Holiday Season 2023 — My Year & My Wishes For You

“It’s the holiday season, so hoop-de-do and dickory dock”.

Good Lord, song lyrics were so lame in 1963!

Now you know why Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is already a classic and a perennial chart-topper! (These photos are from the amazing Christmas concert I saw in Las Vegas in December 2017.)

So, let’s start again. It’s the holiday season!

To me, this means putting up my Christmas tree and decorations for three months, while many are getting their Halloween on!

I hope this finds you happy and healthy! Some of us keep in touch year around through social media and some of us only once a year with Christmas cards. And, I love and appreciate each and every one of them!

I’m very grateful for all I’m blessed with in life.

I’m still the morning meteorologist at the NBC affiliate in Decatur, Illinois. I’ve been here almost four years and I have another year left on my contract!

My dear sister, Tammy, had another health scare this summer. She had a stroke and a risky, emergency surgery and is in physical therapy now. Once again, she was told she definitely has to stop smoking, exercise, and eat right. Sadly, she hears “blah, blah, blah”!

She also spent another week in the hospital before Thanksgiving and it’s been a struggle bouncing back. She told me she hasn’t smoked since getting out this time!

Since my cards go out Thanksgiving week, let’s start where I left off last year.

Last December, Tammy and I visited one of my favorite cities, Palm Springs, California. I hadn’t been there since the late-1990s. (And, I started a mustache and kept it through Labor Day weekend!)

I love the Marilyn Monroe statue!

And, it was great seeing my friend, Robert, again. We met through our dearly departed friend (and “Mom”) D’nell over 30 years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Thank you again for lunch, Robert! I loved my turkey burger at Billy Reed’s.

And, in October, we took a road trip to Branson, Missouri, to chill out.

I cooked a couple of our meals and we ate out a few times.

Tammy chose Lambert’s (the home of the Throwed Rolls) and we also had a seafood buffet and a nice Sunday brunch.

I splurged with dessert — half blackberry cobbler and half peach cobbler with ice cream, caramel topping, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts.

We took several photos around Branson on the Strip. I absolutely loved the gorgeous octopus outside the Aquarium.

And, the parking lot of Ripley’s was fun!

While we were there before fall foliage was in full color, our balcony view of Table Rock Lake was stunning.

So, why didn’t I travel internationally in 2023 after visiting Greece in 2021 and Costa Rica, Cancun, and Turkey in 2022?

It’s all thanks to a little four-pound bundle of energy coming into my life in late February!

That was February 25, 2023, when I picked Xanadu up in Taylorville, Illinois!

So, my hints over the past few Christmases, “maybe it’ll be in ‘Xanadu’ – ♪♪♪ “a place where nobody dared to go” where “a million lights are dancing and there you are – a shooting star” ♪♪♪!”, were to let you know something about “Xanadu” was in the cards!

Yes, I finally got my pug, so #Pug20-something became a reality!

It’s been an interesting nine months!

Xanadu is absolutely adorable and she has the most expressive little face.

However, she’s a total nightmare. I described her on-air one day as “17 pounds of mischievous”.

She has no boundaries and I now know why pugs are described as little “dictators”! But, look at this little face! 🙂

As I look to the future, I hope to calm Miss Xanadu down some and to be a great dog dad.

My next birthday is a milestone one and I hope to be spending it in Las Vegas seeing Kylie Minogue in concert.

While she started her Vegas residency in early November, I was unable to snag a ticket!

My friends, I wish you love, peace, health, and happiness in 2024!

“May hope and faith conquer fear and hate this Christmas”

Anthony & Xanadu

2023: Be More ’80s Patti and Less ’90s GOM

Well, the new year is here. I hope 2022 treated you well and that you enjoyed the holiday season.

If 2022 was great, I hope that extends into 2023. If it wasn’t a great year, I hope life improves for you.

As for me, 2022 treated me well. It was a continuation of 2021, which was fine. Since I’m financially stable, able to travel, healthy, and happy, I really have nothing to complain about since some are struggling.

