Perpetual Adoration » Popular Culture

A Wicked Experience

Harry — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:00:07 +0000

As you may know, the Broadway show, Wicked, played in Peoria from October 12th through October 30th. When tickets went on sale a few months ago, I bought tickets for me, Georgette, and our three youngest daughters, Mary, Christine and Teresa. Tickets ranged in price from $42 to $127. I got by “cheap” by purchasing the $42 (second balcony) tickets for a total cost of $210..

When we arrived for the show at the Civic Center [...] Read More »

iPads, iTunes & iHaters

Harry — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:47:13 +0000

When I was a freshman in college, I shared an apartment with a student who was a junior at the same college I was attending. His name was Dale.

Dale and I were opposites in a lot of ways. I was a more serious student than he was. I majored in Accounting and he majored in Parks and Recreation.

Dale was a tall, good looking, charming guy who liked playing around. He attracted girls like a magnet [...] Read More »

The Perfect Family

Harry — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:06:08 +0000

It all started when my wife got pregnant within a month after we were married. What I mean by “it all started” were the questions we got from friends, relatives, and even strangers. Questions like: “Was it an accident?” or “Why didn’t you wait a few years before having your first child?” or “How long have you been married?” Then of course there was the 2-part question. First part: “When’s your due date?” Second part: [...] Read More »

The True “Reality” of Television

Harry — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:42:16 +0000

Dad, Mom & the "Beaver" in Leave It To Beaver

If you get your daily dose of news from the Internet, you probably saw the headline last week about the suicide of the husband of a reality show “star.” His name was Russell Armstrong and prior to his death he appeared with his wife and daughter on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, a “reality” television show on the Bravo Network.

Apparently, Real Housewives is one [...] Read More »

Let’s Make A Deal

Harry — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:22:59 +0000

When I was boy, there was a game show on television called “Let’s Make A Deal.” On the show, a contestant was shown three curtains to choose from. Behind one of the curtains, there was usually a gag prize such as a live mule or a bucket of dirt. Behind the other two curtains were expenses prizes. The object of the game was to choose one of the curtains that had prizes behind it. After [...] Read More »

Are you a Hero or a Villain?

Harry — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 01:45:27 +0000

When I was 12 years old, I experienced two events that changed the course of my life: (1) I got my own paper route; and (2) my mom drove me to the bank and opened up a checking account in my name. The reason she opened the account was because she didn’t want the job of writing a check every week to the local newspaper (Peoria Journal Star). When we got home, she taught me [...] Read More »

The Last Movie Star?

Harry — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:14:03 +0000

Elizabeth Taylor

When my daughter Mary Rose was 15 years old (4 years ago), Georgette enrolled her in a couple of classes at Illinois Central College. At that time, I bought her a cell phone so she would be able to call from school if she needed anything. The first voicemail message she recorded for callers to listen to when she wasn’t available to answer the phone went something like this:

Hi this is Mary Rose. [...] Read More »

Lady Gaga Is NOT A Real “Lady”

Harry — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:29:36 +0000

I have a rule that my teenage daughters are not allowed to download any songs from the Internet to play on their iPods until I’ve given my approval. Do you know what I call the wires that come out of an iPod and connect onto the small earphones that go into a teenager’s ears? Pipelines. Here’s what travels through those pipelines: (1) sewage that is pumped directly into our children’s brains (and imaginations) that will [...] Read More »