November 15 - December 15, 2004

Dream Blogs


Hi! Welcome back! A lot has happened since I last blogged . . . The weather in Chicago has been beautiful. Spent Thanksgiving at my sister's in W. Chicago. Mother drove up in a blinding rainstorm from Southern Illinois. My friend Ed and I drove out from the city. We each brought a dish, and had tons of food. Turkey, stuffing, (called "dressing" in So. Ill., chicken and noodles, (like our Grandmother Rhodes used to make), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes w/marshmellows, apple salad, green beans, lima beans, and 3 home-made pies! Yumm!


I had to be at work on Friday, thru the weekend, but it was slow at work. Got a lot done on my websites.


The next weekend we went shopping downtown for some new clothes for the holidays. Found just about everything at Nordstrom on Boul Mich, lunched at Papa Milano's on Rush.


Last Friday, we had our first big party of the season. The annual Dr. Teplica Christmas party. He hosts a big bash for 300 people at his mansion in Buena Park, right next door to the mansion formerly owned by former Gov. Thompson. This year, we feasted on Coho Salmon, capers, ham, and ostrich! (There were 40 ostriches according to the catering staff!) A live choir entertained with Christmas songs, as we entered the main foyer, upon arrival, and the place was already starting to fill up at 6:30pm!


We saw our friend David Campbell, (from the Scottish Campbell Clan, one of Dr. David's models), and his beautiful wife Lisa, (managing editor for The Reader), who we met at the party 2 years ago. We had fun catching up out on the porch during smoke breaks! (Last year David wore his plaid kilt, (showing of his skier legs,) which he left at home, this time.)


We met a couple upstairs (in the airline industry), in the master bedroom, where we were mugging for the cameras, rolling around on top of the covers of the original and ornately carved 4-poster (to the ceiling) bed of King George II, whose canopy had to be removed, as well as the chandelier in the ceiling, in order to accomodate it! Stair steps had to be installed in order to climb into it, btw!


Downstairs, we spotted Chuck Renslow, (IML founder), who came up to chat, when we were saying "hi" to Dr. David. Chuck was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, which looked very out-of-place in the more formally - dressed crowd, and had some haggard-looking man, with him, trolling about. He came, ate and left. Surprise - surprise!


Dr. Teplica is a world-renowned plastic surgeon, and an accomplished professional photographer. Most of his subject area centers on twins, and nudes. He has travelled the world, photographing the most interesting people, and has several coffee-table books he's had published.

So, later, after having champagne and wine, (Dr. Teplica flies in twin-blonde bartenders from LA, every year to serve us) - we migrated over to the lavish dessert tables for coffee, and Swiss Chocolates (piled up to the ceiling), and circulated among the diverse crowd, and noshed. We toured the sizable mansion (used solely for entertaining, accomodating out-of-town-guests, and the Doctor's offices, NOT his residence, btw) - laughing until it hurt, we roamed the massive halls and rooms, took pics, and finally said our goodbyes, around 10pm - and made a quick exit.


We hopped a cab, out front, down to Sidetracks, where we met our friend Ed, who was hosting an out-of-town guest - Cameron - a 20-something single ex-co-worker of Ed's - from Minneapolis. We had a great time, there, talking and watching videos on the giant screen. After about two hours of that, we decided to go over to (of all places) Little Jim's - since Ed had never been. (We all had just enough alcohol in us to venture the 1 block hike. lol) It is kind of an institution in Chicago!


We no sooner walked in, when we ran into Barry Allen, aka Paula Sinclair - an old friend, who used to live, coincidentally, in the upstairs apt. of Ed's building, on Buckingham. We had a great time 'catching' up, and he invited us to his 'live' show at "Circuit", next Sunday. (Which we missed.)


We finally called it a night, and had to get home and get some sleep, since we were getting up early to go down to Southern Ill to see Scott's mom's Christmas choir, the next day.


We got up and had a quick breakfast in W. Loop, fed the kittens, and got on the road. We got to his parents house around 4:30pm - sat and visited with his folks and his brother, then got changed and went to the concert.


Scott's brother came up from SIU (where he is the purchaser, there, for the univ.) He and their Dad, went with us into town, and toured the Macoupin County Courthouse, circa 1860, before the concert. It is a massive structure, on the scale of the State Capitol made of solid iron doors each weighing one ton, and iron staircases, leading up to the main courtroom.
No expense was spared in erecting this behemouth! (The sole purpose in building it to such proportions, was to "break" the County [budget], in order to block splitting the County in-two, back in the mid-1800s!)


The concert was really good, and we all went out to eat at a local pub, afterward. We got home and called it a night.


Sunday night they had their belated family Thanksgiving feast, and we had a wonderful time sitting around the family Wurlitzer piano, singing Gospel songs and Christmas Carols (his mom brought home the score from the concert, which included a medley of the Charlie Brown Christmas Program) - The next day, we visited some more, went and had a nice 'goodbye' breakfast in town (Carlinville) - and we made the 4-hr. trek back to Chicago, with no problems. We were both exhausted, and after looking in on the kittens, called it a day!


Tuesday, I worked out, then met our friend Ed, Our Doug, and a friend at Buck's. Stayed out way too late, but had a great time.


Wednesday, we had an Executive Bd. Mtg, at the condo, and Tommy (Board Prez) and I went out to grab a bite, afterward at Chicago Diner (great vegetarian place) and talked with our waiter-friend, Robert who is an actor, here in Chicago. Stopped by Buck's, again for a nightcap, then back home. We ran into Joe (prop. supvr.) and filled him in on the goings on of the mtg, earlier. Got home way too late, again.


Thurs, I called my friend 'the mayor' and we got together for lunch at Butch McGuire's down on Division. (http://drdolphin.com/index2.html) We had a great time catching up. He just got back from Machu Pichu, where he hiked the Inca Trail up the mountain to see the spectacular ruins, there. Then continued on to Lake Titticaca - the 'lake in the sky', also in Peru. He was on his way to Rotary Club - where he was helping with a children's benefit, that afternoon. We set a date to have High Tea at the Drake, in 2 weeks. . . (Stay Tuned) (Pics forthcoming).