A while back my girlfriend Jen and I were chatting and I mentioned that I needed a vacation. "Go back to Ireland" she says. Soon I'm getting links to vacation package deals from her, and one catches my eye as a good deal with travel and accommodations for a week and I really started considering it. And, we got to stay a night in a CASTLE!

"Want to go?" I asked her, and before you know it, both of us were booked for our third trip each over the pond to Ireland for a week of driving on the left side of the road, zig zagging from east to west to north to south. From Dublin to Galway to Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland to Doolin to Blarney & Cobh before heading back to Dublin.

Here's some pictures from the trip... enjoy.

Tribune Media Group hosted a Press Pass day at Sox Park on Sunday, July 25. Wasn't sure what to expect, but I had a trip walking through the ball park. Winding from the Scout Seats lounge area, out to the field behind home plate, down into the visitors dugout & locker room area, and then up to the Stadium Club for some food & listen to Moose Skowron and Ron Kittle talk baseball.

Fun day, have to say.
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Been less than a month now since the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, and I think I've played Kaner's game winning goal 1,000 times on TiVo.

Since the Hawks brought home the Cup, I've managed to see it three times:  once in the parade, once in the Tribune newsroom during it's media tour day, and once at the United Center during a Blackhawks Standbys meeting.

Never got to linger around it long enough to read all the names...  but at least I got to touch it.  Twice.  As little as four years ago, I wasn't sure if that would ever happen.  Now, if I only had a good camera shot of me & the Cup...  ha!

Thank you, Blackhawks.

2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks playoff & parade photos

Much like I did in October 2005 when the White Sox won the World Series, I took the day off of work and walked amongst thousands of other Blackhawk fans (and other people who were not hockey fans but don't need an excuse to converge with a crowd) to watch the Hawks parade up Michigan Avenue with the Stanley Cup.

Also, here's a view from half a block south on Michigan Avenue as the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup rally kicks off with the standard National Anthem. We could barely hear anything that was being said on the stage where we were standing (poor speaker placement), but you can kindof make out the voice of Jim Cornelison in the background.


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If these videos don't get you ready for Blackhawk hockey, I don't know what will...


The Logo


Testify by Rage


91 All Star Game Anthem

Now, these last two aren't Blackhawk-centric, but I still dig them.


Stompin' Tom Conors


Cup Raise

It was a long way to go to see the Blackhawks lose a hockey game, but the chance to see the city of Vancouver was worth it nonetheless.

Photos from the Star Wars in Concert show from the UC tonight . . . . . . . . . . .

Fun show... front row seats didn't allow us much of a view of the entire orchestra, but the musicians sync'd up to the edited clips from the movies was really well done. But both Mike & I felt something was missing... having only two tickets and not three so our good buddy Allen could have come down from Wisconsin and joined us. He probably would have enjoyed it more than the two of us did combined.

And oh yeah, the @unitedcenter crew that got me the tickets wanted a picture of us, check THIS out!

More info on Star Wars in Concert.

Not too long ago I saw a half hour program on WTTW-TV (Chicago PBS) about the Star Wars In Concert production.  Nice behind-the-scenes look at the show that features an orchestra playing the music from the Star Wars movies accompanied by a multimedia presentation of the movies.

When they announced it was coming to the United Center, I dropped an email to my buddies Mike & Al who are fellow SW movie geeks.  Everyone was interested in it, but the price tag was a little steep for everyone. 

So then last week, I notice the @unitedcenter Twitter account run a contest to win a pair of tickets, so I threw my name into the hat just for the hell of it, and for the first time in my life, the Jedi Mind Trick WORKED.

Check out how it went down. . . . .

When the Hawks announced they were going to have a Jeremy Roenick heritage night, I knew that I was going to go to that game.  The Blackhawks under new management really go nuts with these gimmick nights (can't wait for Sergei Krivokrasov night!), but it was nice to see JR back in a Hawk sweater, one even he admits he should never have been removed from (thanks old management).

I grew up watching Payton and the Bears, Jordan and the Bulls, Baines and the White Sox, but for whatever reason never embraced the Blackhawks until JR came around.  I missed a lot of Savard, Wilson, and Larmer years and the anthems in the Old Barn; but glad Roenick, Chelios, and Belfour woke me up and opened my eyes to the greatest sport to watch.

So cheers, JR.  Nice to see you again.  And nice to see the Hawks beat San Jose 4-3 in overtime (cheers, to Seabrook too).



Foley calls



Fixer



High Performance Delivery



Back Breaking Hits



Puck Drop



Thank You, Fans

It's been well over a month, but pictures from Bike Ireland friends still float by now and then. And with every one, it makes me wish I could go back immediately.

This one was sent by Jan in Nebraska. Seeing this, I want to go back, and take my Orrie with me. Something tells me he'd love it over there too.