Vernon Hills has a hockey team

Who knew! The Vernon Hills Capitals are a semi-pro hockey team that has its home games in the Glacier Ice Arena off of Lakeview Ave.

Molly and I discovered this previously unknown fact looking for an alternative to wasting money on a bad movie on Valentine's Day. We got a respite worker for Christina and actually were able to escape for a nice dinner at Green Basil, a great Thai Restaurant in Vernon Hills. By the time dinner was over, our only practical movie opportunity was Mall Cop, and it had received bad reviews. But Molly had heard something of a semi-pro hockey team and a kissing contest it was having. Thinking the hockey might be fun, we adventured over to the Glacier Ice Arena, and found that it was true, there is a league that plays there, the Great Lakes Hockey League.

They were also having the kissing contest, but we weren't up for it. The way the promotion guy explained it, we would have to lock lips for the entire game, from the time the puck dropped till the time the buzzer sounded. Last couple kissing won a prize package which included some neat things. But we came to watch hockey. And the idea of the two dozen or so fans watching us kiss standing near one of the goals behind the plexiglass didn't do it for us. Nor any of the other fans apparently, as noone took them up on the contest.

The Capitals, the only Illinois team in the league that includes mostly Wisconsin and Michigan teams, are dead last in the league, and were losing 4-7 when we left at the end of the second period. But for $5, it wasn't bad entertainment. It's definitely not pro hockey, but it's a cut above college of high school, I suppose. It made for a nice post dinner date, and definitely beat wasting more money on a movie I probably would have regretted. Here's a link to find out more about the team: http://www.vernonhillscapitals.com/

Brush with fame, of sorts

I walked by Jerry Springer today in Evanston on the way to do some errands at lunch. Noone threw a chair at me or did anything freakish.

Apparently, he lives in Evanston, some of my co-workers who have also seen him from time to time said. It must be kind of hard to have a recognizable face, people always doing a doubletake when you walk by. I am glad I didn't do anything more than take a couple extra glances as I walked by. He must get that a lot. The other people around me were twittering about it.

It reminds me of when I ran into Scottie Pippen at a gas station in Bannockburn a couple years ago. I got him to sign a sales receipt for Peter. I felt really silly afterwords.

Still waiting for my stimulus

So, are we getting checks, or just tax breaks? I admit, I'm too busy blogging, facebooking, working, sleeping, snoring, and just geniunely wasting time to keep up with the stimulus plan. Although I don't like the idea of bailing out a bunch of corporate execs who made bad decisions with other people's money while living high on the hog. Anyway, I've got plenty of things I could do with stimulus money, not the least of which is a used van we could wheelchair equip for Christina. She is getting far too heavy to lift in and out of the car all the time. Any of you want to nominate us for an Extreme Home Makeover feel free.

No wait, I'm just kidding. I would be totally mortified if Ty showed up in my front yard, not too mention we don't have the property and our village would freak out. They kept nixing our church's plans to build a new church, I can't see them cooperating even with Ty and gang. I did have fun one day talking with Peter about what he'd like his room to look like. It would be full of sports stuff. And planning Christina's would be very interesting. It would have to be all sensory -- lights, sounds, touchy stuff. She'd go khhkhhhkhhh, her sound for happiness.

Welcome home Grahl family, Welcome home.

I like my small home. Home sweet home. It's easy to keep clean, and easy to keep track of. And it's almost spring, which will mean the peach tree buds again. Aaaah Spring.

Molly's got her own facebook page

Aaaah. Finally, a break from facebook. This stuff IS time consuming. And way weird. I'm finding it strange viewing other people's conversation threads on their wall. It's like e-mail right out in the open. Not sure I like it. Blogging is one thing. It's a one way conversation, but back and forth dialogue?

I set my wife up on her own facebook page. All her friends were getting confused when I set up a facebook page, because we share a common email, and they were thinking it was her. But she's got her own page now, using a email subaccount. Took a little bit of reading to figure out how, but wasn't too tough, even for someone with no appetite at delving into that stuff.

How 'bout that freakish Chicago weather today? Warm. Deceptively warm. Like ole man winter's trying to catch us off guard, and lull us into spring dreaming, only to sock us with frigid temperatures again. I was joking at work that I dragged the San Diego weather back with me, just a little delayed.

Speaking of spring fever, Peter has little league tryouts this weekend for minors. I've been trying to get him ready. We got one of those SKLZ poles that has a ball on the end of a flexible pole for swing practice. Swing at the pole, pop, swing at the pole, pop. Works pretty good. Should have got one awhile ago. I've seen other coaches use it with their kids before games. I definitely noticed improvement from his first practice to the third. We also have a Zip n Hit, which take a bit more setup, but simulates actual pitches. Now it's a battle to get home early enough to have a bit of daylight to practice with him. Thank God for weekends.

Yipee! I joined facebook.

You can see my reaction to this momentus occasion on my facebook page. Gosh, it seems pretentious even writing that, my facebook page. I guess I'm joining the 21st century after all.

I've been fighting it for awhile. Blogging has been hard enough, as anyone reviewing these entries can tell. Go more than a few entries deep and you'll notice a nice little hiatus there. The key, I think, is not to feel I have to write those long wonderful posts every time. Short is sweet.

Anyway, now I'm on facebook, who knows what'll happen. Maybe the Cubs will actually win a....nah. I won't go that far.

International Assembly recap

Picture riding down an elevator with ten people from a multitude of countries. The elevator stops on the 18th floor, a few more get in. It stops on the 15th floor, another gets in. By the time you reach the bottom, 17 people have somehow squeezed into the elevator. Somewhere in this process, I nervously peeked at the capacity written above the buttons, eyeing the posted maximum of 21 persons with keen interest.

This was one of the more unusual memories from my first experience covering Rotary's annual International Assembly in San Diego. Going from ten below zero a few days earlier in Chicago to 80 degrees and sunny the first day off the plane was a blast. But that's cliche for a trip to San Diego in January.

Over all, the experience was good. I loved seeing real aircraft carriers docked across the bay from my hotel window (see previous post). My brother and I even toured the decommissioned carrier Midway that is docked just a long block north of the hotel on my free day. A night ride over the bridge was fun, even if it is insanely high over the bay and a bit intimidating for someone who used to have frequent nightmares about driving off tall bridges into nothingness. At least my brother was driving.

The assembly itself had high points and low points for me. The first full day I had a light load, and roamed about San Diego, seeing Petco Park, the Gas Lamp district, and other nearby sites. The first day of the assembly itself was thrilling, as the 2009-10 RI theme was rolled out, and the incoming District Governors really seemed excited about it. All the maneuvering before and after Bill Gates' big announcement on Wednesday was fun, and you could feel the surprise and excitement when he took the stage.

Getting sick later that day was a downer, a combination of strange food, long days, running on adrenalin, and foreign bugs no doubt. But the rest of the week went smoothly enough, and it was great to have prewritten some things ahead of time, while making a concerted effort to stay ahead.

Watching the DGEs interact with each other, and talking with many during lunch and dinner buffets proved educational. The whole excercise does do a great job of getting them all pumped up for their upcoming year of leadership.

And like I said, you can't beat the climate that time of year.

San Diego, what a climate!

Here are some pictures from my business trip to San Diego to cover the International Assembly for Rotary International.

Why don't I live here?

View from my hotel room. That's the Ronald Reagan carrier.

Play ball! Petco Park

The Manchester Grand Hyatt at night