Month: January 2023

Before I start Trouble’s tribute; since his passing let me say the outpouring of kind words, support and messages I’ve gotten from dear friends has been INCREDIBLE!  I’m overwhelmed and it shows how many special people are in my life. Good folks who aren’t afraid to show their caring for both me and my departed pal.  Several friends have offered to help when I’m ready to adopt another kitty or two. I will definitely keep those offers in mind when the time is right for me.

In late July of 2006 my mother and I adopted a shy one year old neutered domestic short haired cat.  We found him at the Du page Animal Shelter where his name was ‘Chase.’  It was a Saturday when we took in this fella and thanks to a senior citizen’s special that day, the adoption fee my mom paid was only one dollar.  I noticed the shelter’s staff seemed really giddy and happily surprised that their feline found a new family to live with.  The buzz around the place was “Chase is going home!  Chase is going home!”

We got the soon to be re-named kitty home and he quickly hid for the next day and a half. There was no sight of him until I lifted up our loveseat and discovered the little guy hiding up in the ticking of the couch!  I gently pulled our rescue kitty out of there, then hugged and kissed him. With that he seemed to relax and realize we meant him no harm. 

A minute later ‘Chase’ earned his new name by jumping on a shelf and knocking over a clock encased in glass. The timepiece smashed shards all over the place and the noise scared him enough to run atop the dining room table where he knocked over a coffee cup and a bunch of papers.  I turned to my mom and said, “This one’s gonna be trouble.”  We looked at each other and knew “Trouble” would be his new name.Truth be told, he never was much trouble after that.

All other cats we ever owned loved to spend time in our backyard but Trouble was more than content to sit on a window sill and look outside.  In the warm weather he liked to push his face against the window screens and try to mimic the chirp of birds in our front yard trees.  He was so cute doing that. 

Trouble had no problem getting along with the other cat in our house, our nine-year-old pure white kitty named Dudley.  On occasion, they would sit together on a desk and look out our front window.  When Dudley would go outside for short spells, Trouble would always watch him from the back bedroom window but never wanted to join his housemate in the yard.

After Dudley died in 2010, (and my mom passed the year before) it was just me and Trouble.  Trouble ate like the king of the house that he was.  I spoiled this guy with freshly grilled bacon, chicken, burger patties and when I cooked myself salmon, guess who got about half of that fish?  Trouble!

When I’d come home from being at school all day, Trouble would run to the back door to greet me and meow for a snack. He almost always got a treat.  I’ve often said our pets don’t live long lives so let’s make them good lives.  In the summers or the weekends, when I’d take a nap, I’d often wake to find Trouble nuzzled between my shoulder and neck.  He’d be happily snoozing away.

In the fall of this past year, my furry friend started to slow down.  He slept more and was less active as arthritis came into play.  Still, Trubs ALWAYS loved having under his chin rubbed and could purr for days while I petted him. 

As I’ve been through the decline of health in other pets over the years, I knew when it was time to help Trouble cross the Rainbow Bridge. I may have even waited a couple days too long.  Trubs was calm, quiet and at peace as he passed and my heart broke.  The help and support Trouble and I got from the Elmhurst Animal Care Center was nothing short of amazing.  Those folks are true angels! 

Right now, is the first time in 58 years that I do not have a dog or cat living in my house. Will I get another kitty in the future?  Yes.  I might look to adopt two at once so they can be pals.  But for now, I just need to absorb this hurt and be grateful for the 16 ½ years I had with the sweetest little fella I could ask for.

So long Trouble.  I love you and will never forget all the joy and companionship you brought me.  And I hope the food at the Rainbow Bridge is as good as you deserve!

The festive holidays are in our rearview mirror but here’s a little extra gift. It’s something to spark your interest in my upcoming media memoir “Raised on the Radio.” 

Setting up this excerpt: It’s a recollection of some of the perks I experienced when producing major market radio shows in Chicago.  Lots of fun was had and at little expense to me…

EXTRAS, FREEBIES AND GUESTLISTS Seeing movies, concerts and ballgames was how most of my free time away from radio was spent. The money I paid out for newspapers, books, magazines, cable TV and cell-phone bills all got written off as tax deductions because they were related to my job as a radio producer. Carefully tracking expenditures throughout my time in radio, I used to joke that my whole life was one giant tax write-off. 

Good seats at concerts were regularly available and rare was the time I had to pay for my tickets.  I got friends of mine and ladies I dated into plenty of big shows.  One of the best parts about seeing these shows was enjoying the reactions from whoever I took to the show with me.  Sitting 5^th row center for free at a Rolling Stones concert was wild and my good buddy Bobbo got as big a thrill out of it as I did.  There was the time I treated my friend Bernie to special lounge suite seats with drink service for a Moody Blues concert at Poplar Creek.  He was a longtime fan of the band and when they launched into “Tuesday Afternoon” Bernie had tears in his eyes as he thanked me for such a memorable happening.

My favorite places to see concerts in Chicago were the smaller venues like the Riviera, The Vic, Park West and House of Blues. These theatres had the best sound and sightlines. I was often able to get what I called ‘The Lincoln Seats’ in these places. Those were the ones on the raised level to the side of the stage in a private box.  I’m just glad I never encountered a bitter John Wilkes Booth at those shows. One time at a Wang Chung concert at the Riviera, I saw some attractive models sitting in a nearby balcony box. They were REALLY hot.  In fact, these women were so hot they tore off their bras from under their tops and slingshot them onto Wang Chung’s stage.  Next, these ladies flashed their bare breasts to the band. I thought to tell them this was not Mardi Gras in New Orleans and there were no cheap plastic beads to earn, but why spoil their fun?   

The “He’s So Cool” factor for concert freebies might be the kick for some people but I appreciated the convenience. No standing in line or going online for tickets, plus VIP parking made life much easier. For me, sitting in skyboxes or other preferred areas never got old. And if a freebie that I wanted wasn’t offered, a quick phone call would be made and usually it was, “Yes, we can put you on that guest list.  No problem. See you there!”

Looking back on all the extras that were there for the taking, I think of Ray Liotta talking about the gangster life in “Good Fellas” when he said, “For us, to live any other way was nuts.” 

That was my life in radio for a long time and I loved every minute of it!