July 21st, 2022

 How quickly the summer moves when its being filled with memories.

Last night George was excited when he brought me something home from Farmers Market. He handed me a bag with a big smile on his face.

George got his Oldman a couple small cartons of berries and a small loaf of blueberry bread. This kid is becoming a giver…. Winning.

At “electronics are off” time Hazel wanted us to watch “Pleasantville.” She told Fritz it had time travel, so he was in.

Outside of the mom masturbating in the bathtub… we picked a good family movie.

For some reason Hazel likes this movie. It’s going to be one of those movies she will watch over and over again as she grows up.

It will be her “Brian Song.”

Sitting on the couch with your parents is a great memory to make. I have great memories of watching “Roots” with my mom. She was busy explaining to me American history that week in the winter of 1977.

My dad and I watched “Coolhand Luke” on a rainy night eating loose leaf hamburger. My Oldman always made a great batch of what he called an “Iowa Thing.”

Still plenty of time to make Summer of ‘22 memories.

If you’re looking for yesterday’s chalkboard you’ll need to go straight to my blog… it touched on racism in my gruff approach. A couple of my soul brother friends told me if they didn’t know me I was stepping over a line few can take.

Sometimes I think just because I watched “Good Times” and “SoulTrain” as a kid I have this whole race thing nailed… nobody does.

GoldBond up again today….

July 20th, 2022

 In the early 1970’s when Sly and the Family Stone sang these lyrics I was a little boy coming off MLK’s murder and the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. That was the time that I was born in.

1966….

A black kid walked by my house with a White Sox hat on in 1973. All the other kids that I played with wore Cub hats.

“Hey kid! Do you like Dick Allen?”

“Yeah….. do you?”

That’s when I met my first black friend.

None of the other kids played with my new friend, but to me they liked Bill Madlock and we liked Jorge Orta.

I didn’t realize at the time that black players on the Sox and Cubs were different than the black kids up the block. They were acceptable if they wore pinstripes, but not if they wore black skin.

My dad and mom taught me to be Color Strong and not Color Blind.

The way I interpreted this was simple…. Pick the black kid in the Sox hat over the white kid in the Cubs hat….. Color Strong!

The Shepkids will wake up and see this quote today. It will continue their education on being Color Strong. Each generation must get better with defeating racism.

Their generation has taught them to cringe at the “N” word. I’m definitely going to have a ton of questions when I get home.

My generation was taught to go “enie, meanie, miney, moe… catch a ni**er by their toe.”

My job is to teach my children how ugly that was… my job is to make sure they never use this outdated way to pick the teams for "Kick the Can."

JumboLove is Color Strong! Not Color Blind!

Today is National Hotdog Day. You know my love for the hotdog.

Hotdogs are Color Strong…. They don’t care if you’re black or white… just don’t put ketchup on them!

I didn't put a face on the sun today. the sun shines on everyone.......

July 19th, 2022

 Out of the passion of our youth should grow integrity and a sense of what are mission is in life.

I have gotten to the point where I walk away from the guy who takes himself too seriously. They think they are the town crier, but they are really the village idiot.

The people that turned out alright in life were the ones that shared the red crayon in third grade art period.

Do you think Sister Helena Mary was a dumbass?

She put a bunch of the shitty crayons on your groups table and left only one red crayon.

Then she watched.

She saw who hogged it. She saw who shared it and she saw who stole it.

The guy who stole it is a Congressman now. The person who hogged it is laying next to an unhappy spouse. The one who shared it is a dear friend of yours.

Wake up this morning and share the red crayon. Sing a Bob Seger song out loud. Tell someone where you were when the Space Challenger crashed. Let people talk about stuff and try not to be a jagoff when someone cuts you off.

That’s all Sister Helena Mary wanted to prove.

Nobody cares about your views on abortion or gun control. They want to hear you smile and see you laugh. Be liked because you tell great stories, listen to great stories and make great omelets.

Tonight is the All Star game. All the players that I like are in their seventies or in their graves….still a great summertime tradition.

Gold Bond Up and try catching the band you like on “Two for Tuesday.”

July 18th, 2022

 “Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.” Is the first line from “Vesalius In Zante” by Edith Wharton

The poem is about a man reflecting on his long life as it nears the end. I saw the quote as a perfect way to start off the week.

For many of us Mondays suck. I stopped hating Monday’s on Monday February 20th, 1995.