However, there’s still something missing in my life.

I feel I’m a optimistic, drama free kind of guy, but over the past few months I’ve become more Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) and John Gustafson, Jr. (Jack Lemmon), characters in the 1990s two-movie series, “Grumpy Old Men”.

And, I don’t like it. In the new year, I’m going to be more Ms. Patti LaBelle!!!

I’m ready for a “New Attitude”!

CAREER & FUTURE

While I love my career, I’ve actually started thinking about the “end game” — retirement. That won’t happen until I’m 67 and I’m hoping Social Security is still a thing then, but I realize I want more in life.

DATING & SOCIALIZING

When I separated in 2017 and divorced the following year, I was in no hurry to see how fast I could get married again. Some do! (Maybe I should leave La Liz out of this because she’d passed on!)

However, dating would be nice. In the past almost six years, I’ve gone on three dates (two of those were in Duluth, Minnesota, in 2018!)

Last April 2021, I addressed this and wrote, “A very dear friend, now in her late-70s, lost her husband when she was around my age now. While her kids were grown and she had small grandchildren, she never dated again and never even thought about it.

She summed it up jokingly (or half-jokingly), “I’m too old to train another one!” 

So, this a rhetorical question. Again, don’t answer! Is it bad to only be 56-years-old and want to give up on meeting someone and forge ahead into another possible relationship?

Are my standards just too high? 🙂

That was then, this is now!

In my 2021 Christmas letter, I exclaimed, “I’m still single and the dating life is, wait, what dating life?  Good thing I enjoy my own company!”

I still enjoy my own company, but I want more in life in 2023. While I don’t want to turn totally into Blanche Devereaux (“The Golden Girls”), I want to channel some of her energy!

It’s just a matter of which of Blanche’s philosophies I want to follow!

I think I already know the answer! 🙂 Sitting home alone is no longer what I want is life. At my age, I’m now playing “Beat The Clock”!

#PUG2023

My top priority for the new year is to make #Pug2020, #Pug2021, #Pug2022, and #Pug20-something more than just a hashtag — #Pug2023!

I can’t believe it’s been almost eleven years since I’ve had a dog!

While we had household pets growing up, I’ve only had two dogs in my adult life.

There was Keshia, the chow chow, that I got in the spring of 1987.

I had her until early 1998. And, I waited a little over two years before Miss ABBA, my beautiful, sweet golden retriever came into my life (2000).

We had an amazing run together from Ohio to Chicago to Maryland and back to Illinois.

NEW PUG CONCERNS

While I hope that #Pug2023 becomes a reality this year, I admit to being a little frightened. I was in my first relationship when I got Keshia and I was in my second relationship when I got ABBA.

It should come as no shock that Keshia and ABBA both outlasted those relationships! LOL

However, it scares me a little to become a single, older “Dog Dad” going through potty-training and etiquette training alone!

Who can I blame any training failures on? 🙂

NO PASSPORT

I met some amazing people on my fall trip to Turkey.

I must have made a pretty good impression on Eleanor and her daughter Allison. We hung out together a lot and they’ve invited me along to an incredible sounding trip this October.

However, I’ve made no effort in renewing my passport that expires in May.

I hope they forgive me and don’t rescind the offer to visit them in Rhode Island one day!

Also, my friends Katie, Mary Kaye, and Duke in one part of Florida and my friend Rich in another part of the Sunshine State want me to visit. Maybe, I’ll make it a whirlwind tour!

KYLIE, I’M STILL WAITING!

As I’ve been saying for years, there’s still one concert that’s on my bucket list: Kylie Minogue!

From December 2020: “Personally, in 2021, I hope to take a real vacation and finally see Kylie Minogue in concert. Who knows, maybe I can accomplish both at the same time in a festive foreign city!    (Maybe it’ll be “Xanadu” – ♪ “a place where nobody dared to go” where “a million lights are dancing and there you are – a shooting star”!)”

