Guitar

Guitar class just finished last week and after eight weeks of lessons, I am a fully functioning guitar player! It was a great class and I am very happy that I signed up through the Old Town School of Music. I went to the center located on Lincoln in Lincoln Square and it was really a fun time. All my classmates were very nice and we had a terrific teacher who really made us all feel at ease. You can imagine what a room full of new guitar learners sounds like, sometimes it was not pretty. At the end of the session, our group performed a song in front of the other classes. I will just say that this version on the song is a lot better than what the ten of us in my class produced!! I am going to continue the classes and so I will keep you updated on how everything goes.

And keep an eye out for next week's post as I signed up for a different type of class that is not musically related. It should be fun. It is a one night session, but hopefully I will have some interesting stories.

Congratulations!!

Yep, it has happened again. This time congrats are in order for Chip and Maggie Jessopp, two of my very good friends. I have known Maggie since freshman year at Notre Dame and have gotten to know very well her husband Chip, once Maggie and Chip started dating here in the city. Last night on Wednesday, Chip and Maggie welcomed into the world Charles Edward Bate Jessopp, III (Chase). Everyone is doing great and Chip reported that Chase is excited to watch the ND vs. Michigan game on Saturday - and he will be rooting for the Blue and Gold. This is huge as Chip used to be a Michigan fan but has slowly converted to the ways of the Irish. Everything seems right in the world, doesn't it? Congrats again Chip and Maggie!!

Television and Commercial

All right, well tonight I am going to talk a little bit about some current classic television and a current classic commercial. Now I am in no way an expert in either field, but what I am sure is that I know pretty terrific stuff when I see it. With regards to television, for those of you who have not seen Flight of the Conchords, you are missing out on some of the best television around. Take two New Zealanders, Bret and Jemaine, who are not the brightest guys, their kooky manager Murray, an obsessed fan Mel, and you have a pretty hilarious story of a band trying to make it big in New York City. Each episode has a plotline and involves the Conchords performing at least one song. One of my favorites is "If You're Into It." There are a ton of their other songs on Youtube and so browse around a little. Just classic! And if you get a chance, check out the show, you won't be disappointed.
As for my favorite commercial right now, there is nothing better than the Geico Warren Wallace commercials. So funny! There are a couple of them out there so look for them the next time you turn on the tube. The intensity of Warren Wallace is just something you don't see these days! What a badass.....

Congratulations!!

Congratulations are in order for Rick and Colleen Saxen. Rick and Colleen are two good friends from ND and on Friday they welcomed Abigail Vera Saxen to the world. I have Rick and Colleen's blog located on the right side here, but you can also check it out by clicking here (I think they might have to change the title of their blog!). Rick and Colleen are now living in Dayton after a stay in San Fran for a little bit and I am hoping that sometime this fall I will have the chance to visit them and meet little Abbie. Congrats Rick and Colleen!!

What?

Sometimes it is hard for me to come up with a topic for blogging. Tonight I have sat here for about 20 minutes trying to come up with a topic and just nothing is coming to mind. I think a lot of time these posts are just some sort of stream of consciousness, but for some reason tonight I am just not coming up with anything good or fun. Therefore, I think I will just write a few things that have been a part of my life recently. These all are for different reasons, things that have been a part of Drew for the past couple of weeks......TimberTech, St Louis University, Mirai, Wilson tennis shoes, Callaway Gardens, Iceberg Mountain, HD Radio, Tru-Link, BBQ Beef, Euchre, Golf, Harry Potter, Notre Dame, 121 Marketing Resources, Mountain View, Tennis, Guinness, Holy Family, Starbucks, MIA, Molson, Snack Mix, ABCs, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, Ireland, Newborns, Buffalo Joe's, Driving and Family. Wow, that was not as much fun as I thought it would be, but still some insight into me. Next week I promise I will have a good Teaching Thursday post. Feel free to leave any suggestions!!

The ABCs of Drew

Some of my favorite things....

Adidas
Bratwurst
Cubs
Driving
Entourage
Florence
Google
Hot Doug's
Italy
Jeans
Knute Rockne
Lacrosse
Morrissey Hall
Notre Dame
Olympic winter hats
Peanut butter
Quiditch
Running
Scrabble
Tailgating
U2
Vacations
WGN 720
X-men
Yeses
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (sleeping)

Congratulations!!

Well this is turning into a pretty normal occurrence here with my blog and so congratulations to Cas and Missy Schneller on the birth of their baby boy this morning. Still waiting for the name confirmation, but good news is that everyone is doing great. Congrats Cas and Missy, awesome for you both and can't wait to meet the little one. For updates, check out the Schneller blog here and it also located on the side as well.

Teaching Thursdays

Bear Grylls is a superstar if ever there was one. So my Teaching Thursday is going to be about teaching everyone about Bear Grylls. And if you learn anything, learn who Bear Grylls is and you will have learned so many things (how to get out of quicksand; how to avoid hypothermia in high altitudes; how to survive in the desert with no water; how to be just an overall survivor). Therefore I will have created multiple Teaching Thursday blogs into one Thursday blog. That is so resourceful, maybe Bear Grylls should take lessons from me! Anyways, Bear is the host of Man vs. Wild which is on the Discovery Channel. On the show, Bear drops in through parachute into different environments and shows the viewer how to survive, what to eat, what to wear, where to sleep, what to drink, etc. You really get a good idea of how difficult the situation can be and how tough it can be to survive on your own. Bear is always on top of his game. Now I know it is a TV show and it is edited, but he is for the most part at ease, and if you have ever seen an interview with him, he has a presence about him that just makes you feel like no matter what the case, things are going to be okay. Some interesting facts on Bear: he started out as a British Special Forces member; he is a black belt in karate; he lives on a boat with his wife and two kids. When he was in the Special Forces, he broke his back in a bad parachuting accident. After an amazing recovery, he became the youngest Brit ever to climb Mount Everest and return alive, and he led a team across the North Atlantic Arctic Ocean in an inflatable boat - another first in the world. He is an adventurer, an explorer, a motivational speaker and just an interesting guy. Learn more about him and I am sure you will be pretty astonished if you are not already!

Harry Potter

All right Muggles, unless you have been living under a rock, you all know what is going to happen tomorrow at midnight. That's right, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is going to be become available and an end will be put to one of the greatest stories ever told. For those that don't follow Harry Potter, this is the seventh and final book in the series by J.K. Rowling that has not only captivated millions, but also re-energized reading for people of all ages. I was first introduced to Harry Potter when I was teaching school in California back in 2001. One of my 5th graders was a huge fan and let me borrow his book to read. By this time there were already two Harry Potter books out and I had previously thought that the book would not be to my liking. From the minute I opened it, I was hooked and could not put it down. I proceeded to read each and every book in the series and am now eagerly awaiting the release of book # 7. When Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (book # 6) came out a couple of years ago, I was there at midnight at the Borders ready to get my copy. Pretty crazy for a person my age, but I am happy to admit that I was there and even happier to admit that I was not the oldest person waiting in line that night. The end of an amazing era is upon us and I am hoping that I will be able to finish the book before I hear what some of the final outcomes will be. Because I am a notoriously slow reader, I will need to shield myself from any and all spoilers so I can find out on my own what happens to Harry. There are many varying opinions on what is going to happen and so I thought I would give you a little idea on what I am thinking might go down. Just to lay it out on the line now: I think Harry will not die; I think Snape is good; I think Dumbledore will come back; I think Hermione and Ron end up together; I think Quiditch is a pre-cursor to lacrosse! Okay kidding on that last one. For all you Potter fans out there, enjoy the book and I look forward to us talking about every last page. Just wait for me to finish it first!

Congratulations!!

A very special congratulations to Dan and Sharis Cooley on the birth of their son Ryan Sherman Cooley this morning. Dan and Sharis are the blogging originals and if you want to take a look at little Ryan, click here to see the new little one. And their blog is linked on the right side of the page as well. Awesome news Dan and Sharis!

Cool web site # 2

For those who don't know, I work at a radio station here in Chicago, WGN Radio: The mighty 720 AM. If you are around my age, you might not be familiar with it as most people our age tend to head to the FM side of the dial (if you are a big Cubs fan, you probably know WGN as the radio home to the Cubs, the best sports team in Chicago). With regards to AM Radio.....I would have to agree that I was not the biggest listener, until I started working at WGN. I don't know, there is just something about a truly local radio station (no syndicated shows) and the personalities and the way the station IS Chicago. I am sure I sound like a salesman, but give it a try, it is worth a shot and I guarantee you there will be some shows that will fit what you are looking for.

This all being said, I am getting to Cool web site #2. The radio world can be a small place and since I started working at WGN, I have gotten to know some cool people involved in the world of radio. One of them is my buddy Mike Stephen who used to be a producer at WGN. Mike has since moved on to bigger and better things, but recently he and another friend of his, Andy Hermann, started their own radio show - Outside the Loop Radio. At first, their show was done on their own and then Mike and Andy would download the finished product into podcasts. Now they have a home on WLUW 88.7 FM which is located at Loyola University. Mike used to host a show on WLUW when he was a student at Loyola and now he is back on at the station where he started. Outside the Loop Radio airs every Friday night from 6:00 - 6:30 PM, but if you miss the show, you can download their podcast of the show for free on their site (they have all their shows available for downloading). The show is really sweet and is a weekly audio magazine that talks about cool stuff here in Chicago. Take a listen, it is a fun time and Mike and Andy are two awesome guys. You can also download the show off their website through iTunes and you can then play it on your iPod. This past week's show had a neat interview with Brad Zibung who founded The Heckler, and an interview with a student from Northwestern about how Google (have you tried iGoogle?) is taking over her school. So be "in the loop" and listen to Outside the Loop Radio.

Happy Birthday America

Once again the 4th of July is here and it has come and gone. I always think of the 4th of July as the midway point of the summer and this year is no exception. With the big day taking place on a Wednesday, it seems more in the middle than ever before. I have always thought of all the fun that the big day brings, but today my brother J.P. reminded us all (in his dapper linen pants and bow tie) that what today actually is, is the birthday for our beloved country. And he's right. Today we celebrate all that is amazing about the country we live in and the people we live with. I hope we think about all the unique aspects of our country and all the sacrifices so many people (especially those in the military) have made to help make this the best place to live in the world. So in honor of our nation's bday, I thought I would let everyone know some interesting facts about this place we call home and why it is just so special. Happy birthday America, you deserve the best!

Did you know that.....

The state of Maryland has no natural lakes

The first telephone book was published in New Haven, Connecticut in 1878. The book was only one page long and had fifty names in it

The ZIP code 12345 is assigned to a company in Schenectady, New York - General Electric

Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace

Alaska has rain forests

San Francisco has no cemeteries

Tennessee is the birthplace of miniature golf

Americans throw away about 5 million bicycles each year

The longest beach in the U.S. is in Washington State

Montana is home to the shortest river in the world. Roe River is about 200 feet long

Kansas City has more fountains than Rome

Illinois has the highest number of personalized license plates than any other state

Everybody loves the Chicago Cubs

Last night I was at one of the better sporting events I have ever been to in my life. To say that it was thrilling is an understatement, and for those of you there, could you ask for a better finish? I am talking about the Cubs vs. Rockies game from Monday night. I will lay out the scene for you.....Cubs lead 8-3 going into the top of the 9th inning. Got it in the bag right? Nope. Cubs allow the first six Rockies to not only reach base, but also score (all with no outs). Yep, the Cubs now trail 9-8 and lucky for them they got out of the inning without any more damage done. Side note, to make the inning even worse, a fan ran onto the field and almost attacked the Cubs pitcher. That was bizarre and not the smartest thing. Anyways, heading into the bottom of the 9th, Cubs down one and so we need a miracle. De Rosa gets on first with a bloop single to right center. Angel Pagan (oxymoron?) strikes out. One out. Rob Bowen grounds into a fielder's choice and so now there is a runner on first with two outs. Koyie Hill comes up to bat and he's batting .194. He goes down in the count 0-2, it's over right? Out of nowhere Hill lines a single down the left field line, runners now on first and second. Theriot steps up to bat, he being Ryan The Riot, one of my new favorite Cubs. He grounds one up the middle and unbelievably the second baseman boots it for an E-4. Everyone is safe! We now have the bases loaded and Soriano is coming up to bat. He is 0-5 on the night, but everyone is feeling it. First pitch, ball one. Crowd screams, we will take a walk for sure. Second pitch, liner to right, one run in, another man rounding third, coming to the plate......Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! We are all going nuts. Pandemonium breaks loose. High fives all around. I could not believe it. The ultimate low in the top of the inning followed by the greatest high in the bottom of the inning. Only the Cubs could do this to us. A great night at the ballpark and an unreal night of baseball that will not be surely forgotten any time soon.

Lastly, I walked to and from the game, but if I had driven to the game, I would have driven home on Lake Shore Drive with the windows down to this song. Stanley would have loved it! And a certain someone else out there would have loved it too. You know who you are!!!!

Another side note....In the video, doesn't the woman backup singer with black hair look like one of the bad villians from Superman 2? Discuss on your own.

Teaching Thursdays

I thought I would make Thursdays a teaching day. My little brother said Teaching Tuesdays sounds better, and while I agree, today is Thursday and I want to teach tonight. I am going to start out with something that everyone has always wanted to know. Solving Rubik's Cube. I recently found one here at my place and started learning how to figure it out. The first few steps are not that hard, but it does get tougher as you get further along. As with anything, practice makes perfect though and if you don't pick it up for a few weeks, you can lose a lot of the moves. I will put this video here that gives some good steps on how to solve the cube. Time to start flexing your brain muscle.

Got it? If not, here is another 'more detailed' version that will start you from the beginning. There is a sequence of videos that follows (steps 2 thru 6 are in the related video section) and I think it does a good job of explaining everything. Good luck!

Cool web site #1

Okay, so being that I am letting people know a little more about me and letting people know about some of my weird aspects, I thought I would let you know about one of my favorite websites. I first learned about Threadless about 4 years ago as I read a very pint size article on them in a magazine. One of the things that caught my eye was that it was a Chicago company and that they were run by kids my age. I checked out the site and little did I know that I would become a fan and a die-hard supporter of their way of life. My Mom made fun of me when I joined their T-shirt of the month club a couple of years ago and my Dad would always laugh when the t-shirts would arrive in the mail in the sealed plastic bags. But I don't think anyone is laughing now. This company is one of the most successful and coolest of its kind and both the founders were recently named to Crain's 40 under 40. Pretty impressive for two kids who didn't finish college and who basically print t-shirts. The concept is pretty simple. Have a t-shirt design contest where designers all around the world submit their unique, original designs. Let the public vote and then print the winning designs on t-shirts. Keep the winners happy by giving them cash prizes and then selling their t-shirts on-line. All the while, never selling out and creating a community that is one of the coolest on the Internet. I wish I had the foresight to see that this company was going places years ago and applied for some type of job, any type of job! I would be one happy man as they have so much fun and can wear whatever they want to work! Take a look at this video from Chicago Tonight and you can learn a little more about how Threadless all came together and why they are the envy of so many people out there. So next time you see me in an obscure t-shirt or in my lion sweatshirt, just smile and say, "Gotta be a Threadless!!"

Lionel Richie

First real post on this new blog. A thanks to the Flow Cooleys for the blogger help page. I needed the help for sure.

I thought I would start out with something fun. This is a great link and I have to give credit to two big Lionel Richie Fans - Andy and Chris. Thanks Andy for always making this a part of the parties at our old place. And Chris, you know you love the DVD. If this doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what will.

Random notes.....Our work softball team lost tonight, but that is okay. While I can be competitive, I like to just get out there and play. It is fun to then hang out afterwards with the team. We go to O'Donovan's and have some food and drinks and that is a good time to just relax and get to know your co-workers a little better. My favorite part of the night though is driving home by myself with the music on real loud. I like to get on Lake Shore Drive and just let Stanley (my car) fly (although Stanley is not a 2007, but a 2006). On the play list right now is Bloc Party and they are a hard one to pass up for me of late. This is a sweet song by them if you do not know them already.

Okay, first real day of blogging done, pretty cool. Think I might just make a habit out of this. Night.

New Blog

I have just created this new blog and so am going to figure out how to do everything I want. I think this will be a great place for me to talk about all that I enjoy! Give you all a chance to get to know Drew a little better.