It was Mardi Gras Season and I woke up on a cot on a balcony at the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon Streets. It was 7:10am and I was wearing just my boxer shorts. My pillow was a pile of Mardi Gras beads and I had a Mardi Gras flag as a blanket.

I woke up to “Honky Tonk Woman” blaring from a bar around the corner just opening up for the day. It was Monday morning in New Orleans and back home in Chicago it was cold and crispy.

I vowed then if I woke up poorly on a Monday I would play that Rolling Stones song. I would think of the lasting taste of hurricanes and the lipstick marks on my chest and belly.

Mondays don’t suck anymore!

The start of the week is a reset button. It’s the beginning of a new seven day period to drink what life serves you. We will never have another July 18th-July 24th 2022 ever again.

Whatever the hell the week brings I’m gonna go with it’s flow.

Life is a Mardi Gras Parade if you want it to be. It can also be a death march if you let it!

If you woke up bummed out this morning think about this and smile.

Picture a twenty eight year old Jumbo in plaid boxer shorts. Still ripped from Sunday night impersonating Mick Jagger. That early morning crowd in the French Quarter sure did love it!

Open your window and welcome Monday morning… sing loud to the world and let it know that you welcome life!

July 17th, 2022

 I’ve seen the sun angle off the side of the Sears Tower throughout my life. I’ve walked under the elevated when the third rail is wet. The passing train sending bolts of sparks that dance towards the sidewalk.

The smell of Ferrara Pan and Brachs and Blommer Chocolate bringing sweetness to the urban breeze.

An Old Style sign hanging over the front door of the corner tavern. The Calder Flamingo and the Picasso Monkey. The five o’clock shadow on Lake Shore Drive.

All of these are my Grand Canyon, sequoia trees and flowered prairies.

I’m from Chicago and the sun and the snow and the clouds and the air are just as beautiful along the blue lake as they are anywhere else in the world.

Today’s quote comes from a book written by Harper Lee. It was taken from the end of a paragraph describing the beauty of summer in the south growing up. You can picture the charming memories in all of her words.

My memories are from the last thirty years of the twentieth century. Some of them have been torn down and replaced, but the angle of how the sun off the skyscrapers is still the same and will be the same for many tomorrows. The shades of blue and of gray shall pierce from Lake Michigan countless tomorrows. The Sox and Cubs will eventually make up the rain out.

I don’t need to travel to Northern California or Colorado or to Appalachia. I see beauty on the flat streets of the Chicago Grid….

This weekend has been mostly cloudy and a movie theater replaces the visit to the public pool.

I love a sunny day with blue skies and faint white clouds, but a grayish summer day has color as well.

Cloudy days take the guilt away from sitting on the couch and watching a ballgame. The clouds can bring a calming comfort and a reprieve from squinting your eyes in the sun.

Reload, recoup and reward yourself on this middle Sunday of July…. Sunday Funday Baby!

July 16th, 2022

     We are in the second half of July and the backend of summer.

The leaves up in the trees are in their middle age. Soon when the wind blows they will have that crispy sound of fall approaching.

This is the time between the All Star Break and the first preseason game. Time is moving quickly… the days are becoming shorter and the festivals numbered.

If you notice how the good times of summer quickly vanish… you need to realize the tough times in life move just as fast.

I once took a piece of graph paper. On the top I wrote “John Shepley’s Life.”

On the vertical line I put the numbers 1 to 16. I used these numbers because the NFL had 16 games in a season and 8 is 500.

On the horizontal lines I wrote the years starting with the year I was born. The first five years I gave myself an 8. I figured those were growing years and I was at least winning as many as I was losing.

This is a great way of analyzing your life. Does your life resemble the stock market? Have you had some Bull years followed by a recession?

Take the good times… take the bad times. Invest in yourself to handle the down years. Because YOU WILL find the uptick that moves your life/chart higher.

Be Patient-Be Strong!

Cloudy day in Chicagoland… oh shit a Cardinal just landed on the rail of my balcony… I got all tingly!

Heaven really is closer than you think… my dad just stopped by and said hello.

Anyway… get your weekend going. Put on your Wayfarers Baby… soon the boys of summer will be gone.

July 15th, 2022

 Today I quote the kid that gets rocks when he trick or treats. The bald kid that lacks trust in woman. I’m not sure what pisses me off the most… he’s so gullible or she constantly tricks him into kicking that football!

What I love about Charlie Brown is he never gives up hope and if he loves something… he gives 100%.

Chuck is right though….

….life is so much better when we have things to love.

I’m loving watching the Shepkids grow everyday and not having to bring them back west of Mannheim road.

I love that they get to see me everyday setting an example.

I love watching George come home from work and stash the money he earned.

I love Fritz trying to walk me through Robolox and coding crap.

I love Hazel asking me if I need a back rub when I come home from work.

I love making breakfast and lunch and dinner and snacks. I love doing laundry constantly and I definitely love cleaning my toilets everyday.

These things make life more gooder!

What I really love is routine….though mine has changed for the Summer of ‘22… I do love it!

So I finish by posting my favorite Frank Sinatra/Tony Bennett song.

Time after time

I tell myself that I'm

So lucky to be loving you

So lucky to be

The one you run to see

In the evening, when the day is through

I only know what I know

The passing years will show

You've kept my love so young, so new

And time after time

You'll hear me say that I'm

So lucky to be loving you

I only know what I know

The passing years will show

You've kept my love so young, so new

And time after time

You'll hear me say that I'm

So lucky to be loving you.

Happy Friday…. Chance of rain all day! Get yer weekend up!

July 14th, 2022

 I woke up to headlights shining into my bedroom window.

Wait!

I live on the top floor of a three flat… Super Moon!

Looks like this gorgeous moon is making way for what should be a spectacular summer day. Have you noticed that I’m starting to shave the minutes off of the sunrise/sunset times?

Days are starting to get shorter… that only means one thing. Football!

Yesterday was French Fry Day. Today is Bastille Day…. Keeping with the theme I declare tomorrow French Kissing Day.

So French Kiss everyone you know!

July 13th, 2022

 It’s Wednesday… the moon is full. Summer is peaking and it’s French fry day… can’t get any better than that…. Best French fries around me?

Parky's on Harlem and the BG fries at SubTender. Both in Forest Park.

July 12th, 2022

 I did the chalkboard quote last night after a long painful Monday. I was tired and in a shitty mood.

I woke up Tuesday morning feeling pretty good. Hazel slept through the night in her own bed…. So that’s a victory.

Since that quote is worthless to me this morning I’m not going that way… all it means is “Just Keep Swimming!”

The beginning of June is six weeks ago. The end of August is in six weeks. Basically that is like saying 1992 was thirty years ago and 2052 is thirty years from now… take that anyway you want…

For me it means… just do your job, don’t piss people off and take deep breaths…

It’s Amazon Prime Day… all that means to me is malls are boarded up and fewer book stores….

No funny stories today. Just a middle aged fat fuck trying to get through the week. Which means the end of August will be just five weeks away.

I’m going to do my job today, try not to piss off anyone and I’m going to breath….

July 11th, 2022

                             I’m not sure what it is…. Anxiousness maybe?

Almost every Monday morning I wake up between 1:30 and 2:30 ready to start the trading week. It didn’t help that Hazel woke me up to get a glass of water at 1:37am.

It’s a glass of water today that will hopefully pay off tomorrow.

My buddies and I would go out drinking on Madison Street in Forest Park back in the day. Most of those drunken evenings would end up with late night food.

Anytime we’d go to Gossage Grill I’d order an extra burger to take home to my Oldman. He’d be pissed off that I woke him up from a sound sleep. Then he’d blow his top when he realized I was ripped.

Then suddenly Don Shepley would calm down when I'd hand him a greasy sack filled with fries and a Gossage Grill Hamburger.

My dad became a Pavlov dog! When I’d come home late from the bars he’d yell down.

“You got my burger Son?”

Last night it was a glass of water. Hopefully getting Hazel a glass of water pays off down the road. Maybe someday she’ll show up with a late night hamburger for her Oldman?

This week we have a Supermoon. The moon will be the closest to earth on Wednesday. The Indians call the July moon the “Buck Moon” because deer shed their antlers in the depth of summer. Symbolizing a call for change in our lives and listening to our hearts more than ever.

My heart says count your blessings… someday I’ll be eating a burrito at 2:00am with my baby girl.

July 10th, 2022

 I had a dream early this morning that I was standing in the ten year note pit on the old trading floor.

In my mind I knew we haven’t traded on this floor in twenty five years. I was also wearing a tie and that hasn’t been mandatory since the turn of the century.

I didn’t recognize anyone on the floor. Usually when I have a trading floor dream I don’t have pants on, but I was fully clothed for this trading session.

When I woke up I thought about how I missed that floor. How it will never return, but neither will my youth.

