I had so many ideas for today’s Chalkboard last night, but when I woke up this morning…. Crickets.
I like the placement of this three day weekend just a couple weeks after the rush of the holiday season. It gives everyone a chance to recuperate and collect themselves.
I have a shitload of things to do before the arrival of this arctic blast plowing towards Chicagoland.
The snow event that just occurred didn’t live up to the hype. Though the new boots on Betty the Green Blazer worked splendidly.
I did run across an old colleague on the way home yesterday afternoon. I heard a faint beep coming from the car in the passing lane and there was an old face from the trading floor. This guy was driving cautiously in the snow down York Road when suddenly Betty from the Morning Chalkboard turned in front of him off of Roosevelt Road.
I’m sure the Reagan/Bush sticker, the “I love hot moms” sticker and the “I’m JumboLove” sticker gave it away! When I die friends and family will say that I was the one non-famous person that didn’t have anonymity.
Everywhere I drive people probably ask, “Who is this JumboLove guy?”
....and the response might be, “Just some Republican who likes rugby and loves hot moms!”
The colleague I ran into always had an experiment when he had customers down on the trading floor. He would ask them if they knew who John Shepley was and they would always reply, “no.”
Back in the day when a guy at a trading desk picked up the phone, he’d yell, “Jumbo! What’s the market?!?!”
…and I’d flash the bid and ask currently in the pit.
All these big shot traders visiting from New York, London and Singapore all wanted to meet this Jumbo guy, but my colleague would introduce them to John Shepley first and let them figure out that I was the legend they were looking for. It worked every time Paul from GCM had guests.
Just one of the million stories that developed on the Chicago Board of Trade trading floors. Those were the days, but we all moved on and got older.
Today is Saturday and the playoffs begin. Tomorrow is a Sunday Funday thanks to Marty King. Crockpots and couches are the recipe for success this weekend.
Stay warm all you Midwest Chalkheads….
I hope your team plays well this weekend. I’m pulling for a Browns and Lions matchup in SuperBowl LVIII.
If you can’t put the smile on the sun this weekend, just sit back and watch shit do stuff…. and enjoy the pot roast.
