Risk is in the approach, and knowing when to stop.

We played RISK on my wife's classic original set
from the 1970's.

I didn't really want to play RISK, but when my son brought it up a few nights ago and said, "It's Family Game Night! Let's Play!"

And then my wife said "Great!" 

I felt a little trapped.   Trapped isn't the right word.  Pinned down?  Unable to escape? Having two few men on a battleground that I didn't want but couldn't avoid?  Yeah, that's about right.

So I capitulated, groaning loudly.  We started the game.

It's not that I don't like RISK. 

When I was a kid I loved it.  My best friend in second (or maybe third grade) Paul Squizzero had the game and on Saturdays, I used to go over to his house and he and I used to play rollicking games with his family on his kitchen table and his mom made us bologna and ketchup sandwiches, which I absolutely loved.

My mom was horrified, as bologna and ketchup were not what my mom wanted me to be eating, but there was nothing she could do about it.  I was nine, and I liked what I liked.  Mrs. Squizzero (Paul's mom) thought I was the politest kid on the planet.

But the thing about RISK that I don't particularly like is the element of luck.  You can have 20 guys in Mongolia and only one in Siam, and by the right rolls, that one guy in Siam could end up winning.   It's not the power of the Siamese training forces.  It's just plain luck. When I was younger I saw some kind of majesty in that, the romanticism of the one fighting for his ideals, but now, when I think of it, it just seems that it is one guy is forestalling the inevitable.  He won't be able to win, he should just give up. 

Is this the difference in outlook between youth and middle age?  

And the rolling, and the changing of armies, and the decision making, the game can be just interminable.  It just tries my patience.  (Boy, I sound like a cranky old man!)

But here we were, playing through it, and I was grinning and bearing it, like a good dad should.  (To be truthful, I was probably grimacing more than grinning.  I was dealt terrible countries, and my son, bless his little Siamese heart,  is an amazing roller.  He might get it from his dad!)

You can get this 60th-anniversary edition of RISK on Amazon.

That first night, it got to be about 9 pm, and we were about a quarter through the game.  I was in third place, far behind, and my wife was way ahead.  She's very good at strategy games, and she's a very lucky roller. (I'd like to think that she gets it from her husband!)

The board was set up on our dining room table, and over the next two days we ate around, over, and through the table, anywhere but where the game was set up.  Each time we played a few rounds, and things were moving.  I made an incursion into North America.  My son gained Australia.  My wife gained South America, and then turn after turn would lose one country only to gain it again.

After three days on and off of this, my son was in the lead, and I thought about giving up multiple times.

Day 3:  The Final Conquest. 

We played a quick round in the morning.  I conquered North America!  I set up strong borders.  I let my wife and son duke it out - she got greedy and tried to swallow Europe whole, but couldn't quite do it, and my son took it right back.   The cards kept on escalating.   We had to stop at my turn so that I could go to a telemedicine doctor's appointment, and my wife could get some work done.

Practicing social distancing in Australia
(photo courtesy of my wife stephanies )

After dinner, we sat down to play, one final time, and agreed we'd finish it off.   I had warmed up to the game. I was in it, to win it.  I fortified my borders.  I took over most of South America from my wife.   I managed to take my son's continents away while keeping two of my own.  My wife didn't have enough firepower to do anything. and flamed out on a spectacular set of rolls against my son. (I told you he was a lucky roller!)

Then it was my son's turn.  He turned in cards and got 62 armies.  He annihilated my wife's armies and grabbed her cards.  He tried to make an incursion into North America through Greenland and failed.  He tried to make an incursion into South America through Brazil and failed.  He decided not to try Alaska, and let me take my turn.  I turned in my cards for a total of 68 armies, and proceeded to romp through Asia, Africa, and Europe, and Australia, taking all of his continents away from him.

Rather than continuing to push my luck, I left strong troops in each of the continents and fortified my borders.  I thought he was going to win over the long haul, but he took a look at the board, realized that he was in for a much longer, sloggier mess than he had realized, and decided to give up!  I emerged Victorious!

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY

There are actually a few morals that I can think of.

Thank you, Princess Bride.

• Never get into a land war in Asia.   (Check)
• Spending time with my family is fun!
• It turns out that forestalling the inevitable will work when your opponent is young and impatient.
• You should not always listen to your inner voice. 
  
  I had a fun time playing RISK, even though I groaned when it  was proposed  (I am sure that EMERGING VICTORIOUS had something to do with that.) 
• Risk is as much about knowing when to stop as it is about taking actual risks.
• I'm a lucky roller, and I get it from my family.