From January 2022: “Seeing Kylie Minogue in concert is still on my bucket list.”

This the opening number from her last pre-pandemic tour. It’s incredible and so freaking hot!

2023, LET’S DO THIS!

As I wind down on my pontifications for the next phase of my life, I’ll leave you with a song that many of you may not have heard. I hope it makes you as happy as it does me!

“Naatu Naatu” is on the shortlist to be nominated for an Oscar this year for Best Original Song. (81 songs were eligible and 15 made the shortlist!) It’s already in the running for a Golden Globe award.

It’s from the three-hour Indian movie, “RRR”, which I loved and is one of my favorite movies of 2022. Okay, you may not know what it means, but who cares, just stare at and enjoy Ram Charan! (He’s on the right!)

Thank you for taking the time to spend with me and my thoughts as I look to new adventures in 2023.

I wish the absolute best to you and yours this year and in the future!

Anthony

Holiday Thoughts Across The Miles — Christmas 2022

For me, like many others, it’s not just a song title, ♪♪♪ “it’s the most wonderful time of the year”♪♪♪!

Fall and winter are my favorite seasons because I love the changing leaves, Halloween candy, turkey and all the fixings, and three months of Christmas decorations and music. (Yes, mine stay up through January!)

While many were enjoying the pool and the summer heat and humidity, I already had my Halloween and fall decorations out. And, I almost put up my two Christmas trees in mid-October!

There’s a reason for that, which I’ll get to. But, I didn’t. I actually put them up the first weekend of November — a few days later than usual.

While COVID is still sickening people and worse, the “pandemic” is over. I hope you’re healthy and festive as we head into the holidays.

For some of you, we communicate once a year at Christmas through cards. For others, we keep up with each other through social media, my blog, and a few, by phone or text. (Yes, calls are still a thing!)  

I’m very grateful for all that I’ve been blessed with in life. I’ve never taken any of my successes for my granted and I’ve always tried to move on quickly from my failures.

In early 2022, I moved into a more modernized apartment in the same complex.

I also signed on for three more years as the morning meteorologist for the NBC affiliate in Decatur, which covers Central Illinois.  It’s hard to believe I’ve been here going on three years! 

When I talk about being grateful, much of that is directed toward my sister. Last year’s holiday season from Thanksgiving into early 2022 was not a good one for Tammy. We almost lost her, but she’s a fighter.

Doctors were able to figure out her medication, she lost a lot of weight, and is now healthier than she’s been in decades.

This beautiful photo was taken just two months after the one above in the hospital!

Now, if she’d just stop smoking and exercise and take advantage of this latest lease on life!!!

While a few more coins were thrown my way in the new contract, not much of it went into my savings. I live a simple, no-frills life, so I spend my extra cash traveling. And, since my passport is expiring, I took advantage of it.

After travel was sidelined in 2020 and early 2021, I went to Vegas twice in the summer and then to Greece for my birthday last year once I was fully vaccinated.

This spring, I traveled to Costa Rica. On the week-long trip, I saw incredible fauna and the Arenal Volcano National Park…

walked across eight hanging bridges, some of which were hundreds of feet long and hundreds of feet over the vast forest of trees!

My favorite meal there was a sea bass, which was preceded by a delicious shrimp and lobster bisque, and followed by pineapple cheesecake.

And, Costa Rican breakfasts are much simpler than Mediterranean ones. One interesting staple of the diet there, even at breakfast, is beans and rice!

I met four amazing people that I’ve kept in touch with from southern California (Bill and Sandi and Tim and Kathy).

Because of Tammy’s hospital stays last holiday season, we had to cancel our week-long trip to Cancun, Mexico. We re-booked it for June and enjoyed ourselves.

And, instead of visiting my favorite American city, Las Vegas, I spontaneously went to Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August. Hated it! That’s why I don’t do spontaneity.

But, this view was nice!

And, then in October, before the passport expired, I took the trip of a lifetime, almost two weeks exploring Turkey! It was incredible.

