Pizza, Teddy, and Gorby #socs

Stream of Consciousness Saturday 2 Minutes
Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay

When I was at Northwestern, there was a pizza joint not far from campus called The Spot, which I see has moved to La Jolla, California. It was popular because it served beer and wine, the only place near campus where you could get anything alcoholic. Evanston, Illinois is the home of both Northwestern University and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and until the early-mid ’70’s you couldn’t buy alcohol anywhere in Evanston. If you wanted booze, you had to drive to Howard Street, the border between Chicago and Evanston, where liquor stores were lined up along the Chicago side.

Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. Image by skeeze from Pixabay

When I was in late grammar school, early high school I developed an interest in Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. I guess I saw a picture of him smiling, this wide, toothy grin that brought out the lines around his eyes, and decided he had sufficient comedic potential…. He had a penchant for saying “Bully!” and a reputaton for having a lot of energy. I heard that he was an avid hunter and went on safari, and I always imagined him saying “let’s go bag some elephants!” which I would abbreviate to “LGBSE!” The reason I bring Teddy up is because I always imagined him having a dog named Spot. maybe a Schnauser with a mustache like his…

My idea of Spot Roosevelt, Teddy’s dog. Image by todabasura from Pixabay

Maybe he had a Persian cat named Fluff, too…

Fluff Roosevelt, maybe? Image by deliabertola from Pixabay

Then, I thought, no, Persian cats look more like Wilford Brimley (who passed away this week, incidentally; may he rest in peace)…

“If you have diabeetus and you’re on Medicare, your testing supplies may be covered”- the late Wilford Brimley. Source: Wikipedia/Marc Majcher / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

I always felt sorry for Mikhail Gorbachev, the last President of the Soviet Union, mostly because when the Soviet Union folded he was out of a job. Gorby, as his friends called him (I’m pretty sure I’m just making that up), was known for having a birthmark on his bald head (they called it a port wine stain, I think), which makes me wonder if his wife Raisa called him “Spot.”

Mikhail (Spot) Gorbachev. Source: Wikipedia/RIA Novosti archive, image #359290 / Yuryi Abramochkin / CC-BY-SA 3.0 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

I think they should have made him the president of the Russian Hair Club For Men. Can you imagine the commercials? “I am not only president of Russian Hair Club for Men, I am also comrade!”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you each week by Linda Hill and this station. Now this word about L&M cigarettes, the logical move!

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

38 thoughts on “Pizza, Teddy, and Gorby #socs”

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  4. Exceptional post today. Reminds me of dry counties in Texas. Not sure if that is still a thing but definitely was in the 70s. Sorry to hear about Wilfred Brimley. I am in stay away from the news mode and missed his passing. I loved him in Cocoon and the TV Show “Our House” of course he did tons of other stuff but those two stick out. May he Rest in Peace,

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    1. Ol’ Wilf was in “The Firm” too.

      There are still dry counties here and there and they aren’t limited to the South. Ironically, the county surrounding the Jack Danirel’s distillery is a dry county, and unlike most distilleries and breweries, they don’t serve free samples, though they got special dispensation to sell the whiskey in their gift shop.

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  5. Back in my younger days–maybe up until I was forty or more–the TN county where I had lived was dry other than beer which could not be bought on Sundays. If we wanted wine or liquor or wanted beer on Sunday then we’d drive a few miles across the county line to Knoxville where any of it could be purchased. Now they’ve opened up and residents of Blount county (where I used to live) can buy beer on Sundays at the grocery store or wherever it’s sold and they have special stores for the harder stuff (not on Sundays though). No more trips to Knoxville necessary. But it doesn’t matter to me anymore since I’m in CA now and can easily purchase any alcohol from many sources or even marijuana if that’s what one wants. I wonder what will be next?

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Georgia was dry on Sunday for a long time. The first time I tried to beer on Sunday (at the grocery store, which had a whole refrigerator of it that was open and everything), the cashier said “Y’all must be new here.” A friend of mine at work said that Sunday package sales were coming, but every time the Legislature took up the issue, the pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church would show up with about a hundred of his flock and they’d run around the Capitol to all the legislators’ offices, and the measure would fail. It’s only been within the last 10 or 15 years that that’s changed…

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      1. My WordPress works weird as I only know is someone responds to my comments if they hit the like button. I complained about this and they never did anything about it, so I didn’t want you to think that I was ignoring you.

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      1. He lived on campus for two years and then I came along and he moved back home…I was a junior in high school (south suburbs) and he wanted to be closer to me. 😏😏 It was a long commute. Illinois Central Gulf, where I worked when got out of high school. Randolph Street station then he’d jump on the “L” to Evanston. Probably 2 hours each way everyday. He still commutes from the Western Suburbs, Naperville to Union Station .. Rat Race !!! Could you please retire someday ☺️☺️

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        1. I’m already retired….

          That’s quite a hike. I worked third shift with a guy who used to take a train from Randolph Street station. After one especially lousy night, he said “I need a drink.” So the two of us went to the bar in the station at 8 AM. By the time I left, I was feeling no pain, and I slept like an infant when I got home…

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          1. Actually his major was Polisci…and yes he did graduate in 78’ because we got married in 79’. It’s a really small world. I worked for the ICG railroad 🚆 commuter division…My office was right there in the station, behind the gates!!! I worked for the RR until 82’ when we started a family and I became a SAHM. My dad worked up at One Illinois Center, right next to the Prudential Building. I was under the Prudential Building. During the winter I sometimes didn’t even see the light of day..

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            1. Remember when the Prudential Building was the tallest building in Chicago? WGN used to have their transmitter there, and I remember wanting to see it. My great-aunt Cash took me to see it, then we went to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the WTTW studio. I was about seven. Had no idea what I was looking at, but it looked cool…

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          1. Oh I thought you were talking about the husband. Yes my brother-in-law was in the business school !!! He went at night after work. He worked at Blue Cross/Blue Shield… His name was Kevin M …,

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              1. Chicago is a different place today!! So sad what’s happening now. The mag mile was looted last night. Bridges are up so you can’t get in …

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                1. I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. I’m more convinced now, after 33 years, that moving away from there was the right thing to do. I hate to say it…

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                  1. Me and mike can’t either!! He wanted to take me out to dinner last weekend to Italian Village on Monroe. I said no way, it’s not safe. He works on Clark Street and they told him not to come downtown b/c it us not safe to do that. Really it’s time to move. We live out west in Naperville, but it’s really time to go. Hopefully God will guide us soon..,

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                    1. There’s plenty of room in the South. I know several people who have moved from the Chicago area who are happy they did. Pretty much everywhere from Florida and the Carolinas to Arizona is good.

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