Family Conversation Cards from Boon Supply

This was a sticker my wife got for supporting
The West Wing Weekly podcast.

I'm a big fan of games that have no clear cut winners.  Don't get me wrong,  I can talk trash with the best of them, and I enjoy winning games of all kinds (and sometimes)  I even enjoy the agony of defeat, if it's been a good game.  Mostly I enjoy victory and  drinking from the keg of glory and feasting on the finest muffins and bagels in all the land!  (That's an obscure West Wing reference, for those that are not hep.)  Yes, that's how I roll.


  Anyone who has played against me in Scrabble, Backgammon, cribbage, Uno, Fictionary, Boggle, or a host of other games, I can get pretty competitive, and not always in an attractive sort of way.

Despite my competitive streak, I must say that cooperative games, games that have no winner, and games that aren't really games at all, hold a special place in my heart.

I love games that are open ended, that don't really have a winner or a loser, and games that have a higher purpose than just deciding who was luckier or even more skillful with the hand they were given.   I was a big fan of SimCity when it was first released, and have been always searching for games that are not about winning or losing, but about playing.

Right now, I'm really fond of a new set of Family Conversation Cards that I received from Boon Supply.  Boon Supply is the passion project of Lily Kanter, who created the company as a way to help communities fundraise.  She's created a catalog of stylish and useful items, and uses those items to let people fundraise for their favorite organizations. 40% of every item sold gets donated back to a cause of some kind, and Boon has made it very easy to start up a fundraiser.   (I just started one for my school below, and you can see the details below on how to participate if you are interested.

One of those items are these Family Conversation Cards.  It's a set of 100 cards with interesting questions on them that are suitable for the whole family to answer.  Some of the questions are trivial in nature (What's your go-to karaoke song in the shower?) and some of them are pretty deep-- (What do you think the highest paying job should be?  Or If you could be microscopic for a day, what would you do?)  All of them are designed to get people talking, and then expand upon the answers.  (Why do I like to sing "Ain't Misbehavin'"  in the shower?  What's good about that song?")  so that they could be expanded upon, followed up, or vigorously defended if need be.

Who would you donate money to if you had a lemonade stand?
Right now, I'm choosing my son's alma mater
The Disney Magnet School.

I love these, partially because they don't rely on slick movie references, obscure knowledge of 80's music icons, or the lines of succession for British royalty.  As long as you truly answer the question and participate, it's a win.  Any amount of people can play, and there are no wrong answers or even right answers. There are only better answers, more complete answers, and answers that help engender conversation and discussion,   You can even ask the questions of the same people at different times, and there might be different answer.

Mostly, what I like about these cards is it gets our family talking and communicating, and joking and laughing.  And those are all good things!

I think they will become a staple in our family at home dinner ritual.  Or after school. Or maybe while our family eats the finest bagels and muffins in all the land.

PLEASE NOTE: I received this set of Conversation cards from Boon Supply, in hopes that I would write about them.  Although I'm not receiving any money in exchange for this post,  for the sake of transparency, I wanted to let you know that I did receive the cards for free.  Their free-ness did not influence my opinion of the cards.  I value my integrity, and so should you.

If you'd like to find out more, I urge you to check out the fundraiser I created for our School.

https://www.boonsupply.com/collections/609331-disney-magnet-school-fundraiser


You can order this product directly here:
https://www.boonsupply.com/products/17022-family-conversation-cards
When you check out, type "Disney" when searching for Fundraiser and select Disney Magnet School.
40% of any sales will be donated to our school, which will be turned into better educational opportunities for 1700 Chicago Public School kids.

Navy Pier's Winter Wonderfest 2018

PHOTO CAPTURED FROM WONDERFEST WEBSITE

It's been a family tradition since even before we moved to Chicago to come to Winter Wonderfest. Navy Pier's indoor carnival/celebration of winter.

 This is the 18nth one, and we've been to probably 8. (And our son is 10) Considering we've only lived in Chicago 4 years, that's pretty good!

PLEASE NOTE:  I received free admission to this event in hopes that I would write about it.  My opinion of the event has nothing to do with the freeness of the tickets.  

I take my integrity seriously, and so should you.

Click to make schedule larger

This year's event runs through January 6, and features a lot of what we've come to expect from the event. Throughout the giant convention space of Navy Pier (they say 170,000 square feet, and I believe it) there are indoor rides (including holiday themed classics like a Tilt-A-Whirl, Bumper Cars, a superman flying and a kiddie train), winter themed slides galore, a bouncy house inside an inflatable snowman,elaborately decorated christmas trees and holiday bushes, a rock-climbing area, and a full sized ice skating rink.  It's beautiful on the inside.

We went with a family of 9, cousins and grandparents included.  My son loves the ice skating rink and we even bring our own skates!  (There are skates for rent if you don't want to bring your own)

Here's a video pastiche of some of my photos from the event:

There's also a Santa station, as well as a Wonderfest village that occasionally houses some improv performers that interact with kids and adults.   There are also places to get your picture taken for an additional cost, including a giant rocking horse and a giant chair.

There are also some snack areas, and places to buy a quick bite, or some cotton candy, or candied nuts,  And what would be a wonderfest without a cookie decorating station?


 In the past there had been a full lineup of musical and variety performances, but that seems to have gone away over the last few years. (I do note in the press release they sent me that there are some brief aerial performances  by a group I've never heard of: Aerial Ataraxia , scheduled on Tuesdays and Sundays, but we went on a Friday night, and they weren't there) UPDATE:  I asked around, and Aerial Ataraxia are Chicago based aerialists  Dayleen Marrero-Taylor, Julie Marshall, & Zoë Sheppard.  (Pictured below)  They don't have a website as far as I can tell.

Aerial artists Dayleen Marrero-Taylor, Julie Marshall, & Zoë Sheppard perform at Winterfest.  Photo by  James Richard IV.. 

We have a good time every year we go, and it's a fun event.  However-- you do need to know that the security details have changed this year and that the prices have changed


SECURITY CHANGE:
In terms of security, because of construction at Navy Pier, you can no longer walk from the parking all the way upstairs into the center.  This year, you have to take a long walk (probably 10-15 minutes from the front of the building) through the parking lots of Navy Pier.  You go outside several times, so don't leave your coat in the car.  (I did, and was pretty frozen by the end of the long walk.)  You then go through a pretty extensive security checkpoint, including a bag check and a wand check before you can get inside.  There has been a security check for the last few years, but I would say this is the most thorough one I've been through at Navy Pier.

PRICE CHANGE:
Prices and the pricing structure have changed over the last few years.  A couple of years ago it was free to enter, but if you wanted to ride on anything you had to pay (or buy a bracelet for all you can ride)  That was great for adults, as you only had to pay for kids.  Apparently that was not satisfactory, so for the last couple of years everyone has to pay.


This year, prices for adults range from $20-$28 depending on the day, and Seniors and Juniors (those under 42" tall) are $12.00 each. Children under 36" are free with a paid adult. Military discount is available to US active duty service members. Present ID at box office.


BUY TICKETS ONLINE.  There is also a groupon available, that lowers those prices slightly.

Please note that the prices above are online prices.  If you just buy them at the box office they are even more expensive.  While I was there, I saw several people walk up, thinking they would just wander around for a few hours, and then turn away when they heard the price.  I'd like to see them have a "Guardian" band at around $10, that allows people to enter, but not go on rides.

 I should also note that every ticket is good for one admission/ride on the Centennial wheel as well.  That offer is good through March 2019.

Parking has also gone up a little bit.  Total cost is $30 to park at Navy Pier. (It used to be in the 20's)

All in all, it's not cheap to go to Winter Wonderfest, but it is totally a lot of fun, and it's a great thing to do to build memories with your family!

RIP: Uncle Ricky

Today is both a happy day and a sad day.  It's our 10 year anniversary (see previous post:  That's the happy part)  And the sad part is that I just got word that Stephanie's Uncle Rick passed away today.

The first time I met Ricky he challenged me to a game of Scrabble.

A lot was on the line.  I was dating his niece, and he'd heard I was good at Scrabble. and he wanted to see for himself.  He prided himself on being a good Scrabble player, and he needed to see if I cut the mustard.  I gamely agreed to play him, but I warned him in advance that I was going to bring the heat.  As an avid sports fan, (and a Cubs fanatic) I think he liked that metaphor and I scored some points with him.  That, and the fact that I liked TAB cola.

This is not our board, but it might have been.

As promised, I showed no quarter, and I scored more points with him when I won the game in a come from behind victory not unlike his beloved Cubs had a few years ago.  I don't remember the details, but I think I was down by 45 points, and I scored 53 to win on a bingo.  We played a few more times, and I think it was always pretty close, but I managed to win a few more times.   We talked about it almost everytime we saw each other, but somehow we stopped playing.

ABOVE:Uncle Ricky reading us his poem at our wedding
BELOW: Group hug with Uncle Ricky at our wedding.

