Gangster Trivia

Did you know.... Al Capone had a cut on his cheek. This scar on his face was given to him by a guy when Capone tried to hone in on his girlfriend.

The opening scene of the movie Blues Brothers (with the nun) was actually shot in a Jewish meeting hall.

The term bootleggers comes from a time when moonshiners would keep their alcohol in their boots-waiting until church was over to sell to patrons

We can thank Al Capone for expiration dates on food. He made the milk producers put dates on the bottles because he didn't want kids drinking spoiled milk like he had to.

We can also thank Al Capone for Jay's potato chips.
While on a trip to NYC he tasted this new snack food called Mrs. Japs chips. He brought the operation to Chicago and they took off. When WWII started the name Mrs. Japs chips was changed to Jays potato chips.


After the tour we had lunch at Ed Debevics. Matt and Dan had never been there. Our waiter was great. For those of you who don't know about E.D. the waitstaff insults the customers. Dan and the boys loved it. The highlight of lunch was when all the help danced on the counter.

Matt's major award

Between Christmas and New Years Eve we took an overnight trip to Chicago. We did one of the many tours available - this one called the Gangster Tour. At the end of the tour the tour guide raffled off a few prized to get the patron to buy the merchandise. Matt won a coffee mug. This is the first time Matt has won anything - so like the father in A Christmas Story - Matt now has won a major award.

New Year's Resolution (early)

Like most people one of my resolutions was to become more fit - I won't say lose weight, seeing that is a work in progress. What I want is to be fit and tone. I want to have arms and thighs that don't jiggle.

There is a new gym that just opened in town called Anytime Fitness. And yes you can go anytime. I have been a member for two weeks and have gone everyday-with the exception of Christmas. I absolutely love it. Each treadmill has its own TV screen, and the weight machines are actually something I can do. While I'm not breaking any records I am feeling better. Who knows by the time summer gets here I may have "guns" like the boys do.

Things you find out when you have boys

Heather sent me a wonderful email about all the things that boys get into. There were 25 on the list. Here are the things that we have experienced in the English household. The bold is from the email, the italic is my two cents.

If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite. If you light an army guy on fire he does melt.

A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant. And you do miss the noise when that three year old is 21 :(

When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.

A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36- year old Man says they can only do it in the movies. And when that 6 year old boy is 20 he's still talking about that fire.

Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy. But a Lego will never easily pass through the digestive system of a vacuum cleaner

VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do. They also do not eject matchbox cars.

You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy. The dryer does not dry toy cars after they have been washed.


Enjoy the craziness - in a blink of an eye it's gone and so are the boys.

Washington DC or bust

For those of you who didn't know, Matt is a political science major. One of the things that is highly encouraged is some sort of internship. For the last 6 months Matt has been working on his application for an internship in Washington DC. Last week he had his last hurdle-the dreaded phone interview. He was very confident with how things went. On Friday he received an email saying that he was accepted.

This summer Matt will be spending 6 weeks in the nation's capital. The program includes 30 hours of work per week withing his field and 6 credits at Georgetown University and housing on Georgetown's campus.

While Matt is excited about this experience he is also a little worried-he has no clothes to wear. While going to class in jeans and a t-shirt at Adrian College is OK, he doubts he will be able to dress like that in the DC.

The Man Shower

One of our coworkers is getting married - now it's acceptable to host a shower for the woman but what about the man?

Two of us decided that Josh needed a shower, so we hosted "The Man Shower." People were invited and if the chose to bring a gift make it something for the garage. About 18 people showed up and we had a great time. We don't get together that often as a staff, but when we do we always have fun.

Let the holidays begin

Top five reasons why I love Thanksgiving

1. The boys come home.
2. I can eat as much as I want - diet out the window.
3. Time with the Roden's is always an adventure.
4. No school for 4 days.
5. I can reflect on how lucky I am to be blessed in so many ways.


Top five reasons why I love the Sunday after Thanksgiving

1. The boys go back to school.
2. My house becomes clean again.
3. The leftovers are gone and I can get back to my diet.
4. After Thanksgiving Day sale
5. Only three weeks until Christmas


***If you want a good laugh check out the chicago Roden's Blog. The Happy Birthday Polka priceless. The pictures are compliments of Heather - she didn't feel comfortable posting them on her page.