Flash" tag on this blog: yesterday we adopted a kitten!

Hello TMMPF.com readers. My name is Franklin.

This is the first ever picture I took of him:


Our new kitty came from Second Chance Pet Adoption here in the northwest suburbs. We were familiar with the "big shelter" model from Anti-Cruelty Society in the city. But apparently in the suburbs, foster arrangement are more common: agencies put strays with foster parents until they can find a permanent home. Then the agencies host shows at pet stores on the weekends for people like us to fall in love.

I'll say this, he isn't camera shy:

Just for the record, the flash going off in his face was an accident.

It's hard to express how small a 10-week old kitten is when you are used to an adult cat (at nine pounds, Q isn't huge). This picture comes close to getting them in scale:


A better way to describe our reaction is at the 0:25 mark:



Luckily, Quigley has been a very welcoming older brother. They are playing together:


So far there have been no struggles similar to the Booni introduction.

We want to say thank you to Sharon, who was the foster parent to our kitty, and all the folks at Second Chance. If you live in the suburbs and are thinking about adopting a cat, please check them out.

And welcome to our home, Franklin!

BEST OF MPF 2010

BEST DAY: May 12. We closed on our new house. (We moved in a week later.)


WORST DAY: Hundreds of bandwagon jumping fans crowded the trains and downtown to attend a rally for a minor sports team (sometime in June I think).

BEST NEWS STORY INVOLVING A CAT: Scientists gave a cat named Oscar new back feet after they were severed in a farming accident (June 24).

BEST SHOW: David Gray and Ray LaMontagne at Pritzker Pavilion (Aug. 25). Runner up: Elvis Costello at the Chicago Theatre (Dec. 20).

BEST SONG: "The Fixer" by Pearl Jam. Runners-up: "Beg Steal or Borrow" by Ray LaMontagne.

BEST VIDEO: "This Too Shall Pass" by OK Go. Most people would pick the Rube Goldberg video, but I preferred the version with the Notre Dame marching band.

NEITHER BEST SONG NOR BEST VIDEO BUT BEST COMBINATION OF THE TWO: "Tighten Up" by Black Keys.



BEST RECORD: "Band of Joy" by Robert Plant.

BEST PICTURE: Our morning DJ, Lin Brehmer of XRT, finally got to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley (Sept. 3). Later he posted this:


BEST BOWLING GAME: We joined a bowling league this year. On the first night of league play, I rolled a 200 game (Jan. 21).

BEST MOVIE: I didn't go to the movies in 2010.

BEST TV SHOW (AND EPISODE): "Lost" and the series finale (May 23).

WORST SUPREME COURT DECISION: Citizens United, which allows corporations to make unlimited donations in elections (Jan. 21).

BEST TIME IN WRIGLEY: Not a game but Residents Appreciation Day, where we got to walk around on the field, run the bases and sit in the dugout (Oct. 2).

BEST CUBS GAME: A 7-6 win over the Brewers, on the second home game, before the season went to hell.

BEST FOOTBALL GAME: Notre Dame beat Purdue (Sept. 4). This wins by default becuse every other game I went to, my team lost.

BEST STREET FEST: St. Nectarios Greek Fest in Palatine. Great food, good music, neat culture. Overall a lot of fun.

WORST AD CAMPAIGN: Anheuser-Busch went monosyllabic--It's What We Do, Here We Go, Grab Some Buds--with predictably stupid results.

BEST/WORST ROAD TRIP: Going to Tucson, Arizona, for the Iowa-Arizona football game was memorable for mostly the wrong reasons, but I'm still glad I went. (Sept. 17-19).

BEST DINING EXPERIENCE: Lowrys Prime Rib, celebrating my parents' 40th anniversary (Aug. 21).

WE'LL MISS YOU: Musician Alex Chilton, 59, on March 17; all-time Cub Ron Santo, 70, on Dec. 2. Read Paul Westerberg's remembrance; watch Pat Hughes' eulogy.


As most of you know, this is my annual year-end "Christmas letter." May this find you in good spirits and hopeful for a happy and peaceful 2011. God bless you and your family.

TMMPF News Flash!

Hey look what we did last week:


That's right, we bought a house! In the suburbs!!


So anyway, that's the update from here. We'll try to keep you posted on our progress as we move in etc.

In the meantime here's hoping our new furniture is nicer than pictured here: