WTIT: The Blog

Saturday 9: Susan

Unfamiliar with this week’s song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, our hero tells Susan that “no other girl could ever take the place of you.” Crazy Sam feels that no other earmuffs could ever take the place of the ones she left in restaurant coat room last month. Tell us about something you recently broke, lost or misplaced. My mind. If you see it floating in the blogosphere, please return it.

2) When this song was first released back in 1968, the name Susan was very popular. According the Social Security Administration, it was one of the top 10 baby girl names of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Today it’s not even in the top 100. Do you know anyone named Susan (or Suzanne)? I have a Facebook friend named Susan. We went to college together. One of my sister’s best friends is name Suzanne and I’ve known her since my sister was in high school. She has only called me once, when she won an Emmy in the mid-nineties and couldn’t reach my sister. We chatted about the award a rather long time. My wife of the time (who could get jealous over me petting a dog) wasn’t thrilled. However, I’ve never been the type who someone else could “control”.

3) The Buckinghams were Chicago’s attempt to get in on The British Invasion begun by the Beatles. (Hence the silly suits.) But they took their name from Chicago’s famous Buckingham Fountain. If Crazy Sam visited your neighborhood, what local site would you recommend she check out? We border a 275 acre state park that’s fabulous to hike through. Also, there are huge tobacco fields that ironically were used in one of my wife’s favorite films, “Parish” with Troy Donahue & Connie Stevens.

4) Chicago is known for deep dish pizza. Describe your dream pizza. (Calories, carbs and gluten need not be a factor because it’s dream pizza!) First of all, it would never be deep dish because I love thin crust. There are hundreds of combos on a pizza I like. Last night I ordered it with mushrooms and sausage. It was Kathy’s birthday and her choice of activity was watching a Tivo’d “American Idol” and have a pizza from her favorite local place. We also watched her latest video on You Tube which ended with the birds she feeds on our deck.

5) The Buckinghams got their big break by winning a local “battle of the bands.” Do you often go to concerts or bars to listen to live music? Almost never. Johnnie Walker had VIP tickets to Jimmy Buffett that included a carving station and open bar a few years ago. While not exactly a Parrot Head, I enjoy Jimmy a lot. The Buckinghams, buy the way, were produced by James Guercio who love horns in rock music. He went on to produce both Blood Sweat & Tears and Chicago.

6) The best-selling book in 1968 (the year “Susan” was released) was Airport by Arthur Hailey. It was set during a snowstorm at Lincoln International, a fictional airport based on Chicago’s O’Hare. What’s the most recent airport you flew to? Why were you there? I flew to Atlanta to visit Harvey Wallbanger in ’06 or ’07.

7) Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, Sox … Chicago is a big sports town. What’s your favorite pro team? The Yankees. In college basketball I root for UConn and I am a Patriots fan.

8) Thinking of sports, did you watch the Olympics? If yes, which events? Not a second.

9) Do you consider yourself an idealist or a pragmatist? I’m an idealist which is so much more frustrating.

That’s it for this version of The Blog. I’m off to visit my dad. I may be late commenting on your blog. But I will. Yesterday we had a Scotch tasting at 10AM at work. It was various types of Glenmorangie single mat scotch. I think the whole thing with my dad is getting to me. Rather than test, I drank. It was delicious. I was to be a passenger for the two hour drive back and we stopped for lunch. I fell asleep after lunch. I woke up at our exit off the Mass. Pike. This blog will post again. Join us. Same time. Same blog.