We saw each other at lots of family events, including our wedding, where he gave us one of his patented poems (super corny, extra long, and filled with terrible rhymes and heartfelt sentiments.)  We also took in a couple of sports activities, including a soccer game and a couple of Saluki games.  He was a huge Saluki fan (he and his wife travelled all over the country watching the Salukis play)  

When he visited us in New York, I was at a loss of where to take him- he's not much of an art museum guy.  Fortunately, I discovered the NY Sports Museum of America (which closed 6 months later) where we had a fantastic time looking through the room of Heisman winners, seeing one of Shaq's shoes, while Ricky regaled me with tales of bowling leagues and trophies  (He was a bonafide sports nut!)

I thought of Ricky when I was recently at Northbrook for a speedskating match. They had a wall of fame to the lost art of ice barrel jumping. I wanted to find out if he knew about it (apparently it was a big sport once upon a time, especially big in Northbrook, and it has now since become a former sport.)  But it used to have its own television specials. It was just the kind of quirky sport that Ricky would have liked, and known all about. I'm sad I never asked him about it.

Here's some of the photos of barrel jumping from the Northbrook Speedskating Hall of Fame that made me think of Rick.

 

 

Ricky was a true mensch.  Soft-spoken, and humble,  he was a great listener, who always asked good questions, and wanted to know what other people thought.  He loved chatting, and Tab cola, and whenever we met up we'd always drink a Tab and talk.  He was also a big fan of the restaurant Fuddruckers, which he once treated us to a lunch when we happened to be not so far from him. He was a gentle guy, and always a gentleman.  He was a good soul.

Ricky always had a kind and encouraging word for nearly everybody, (except for maybe Donald Trump, who he detested.) The last time I saw Ricky was last Friday night at the Family Seder at his house.  There were 26 people there, and Ricky was in his element, greeting people, laughing, and telling a self-effacing joke.  He led the Seder off with a rather long but impassioned comparison of Trump's America to North Korea, and while it was a little weird to start off the Seder there, everyone at the table knew that it was all heartfelt.  The seder continued, and the food was great, the company was great, and everything was just hunkydory.

As we said goodbye, he clapped me on the shoulder and said maybe we'd play Scrabble again.  I agreed gamely.

Unfortunately, on Sunday, Ricky had a sudden and massive heart attack while napping, and he was not able to recover.  I will update this post with the funeral information.

Hopefully, there is a heaven, and Ricky is up there right now, getting  Ernie Banks's autograph and bemoaning the choices of the Saluki's coach, drinking TAB and playing Scrabble. And maybe even learning more about Barrel Jumping.

Godspeed, Uncle Ricky!

UPDATE:

The obituary from the Chicago Sun-Times:

Schwab, Richard D. Of St. John, IN, died on April 5. He was 71. Rick spent 49 years in the insurance industry, nearly 40 of them as an agent at Rick Schwab State Farm Insurance in Glenwood, IL, the town where he and treasured wife Diane raised their two sons, Danny and Jay. Rick was born in Chicago and spent most of his youth living on the south side of the city, unaware that the love of his life and wife of 41 years was growing up just a few blocks away. Many days of his childhood were spent playing neighborhood ballgames and skipping class in favor of rooting on his Cubbies at Wrigley Field. Rick was a sports fanatic with a penchant for backing the underdog. He was especially enraptured with the Cubs - even authoring a book, "Stuck on the Cubs," a humorous take on the life of a Cubs fan. His passion ran equally deep for his beloved Salukis, the sports teams of his alma mater, Southern Illinois University. He also was a horse racing enthusiast and lover of bowling. Rick was known for his extreme generosity, be it with loved ones or even strangers on the street. His perfect day would include a piping hot pizza, an ice cold can of Tab and reliving stories of beloved athletes such as Ernie Banks and Walt Frazier, surrounded by family and friends. What else made Rick beam? A hot blackjack streak in Las Vegas, a homecoming parade in Carbondale, a musical that kept him awake until at least intermission, and virtually anything uttered by his three grandchildren. He had little use for iPhones or social media, believing that preferable forms of communication included a well-crafted letter, a nightly newscast and a good, old-fashioned newspaper. Rick is survived by Diane; by his two sons, Danny (Emmy) and Jay (Alexa); siblings Steven (Nancy) and Melinda (the late Alan Goldberg); his grandchildren, Sarah, Gabriel and Audrey; his mother, Gertrude Metzger; a beloved circle of extended family and friends, and his "granddogs," Sadie and Walter. He was preceded in death by his father, Hank Schwab, and his in-laws, Harry and Magrit Sugar. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Southern Illinois University Foundation or JDRF. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 9 at B'nai Yehuda Beth Shalom, 1424 W. 183rd St., in Homewood, Ill. Burial will follow at Jewish Oakridge Cemetery in Hillside, IL. For funeral information, 847-256-5700.

Published in Chicago Sun-Times on Apr. 6, 2018

Creatures of the Night at Garfield Park Conservatory

The Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest and most stunning conservatories in the nation. Often referred to as “landscape art under glass,” the conservatory occupies approximately two acres inside, where eight rooms featuring thousands of plant species are on display.  There's lush greens and tropical temperatures all year round, and during the summer, they have over 12 acres of stunning outdoor gardens. 

On Saturday, October 28, from 12 noon until 3 pm, they'll be featuring an event they call Creatures of the Night. 

 It's a Halloween themed event where kids and their families can come to do a little trick or treating.  As they collect treats throughout the building, kids and their families will learn about unique relationships between animals and plants.

Animals that will be making a special day-time appearance at the event include: owls, a sloth, a red-shouldered hawk, an opossum, an armadillo, a bearded dragon, a chinchilla, a bat-eared fox, a tenrec hedgehog and more! Families can also enjoy face painting, make-and-take activity stations, live music and the Monster Mash Costume Bash at 2pm and, new this year, Midge and Madge of the Acme Flea Circus with performances at 12:30pm and 1:30pm.

(Oh yes, did I happen to mention I'd be performing my flea circus?  Let me please mention it!)
This is one of the few public opportunities to see the flea circus this season!   Read my flea circus press release in full at http://www.trainedfleas.com/garfieldpark.html

  

Families are encouraged to come in costume!

Admission to Creatures of the Night is a suggested donation of $5. Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance members and kids 3 years and under are free. For more

information go to www.garfield-conservatory.org or call 773.638.1766.

Directions

Garfield Park Conservatory is located just fifteen minutes west of downtown. From I-290, exit Independence Avenue (3800 west) and travel north. Turn east onto Washington Blvd. Turn north onto Central Park Avenue (3600 west). Alternatively, take the CTA Green line and exit at Conservatory/Central Park Drive. A Divvy bike station is available in front of the building.

Passover has passed me over

NOTE: This post is going to get a little more personal than I normally get, so feel free to skip if you choose to.  I know that some of my readers are primarily about the cultural stuff I write about, or maybe the parenting tips, or who knows, even the sponsored stuff I occasionally do.  But this is for the ones who might be interested in the personal.

This one is about my relationship with my religion.

 I've got a hard relationship with Judaism.

On one hand I feel very Jewish- my identity is very much as a Jew, at least culturally.  I had a Bar Mitzvah, I went to Israel, I can read Hebrew (although my understanding is limited) I went to Hebrew High School (The Harry Elkin Midrasha), and even taught there for two years.  I know the blessings by heart, or mostly, I have Passover Seders in my house, we occasionally have Shabbat, and I can "Oy vey" and "Nu, so..." with the best of them. I married a Jewish woman, and we stepped on the glass. I cry at Fiddler on the Roof.  I'm also a big fan of Bagels and Lox, brisket, and knishes. Kashe not so much.  And guilt?  Do I know about guilt! Well, that's part of the reason for this blog post.

 I want my son to know Judaism.  I want him to have a Bar Mitzvah, and know the blessings over wine, and bread, and matzah.  I want him to know what a lulav and an etrog are, to know the sounds of the Shofar being blown, I want that to be part of his identity, for him to feel connected to this group of people who have struggled over great adversity and managed to survive for thousands of years.  He is part of that struggle, as I am, and as my parents were before me, and their parents before them.

On the other hand, I am not a practicing Jew. I don't fast on Yom Kippur, don't eat matzah at Passover, don't regularly stop working on Shabbat, or even light the candles.  I eat pork and shellfish with abandon.  I'm not a member of a synagogue, I don't go to synagogue with any kind of regularity (and when I do go, I kind of resent it)  I have a great doubt that any of those things will help me in an afterlife I don't think I believe in and haven't gotten much spiritual comfort from.

I don't think I'd go so far as to say I'm an atheist, I believe there is some Creator, but not one that I have a "personal relationship" with or cares whether or not I work on Shabbat, or eat cheeseburgers. And while I feel a part of the grander scheme of Judaism, I have never felt a part of an individual community of Judaism.  Maybe for about 10 minutes, but certainly not on a sustained level.

The most spiritually moved I've felt has been at the theatre, and occasionally while sitting on a rock jetty with my back to the shore, watching the waves roll in.  (Oh my god, my spiritualism is a tampon commercial!)

When my parents were alive, I went to synagogue, and fasted at Yom Kippur, and didn't eat bread during Passover, and all those other things. I didn't keep kosher, but neither did my parents.  But I kind of felt that I was doing it for my mom, and not for me, and when she passed away, I decided to stop.  Since then, I have become increasingly more ornery about practicing Judaism.

When my wife and I lived in NY, we were part of a synagogue, but I never felt very close to that community.  Perhaps because it was my wife's community, perhaps because soon after I started going there was a great deal of flux due to the spiritual leader leaving, perhaps because my wife got involved in the behind-the-scenes of synagogue politics, and I saw the worst of it.

In the Passover Haggadah there is a parable about the four sons, the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who doesn't know enough to ask.  Each has a question about what is going on, and you are supposed to answer each differently.

When I was younger, I always cast myself as the wise son, the one who includes himself, and asks the question "What did God command us to do?"   but now I'm pretty sure I'm the wicked son, the one who holds himself apart from the group, and asks the question, "What did God command YOU to do?"

(a kind of funny film demonstrates this parable below)

So I'm in a quandary-- I feel like I'm Jewish, but don't really believe in (or do) all of the stuff that makes one Jewish.  And I want my son to be Jewish, or at least know about Judaism.  But I'm setting him a bad example, at least as a Jew.  

I'm sure I'm not alone.

I feel like I have two choices--

1) fake it 'til I make it.  Set a better example as a Jew, even though I am not getting much out of it. That might mean more synagogue time for me, more fasting, more "Religion for the sake of religion" instead of for the sake of me.

2) Don't fake it. Explain as best I can why I want him to be involved and knowledgeable, and when the inevitable charges of hypocrisy come, parry them by letting him know that when he's18, he can make his own decisions.

Is there a third option?  Or a fourth option? For those of you who are religious doubters, what are you doing to help give your child/children a basis in religion?

Disneyworld: The Four Park Challenge

We are in Disney World for a few days, as it is my wife and my son's happy place, and a place that I really really like.  We became DVC members last year, which means we will be vacationing at the Most Magical Place On Earth for years to come.

We've got some time to roam and explore, now that we know that we will be here for a while, and so, on a random Tuesday, we embarked on a mad mad adventure: a quest to "do" all 4 parks in a single day.  The Four Park Challenge. It's kind of like a Disney Bucket list.

What does it mean to "do" a park?
Well, everybody has a theory, and here's ours.  Seeing every ride is right out of the question (You could do it in one park, maybe, and many people have, but I know you couldn't in all 4 parks on the same day.  Doing all 4 parks every ride in 4 straight days is another bucket list we might take on another time.  That would be like a Disneyworld Ironman!

For us, we decided that for our park to count, we would have to do the following.

• Go on at least 3 rides or shows..
• Have a photo taken at one iconic area.
• Eat something in every park.
• Trade a pin in every park (we are inveterate pin traders) (at least one of us)
• Use the restroom in every park. (at least one of us)

We did it!  Although our feet and backs were sore by the end of the day (by the time my day ended at midnight, I'd walked 24000+ steps (over 11 miles!), been on 17 rides, and had a great day with the family.

I highly recommend this for your family, especially if you've been to Disney before, and want to see it in a new light/push your boundaries kind of way.  I also recommend that you make up the rules to fulfill the challenge what feels right for you and your family!  It's your vacation, spend it how you please!

Here's our itinerary for our bucketlist day.

MAGIC KINGDOM

Us in front of the Magic Kingdom Castle

 We took our picture on the way in in front of the castle.
8 AM:  Visit Be Our Guest for an early breakfast.
8:40 AM: Get in line for early rides on 7 Dwarves Mine Train.  We rode it 3 times!
9:10 AM: Walk over to TomorrowLand. While here we rode TomorrowLand Speedway, Astro-Orbital Launcher, the Laugh Floor, the PeopleMover, and Buzz Lightyear.

This took us until about 10:30 AM.  We then took the Express bus over to  Hollywood Studios.  The Express bus is a new bus service that allows you travel backstage between all 4 parks.  It's brand new, and its advantage is that you don't have to go through security again.  The disadvantage is that it costs extra.  Right now in the trial phase it's $24 per person for one week of usage.  That's a pretty good deal!

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS  

Us in front of the Bauman Chinese Theatre
in Hollywood Studios

We took our picture on the way in in front of Rockin' Roller Coaster,
11 AM:   We got in around 11 am.  It drops you off right at Rockin' Roller Coaster but my wife and child couldn't be convinced to get on.  So we took another picture in front of the Movie Ride/Main Street.   Then we rode the following three rides:
Star Tours
Muppets in 3D
Toy Story Midway Mania

We then stopped for lunch at 1:15 at the ABC Commissary, neither of us had been there before,  And then caught the bus over to Animal Kingdom for our third park of the day.

ANIMAL KINGDOM  

Us in front of the Tree of Life at
Animal Kingdom

We arrived at Animal Kingdom at around 2:30.  It took us a while to get our bearings.  We couldn't find a photographer right away, and we were trying to hook up with a friend who was in that park on that day (unfortunately, we arrived a little late, and they left a little early, so we missed them)

We ended up going on Everest (which both my wife and son were scared about, but ended up doing just fine on.  My son said Never Again.  But at least he conquered his fear about getting on.    After that we had a snack at the local shop.

After Everest we rode
•Bugs Life in the big tree of Life.  (where we finally found a photographer)
• Dinosaur

We  then had to walk back around the park to get to the Backstage Express to get to our final park of the day:  Epcot.

EPCOT

Last park of the day!  Us in front of the "Golf Ball" at Epcot.

By this time we were pretty sore and not sure if we could continue.  But we did anyway!
We rode 3 rides here as well.

Spaceship Earth (which had a fault as were were getting started, and was halted for about 10 minutes)
Nemo at the Seas
Imagination with Figment

We walked back over to eat dinner at the Electric Umbrella, and then slowly made our way back to our hotel (Beach Club)  My wife and son went back to the room, and I met up with a friend who performs on the Boardwalk (Coney Island Chris)

 It was cold by then, so Chris was inside the Boardwalk Hotel.  After that, I had drinks with Chris and his wife, and then went back to the hotel to try to get some shuteye so that we could be back in the parks the next day!  I got to sleep around midnight!  Long day!


Over all, trying the challenge was a great and different way to see the parks.  I'd definitely recommend it, if you have already been to the parks once, and want to see if you can do it!

IN MEMORIAM: Irma Slavit & Joyce Silverman

Jewish gravestone 

Two of my older relatives passed away recently within one day of each other, and it has me bummed out.

Listen, I know it's the way that all things must go, and not to get morose, everyone will one day die. It's just making me feel my mortality all over again.  I'm 52.  How many years do I have left?  (I don't really want to know, and I hope it's a lot!)

And my two relatives lived pretty long lives.  My great aunt Irma lived to be 97, and her niece Joyce lived to be 83.  It seems easy to say "Well, they had pretty long lives."

Both Irma and Joyce were smart funny women, very involved in politics and activism.  My Aunt Irma was the past president of the League of Women Voters and an officer of a chapter of the ACLU.  She went to Pembroke College (Brown's sister school)

Joyce was also a past president of the League of Women Voters and was active in local politics.

Both Irma and Joyce were in the class of relatives that for the longest time I did not know how I was related to them.  We didn't see them that often in our everyday life, but whenever there was a family function (Bar Mitzvah, funeral, wedding, etc) they were always there.  You know, I was 10 or 13-- I knew who they were, but didn't know how they were connected.

Part of that comes from the fact that they are from my dad's fathers side, and my dad did not have a relationship with his dad, so that piece was missing.

Irma was my Great Aunt.  She was the younger sister of my Grandfather. 

Joyce was my Dad's first cousin.  She was the daughter of my Dad's Aunt Bess.  I'm not sure if that makes us first cousins once removed, or second cousins.

I had been meaning to go down to Tucson to see Irma for a couple of days just to say Hello and ask her questions about family stuff (she was the family historian)  But I procrastinated, and now it's too late.

Rest In Peace Irma and Joyce.

SILVERMAN, Joyce Gorman Age 83, passed away peacefully on September 2, 2016, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. She is survived by sons Mark Silverman (Sue Fields) of Conway, MA, and Peter Silverman (Suzanne Sullivan) of Barre, MA, and daughter Amy McFarland (Tom McFarland) of Stoughton, WI; by grandchildren Sarah Silverman, Jason Silverman, Eliza McFarland, Ricky Silverman, and Kyra McFarland; and great-granddaughter Kyla Benson. She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister Marilynn (Gorman) Siegel; and her dear companions Bill Dutzcak and Edmund Murphy. She was born in Providence, RI, the daughter of Bess (Gertsacov) and Adolph Gorman, on October 30, 1932. She attended Wellesley College, Class of 1954, and married the late Richard Silverman in 1952 (divorced 1980). She lived for over 40 years in Weston, MA, was president of the League of Women Voters and served on the Town Democratic Committee. She worked as legislative aide for ten years to State Senator Carol Amick, and in many other public service positions. She retired to a waterfront home in Wareham, MA in 1998, and was active in Democratic politics there. She was an avid gardener and music lover, was devoted to her family and to politics, and was a dedicated daily newspaper reader. 