The chaos of Covid closed the remaining trading floor suddenly on Friday March 13th 2020. We left everything down there thinking we’d be back by the end of the month. We never returned.

I worked down there for five decades and the only two dates that stick out are Tuesday September 11th, 2001 and March 13th, 2020.

I take that back… Friday October 13, 1989 was the mini crash. That was a huge day and I was standing in the ten year pit for that one.

That day the bond pit screamed more than it roared. The bond pit was the mother fucker of all trading pits back in the day. It was a gorgeous display of controlled chaos.

When the market rallied the pit would Roar. When the market broke the pit would Scream.

Buying has an aggressive roaring sound and selling has a panicked scream.

The intensity that started at 7:20am and ended immediately at 2:00pm showed me how to handle chaos everyday for the rest of my life.

I’ll never work in a trading pit again, but it is fun to dream about. As long as I have pants on and know what the bid and offer is.

Today is Piña Colada Day…. I love a good Piña Colada on a beach with a cigar, naked Houston Oiler cheerleaders and endless slices of pizza…. There I go dreaming again.

July 9th, 2022

 Throughout my life people have come and gone.

Neighbors, teachers, colleagues, acquaintances and friends. Some of them made an impact on me. Some made me happy or sad, better or worse. Some I can’t even name.

The path of life goes through many places and in each place there is an adventure full of characters.

At some point in life all of these characters leave the stage. All that remains is how they touched our life.

If I add up all of the people that came into my life I come up with…. ME.

I’m the common denominator.

So more importantly it’s how I’ve impacted other lives more than they mine…

Life is full of goodbyes….. make sure you leave a happy goodbye!

July 8th, 2022

 All the happiness you need is right in front of you. Find as many things this weekend that will make you happy.

The summer is clipping along quickly. It’s going to be a great weekend in Chicagoland. So hunt for happiness……

July 7th, 2022

 Yesterday I was walking out the door and I noticed knots in Hazel’s gym shoes. She sure as hell wasn’t going to get them out without a panic attack.

So I picked her shoes up and preceded to unknot them. Five minutes later the knots were out and I placed them neatly near the door.

Driving to work the train gates went down as I approached the Indiana Harbor Belt on 31st. Halfway into the southbound train a northbound train came through.

Twelve minutes later the gates went up and I continued to work. If I left Hazel’s gym shoes knotted I would have beat that train.

Just as I started chalking the board this morning little feet walked into the kitchen and asked me if I can snuggle for a little while. I put my chalk down and snuggled.

I have less time to prepare for the day and if I catch a train on 31st I’ll probably start laughing hysterically.

BUTT……. I performed magic!

Hazel slid her shoes on Wednesday morning hassle free. Thursday morning she snuggled and had a back rub that might just make her day better.

This is the magic we all have inside us. Everyone of you did something little for someone that you love!

That is fucking magic!

Whatever you did…. It was magic!

We all have magic inside of us. If we don’t see it…. the people we touch sure as hell do!

It is National Dive Bar Day….my list of favorites is too long and I suddenly don’t have the time to name them all!

What is your favorite dive bar?

July 6th, 2022

 I’m not sure what being bold has to do with gaining freedom. I do know that everyday all of us have challenges.

ALL OF US…….

Everyday we wake up and think it’s going to be an easier day than yesterday.

It doesn’t get easier. Everyday is hard and has new challenges we must face.

The thing is…. We get stronger!

“If I can get through this summer life will get a lot easier again!”

I have been thinking this since the Shepkids mom abandoned them last month.

It’s not going to get easier. It’s going to continue to be tough.

“When Hazel turns 18 I’ll be able to take it easy!”

At a time when Hazel’s life will be getting harder I’m going to take it easy? Absolutely not….

Never think life gets easier… it won’t.

Parenthood, career, retirement…

it won’t get easier.

God doesn’t change the light green for us. He won’t pay the utility bill for us. God won’t show up when you hit the “send nurse” button at Shady Lane Retirement home.

Life doesn’t get easier. WE get stronger!

Today is National Fried Chicken Day and International Kissing Day. I suggest you grab a bucket of chicken and someone you like to kiss and enjoy some finger licking good time tonight!

July 4th and 5th, 2022

 I didn’t get a chance to post the Morning Chalkboard today. I was tight on time this morning. I was preparing the Shepkids for the Riverside Fourth of July parade.