The Spice Market in Istanbul was breathtaking. (I love this selfie because of the little lady behind me smiling. It still bring happiness to me today looking at it!)

The mosques and the architecture…

and cruising the Bosporus Strait was amazing.

It was incredible how quickly the landscape changed from the sprawling metropolis to the vast empty land to forests to big cities again.

The highlight of the trip was a sunrise hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia just 3,000 feet above the jagged, volcanic terrain!

An absolutely breathtaking experience. Check out this spectacular one-minute video I took!

I loved the Mediterranean breakfasts…

the lamb kebabs…

and the desserts, especially the baklava.

However, my favorite food was the persimmons — so sweet and delicious.

And, it was a pleasure hanging out with my new friends Eleanor and her daughter, Allison…

… along with Mike and Apar and Jonathan and Colleen.

Along with all of the fun things I experienced in 2022, there was one bit of sadness.

Betty, a sweet woman that I’ve called “Mom” since 1995, after years of mental decline, passed away in early September.

It was heartbreaking over the past few years to talk “at” her on the phone as she tried to process who she was even talking to.

Miss Betty was Christopher’s mother (we dated from 1995-2004). She definitely loved her grand dogs, Miss ABBA and Mister Panda!

Even after Christopher and I went our separate ways, Betty would still come visit me wherever I was living — Maryland or the Quad Cities — and I made several visits to see her in Ohio!

And, this Thanksgiving, as I feasted on turkey, I thought of Miss Betty. She was notorious for gnawing the last bit of meat off a carcass (okay, a bone)!

So, one Thanksgiving, I convinced her to pose for this photo! LOL

Miss Betty, thank you for the loving me like a son! And, the “Son” ornaments you gave me over the years are on display!

In 2023, there’s still only one concert I want to see — Kylie Minogue.

Maybe it’ll be in “Xanadu” – ♪♪♪ “a place where nobody dared to go” where “a million lights are dancing and there you are – a shooting star” ♪♪♪! And, maybe #Pug20-something will finally become a reality next year!

My friends, here’s to 2023 — a year hopefully filled with love, excitement, happiness, and peace!

“May hope and faith conquer fear and hate this Christmas”!

Anthony

New Year and Happy Thoughts

Happy New Year!

If you had a great 2012, I hope 2013 is even better for you.  If 2012 was just okay, I hope 2013 is wonderful.  And, if 2012 left a lot to be desired, here’s to a better year ahead.

While I lost Miss ABBA in early 2012 and my career late in the year, I had many things in the past year to be thankful for and I’m ready for new adventures in 2013.

Sydney, Australia was one of the first places in the world to ring in the new year in style.  We watched the ball drop with Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy and Ray made us a nice spread before the East Coast celebration.

I’m going to try to keep the new year simple.  One of the biggest flaws I have in life is not living for today and always planning ahead.

In 2013, I have no cruises or vacations planned, except for Lady Gaga in Las Vegas in three weeks.  Since I planned this in 2012, it doesn’t count.

CAREER THOUGHTS

Professionally, I have nothing to report.  But, then again, I didn’t expect to since I had planned on taking November and December off all along.   So, at this time, I’m not concerned about it.  I know something good will come my way in the next couple of months.

Since I was told on Halloween that my contract would not be renewed, my commitment to WQAD (as a product) diminished to zero.  While I wish my friends there, even the ones I haven’t heard from since I was let go, the very best in 2013, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want the station’s ratings to drop.

While I haven’t watched the station since my dismissal, several of my friends have brought to my attention that they’ve had a couple of women filling in on the weather.  I gather they’re both freelance weathercasters.  When I was let go, I was told it was for financial reasons and the loss of the local Fox newscast to KWQC, the Quad Cities’ most watched and dominant news station.

I took that explanation as the truth, but people are speculating that there is more to the story.  Who knows, they could be right and there might be more to the story.  For now, I’ll take management’s word on my dismissal with a grain of salt because I really don’t want to lose any sleep over it.  However, if they hire a fourth weathercaster then it would be pretty clear that their reason for letting me go was a lie.