SLAVIT, Irma Gertsacov, Age 97, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2016. She is survived by her son Dr. Michael Slavit and daughters Roberta Carichner (E. Norbert Carichner) and Betsy Slavit, grandchildren Michelle Slavit aka Jazmine Bridget Knight, Joanna Carichner (Ben Christensen) and David Carichner (Barbara Methot) and great grandchildren Logan Carichner and Sarah Carichner. She was preceded in death by her husband Leonard in 2007. Irma was born in Providence, RI, the daughter of Ethel (Reffkin) and Max Gertsacov on May 27, 1919. She attended Pembroke College and married the late Leonard Slavit in 1939. She lived for 87 years in Providence and Warwick, RI. , was president of the League of Women Voters and an officer of the R.I. chapter of the ACLU. She worked as Graduate Placement Director of Brown University, and as an employment counsellor and counsellor trainer for Blackstone Valley Community Action and Rhode Island Displaced Homemakers. She retired to her daughter Roberta's home in Tucson, AZ in 2006. She was an avid reader, was devoted to her family and to political action. She was celebrated by all who knew her as a positive presence in the world through her social, employment and volunteer activities.

The Family Business

Publicity shot from the flea circus.

I'm performing my show The Acme Flea Circus 5 times this summer as part of the Chicago Park District Night Out In The Parks Program. (see here for all the details. )
The shows are all free, so it would be great if you came out! I've got 4 more!

My first show was today. (Not open to the public-- it was part of a camp program.)

POP QUIZ

 My son came along because of the following:

A) my wife was working, and had an appointment, so I couldn't leave him with her.
B) we're trying to save money, so he's not going to camp every day.
C) I wanted him to see what I do.
D) ALL OF THE ABOVE

If you guessed D) ALL OF THE ABOVE you would be correct.

On the drive to the show, I realized that this is the first time that he was going to be helping me do a show. Yes, he's seen my show multiple times but he hasn't been in the business (backstage, setting up, striking, etc.)

Shows in the Chicago parks this summer.

He's never really expressed an interest in performing, other than glibly. He loves acrobatics, and he loves to do tricks, just not in front of people. If we were waiting in line, and I said, "Let's do a trick for these people in line." he would demur.

 I've never wanted to push him into performing if that's not what he wants to do.  I have a friend who is also a performer, has a son born around the same time as AA, and that kid was born wanting to perform. (he has been on a soap opera, in an opera at BAM, just booked a national commercial, and is currently in an HBO series with James Franco!)

I think he'd be good, as he loves to pretend, he's very cute and photogenic, and he can be quite funny.  But he has to want it.

Anyway, he agreed to help out today.  His big job was to be the house manager.  He had to go open the door to the room, kick down the doorstop and say "Ladies and Gentleman, the house is now open."  He confided to me that he was a little nervous about it. We went over the ground rules (watch the show quietly, he has to do what is expected of him, he can't ruin the show for other kids by saying what comes next, etc.)

Trying on the hat for size.  It could work!

He did well, opening the door perfectly, sitting quietly.  I explained to him that one of the hardest things a performer has to do is wait.  We arrived at 8:45am for an 11 am show.  (an hour to set up typically, and an hour to troubleshoot anything that might go wrong.) He was a little restless but mostly held it together.  He also asked me a bunch of questions about training the fleas. I told him that I don't tell anybody how I train them, but if he ended up wanting to perform the show after I retired, I would teach him.  He seemed pretty excited about that.

 Before I had my son, I was performing on a pretty regular basis, making an okay and occasionally decent living from it.  I was touring a lot, going to festivals a lot, driving a lot. But that all changed after the baby was born. It made sense for me to be the stay at home parent, and my wife to become the bread winner. I still perform occasionally, but not as often. And that is an itch I would like to scratch.

I have a weird fantasy of us putting together a show and going on tour together. Maybe do the Summer Fringe Festival Circuit? We'd make a good team I think; I'm so big, he's so little, he can be very bossy.   (I am not sure what my wife would do in this summer touring fantasy.  Run the box office?)

Anyway, that probably won't happen, but today was a nice start. And who knows? If I can teach him to run the sound system and do all the sound cues it could still work out!