I picked up ten pancakes, five sausage links, five pieces of bacon and a JumboLove Sandwich at Michael’s Pancake House. I grabbed the foldout chairs and we walked three blocks over to the parade route.

Hazel asked why do we always sit on the side where the sun is bright.

“Maybe next year we can sit over there dad? In the shade!”

“you can walk over there this year if you’re going to complain!”

It was a great parade! Everyone was smiling and waving. Friends and neighbors hugged and laughed.

It was perfect.

Later we went to North Riverside Mall to see “Minions Movie.” I kept putting it off all weekend and I couldn’t break my promise… so we went to the show.

The movie was horrible and I fell asleep.

We went to a parade and a movie. Something we couldn’t do in 2020 and 2021. Two things that Americans have been doing freely for generations.

While we enjoyed our freedoms a piece of white trash destroyed the freedom of a parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

I will never be scared to take my family to a parade or a movie theater…….Never.

So today I’m posting one Chalkboard late and another one early….

July 4th and 5th come together.

July 4th has a quote from Maya Angelou. July 5th is just a simple “HP” in tribute to Highland Park.

The sun will set on a tragic day around 8:30 Monday night and will rise again Tuesday morning.

We will pick ourselves up and move on. That’s all we can do…. Keep on keeping on.

Keep on keeping on………..

July 3rd, 2022

 This weekend is always about the celebration of America. It has baseball and for sure picnics, parades and barbecues are on the schedule.

I think the “Woke” movement might be responsible for Cornhole/Bags becoming more popular than the great game of Lawn Jarts.

My Uncle Ron and I had an epic battle of “Jarts” during the Bicentennial…. He pulled out the victory, but I held strong.

To me this weekend is about music.

My Dad would start with Military Bands playing patriotic songs. He would play “Rhapsody in Blue” and Broadway Musicals around the fourth.

My mom would play rag music on her piano. Sometimes she still plays “The Entertainer” from heaven for me.

She played patriotic songs as well and would sprinkle in some Carole King and some Kermit the Frog. Ceil played a helluva “Rainbow Connection.”

At an early age I would listen to WLS on my transistor while they played the top songs of all time during the fourth.

Sly and the Family Stone, The Beach Boys and The Beatles are my Fourth of July memories from the 1970’s.

Today and tomorrow let a professional blow off the fireworks and don’t let a clown control the music selections….

July 2nd, 2022

 I found great joy in all the posts and text messages wishing me a happy birthday yesterday.

The human touch through social media can be used in a positive way… thank you everybody…

I did have a police officer knock on my door yesterday.

On my birthday! That has never happened before.

The village of Riverside assigned me a closer parking spot. One that I can see Betty the Blazer from my balcony. Unfortunately Riverside didn’t tell Karen that spot 23 was assigned to me. So Karen called the police.

I showed the police officer the proper documentation and Karen became more Karen.

Maybe a 1997 hunter green Chevy Blazer with a “Reagan/Bush” sticker and a “I hot moms” sticker in her old spot was a little upsetting.

This morning her car is parked on the street across from my balcony. Maybe I should leave a nice card under her windshield wiper?

Dear Karen,

Sorry about the inconvenience. If you ever need anything heavy to move or if you need help flipping an orgasm, please let me know. I’m good at both.

Sincerely the Big Guy in your spot

And I swear to god…. I’ve NEVER had the police called on me on my birthday!

July 1st, 2022

 I’m not sure what floors me more… that 1992 is thirty years ago or 1982 is forty years ago. They both seem like yesterday.

On this day in 1992 I went up to Milwaukee for Summerfest with a group of older guys. They were all like thirty to thirty five years old and I was just twenty six.

On this day in 1982 my mom took me to L.S. Ayers and bought me a couple izods. Then we went to Houlihans in Glendale Mall for dinner.

Today is my 20,454th day. If I make it another 10,738 I’ll make Thanksgiving of 2051.

July 1, 1966 - November 23, 2051

That would be a solid tombstone.

That gives me 28 more summers and by then all those guys I went to Summerfest with will be in their nineties.

As I wake up closer to sixty than fifty I reflect on a pretty decent tour so far….

Shit….. five years ago today was my Felix Unger day…. “Happy Birthday asshole! I think it’s time you leave!” That sure did change the course of things.

This next trip around the sun should be interesting. I’m glad you guys are all with me….

Think of Rodney Dangerfield at the end of “Caddyshack.”

“Hey everyone! We’re all gonna get laid!”