So, friends, don’t let it bother you either unless there’s something new to report.

WHAT THEN?

As you know from this blog and my posts on Facebook, I love to write.  It’s not all serious and political with an agenda.  I do it as an avenue to express myself and try to ignite change in America and the world one person at a time.  You don’t always have to agree with me.  When you don’t, let me know — politely.  I’ll continue writing my blog in 2013.  Actually, the one-year anniversary is coming up next Monday!

Back in the mid-1990s, I began writing my autobiography.  However, as my television career took off, I stopped writing it a couple of years later.  I did a good job covering a portion of four decades.  So, why would I start writing a story of my life?  While I never bought into that whole “celebrity” thing while working as a news and weather person, I do think that everyone’s life is worthy of being remembered.  I started it for me and for my closest friends and family members.  It’s a testament of my life and what events, large or small, shaped me into the man I am today.  Some of them are common knowledge and some are private.

I need to start writing it again.  Since I stopped in 1997, so many amazing things have happened in my life that I have to talk about — Miss ABBA, Ray, and Gretel.

Also, in college, I wrote a one-hour “screenplay”, with me in mind in the lead role since I had acted on stage in several theatrical productions at Murray State University.  The biggest play I did was a three-night performance of “The Curious Savage” by John Patrick.  I played Jeffrey, a young military pilot shot down in the war and is traumatized and thinks he has a scar on his face, which he constantly hides from others.  Oh, he’s a patient at the Cloisters, a sanatorium.  (It was dramatic, but not as crazy as “American Horror Story:  Asylum”!)

While that  1980s “screenplay” will never see the light of day, since I moved back to Chicago in 2002, I’ve been wanting to write and submit a short story about Lake Michigan called “Ice”.  I think this is the year that needs to be approached again.

I don’t need a fortune cookie to look toward the future.  I’m excited about it.

HEALTHY EATING &  EXERCISE

As you recall, last spring and summer, Ray and I started taking healthy eating and exercise seriously and the results were amazing.  He lost about 30 pounds and I lost 25.  Other than losing the excess weight we had gained since meeting almost four years ago, he wanted to look better for his 30th high school reunion and I wanted to fit into the shirt I bought for my October Madonna birthday concert in Las Vegas.  Seriously? 🙂

Well, since those two events, we’ve been very naughty.  We’ve indulged in countless buffets, we eat junk whenever we want, we haven’t been faithful to the treadmill, and we lie to myfitnesspal.com.  So, it should come as no surprise that when we got on the scale this morning, we’ve both gained back 20 pounds.  In all honestly, it was fun to lose it and it was fun eating and gaining most of it back.  It also gives us the motivation to get back on track.  After all, Gaga is just weeks away!

After our New Year’s feast today (Ray and Tammy are cooking while Gretel and I go see “Rise of The Guardians” with a large popcorn), we’ll be shedding the weight in the weeks to come.

FOR YOU

My friends, I wish you the very best in 2013.  I know that several of us have faced harsh financial setbacks and have lost loved ones (including pets — I consider them people, too) in the past year.

I’m not being mean when I say this, but it’s part of life and I want to quote the song and message that got me through the dark days after my mother’s death in November 1990 and Miss ABBA’s passing last February, “For My Broken Heart” by Reba McEntire:

“Last night I prayed the Lord my soul to keep/Then I cried myself to sleep/So sure life wouldn’t go on without you/But oh this sun is blinding me/As it wakes me from the dark/I guess the world didn’t stop/For my broken heart.”

My friends and loved ones, let’s try to smile more in 2013, let’s reach out to each other more, and let’s focus on the good and not let the bad dominate our lives.

“May hope and faith conquer fear and hate” in this new year and in the years to come.

Anthony

P.S.  It might be working.  I haven’t said a cuss word or kidded or told a fib in almost 10 hours.  Granted, I was asleep much of that time.  But, it’s a start….