In a stunning move during the Sunday football games, Leoni Generali has taken over the Pleepleus Gorillabutters. Citing Pleeps' Monkeybutters failure to win the California Baseball Nuts Championship, Leoni commented, "After serious locker room discussions with Delete and Pleep #2, I have taken charge of the coaching and put Delete in charge of trades and pickups. We hope his pickup of Michael Bush starts to pay off in tds."
Leoni, continued "We think the stress of the baseball season has taken a toll on Pleep. After his meltdown today during the Chiefs game, we felt it best to send him for a bit or R&R." Sources close to the situation speculate that Leoni's ties to Generali USA may be related to this maneuvering but Delete and Pleep #2 claim there is no truth to the rumor that they were promised team jerseys.
When asked for his comments, Pleep stated, "I was expecting some sort of move when I saw Leoni wearing his Generali shirt this morning. I thought he might be angling to take over the offense but I was not anticipating the name change. We will be having a discussion with my co-owners this week to determine if Leoni's new team name remains. Plus, my alleged meltdown during the Chiefs game was entirely justified. They cost me 3 points by not going for the field goal in the first quarter. What kind of coach goes for it on 4th & goal in the first quarter. What can you expect after the stupid opening on side kick? Argh!!!"
The infamous dual birthday party went off splendidly on 18 September. Pleep has been yelling at me since then to get the highlights up on the blog. The celebrations actually commenced Friday afternoon at the annual Berghoff Oktoberfest street party in the Loop.
Ida's birthday aptly coincides with the official Oktoberfest in Munchen. Many of this year's revelers have journeyed with Ida to Munchen to celebrate her birthday and had also been involved in her 30th birthday party at the Berghoff fest.
Friday turned into a long day as the crowd moved north from the Loop to the Division & Rush area. Butch McGuires back room became the base camp as various groups arrived from airports, day jobs, and dinners. The diehards made it to several other hotspots and debated the wisdom of hitting Five Faces for a gyro nightcap before turning in.
The Ambassador East Hotel was the main lodging spot for out-of-towners and in-towners who had no interest in returning to their own homes and families. In addition to the Heidkamp affiliated crowd, the Ambassador was the main hotel for two other interesting groups - the Chabbat House Hassidic Jews celebrating Yom Kippur and the Black Hip Hop Artist Convention. As you might imagine, it made for interesting encounters in elevators, lobby areas, and the bar. To top it off, the Notre Dame Club of Rome was holding a reunion in the Pump Room bar at the hotel.
The next day part of the crowd started the pre-party party at the Lux Bar on Rush Street. Someone had started a rumor that there was going to be more people and less food at the main event so they wanted to load up just in case.
The evening's festivities kicked off early at about 5:30 pm. Because everyone who ever thought about having a beer with George or Ida was invited, there was a concern about exceeding capacity. Thanks to smart planning by Alex Collins, the media room was also included in the reservation. This turned out to be especially fortunate as it provided luxury seating for the Notre Dame game.
The highpoint of the evening was Moon's dramatic reading of his tribute to George - The Life of Buddy. (Watch this blog for potential posting of the reading.) The lowpoint of the evening was ND's loss in overtime which resulted in a mass exodus from the party to the nearby Miller's Pub.
Defying both federal and state laws, we greatly exceeded the number of Heidkamps allowed in one place at one time, especially during Notre Dame football games. Thanks to a monumental effort by David Gates, event photographer and one of Alice's adopted sons, the moment was captured forever digitally--getting George with the majority of his grandchildren & a family shot of "The Troops".
For those interested in consumption statistics several cases of wine (red, white & a few bottles of rose) and about 10 cases of Anheuser Bush products (Bud, Bud Light, Bud Select) were consumed. Damages were limited to several broken cork screws all of which belonged to Alex Collins. According to Alex, her mother only provided cheap cork screws so she will not be missing them. The 49th Floor at the Park Monroe may not recover from this group for quite a while.
Thanks to everyone who journeyed from far (London, New York, California, Boston) and near (Chicago, Cincinnati). Your presence made the event very special for George & Ida. George says we don't need to repeat this again for another 20 years.
The following photo montage is brought to you thanks to the Apple's Iphoto capabilities. If you are wondering about the bike, Moon still had Ida's old Schwinn from grade school in the garage. He thought adding the bow to it made it the perfect birthday gift. Fortunately for Ida, who had no way to get the bike back to California, Alex was extremely excited about inheriting a bike she could ride to work, the beach and other places nearby. (You Tube required an audio swap from the Bette Midler soundtrack used in the Apple production. If the ads show up just click on the X and they will minimize.)
Pleep has been reviewing all the email traffic in the run up to the big party on Saturday. He thinks it reflects the differences between the two coasts and the midwest. The coastal crowd has a lot of questions about clothing requirements, lodging, etc. Not a peep from the midwest crowd.
Pleep's response to everyone is: HUMANS - CLOTHING MANDATORY! His personal preference for these type of events is his monkey suit because he has more freedom of movement. He did toy around with wearing his favorite shirt from Marks & Spencer because he thought it might impress the high maintenance guests. However, he had recently returned the shirt to its real owner, Mel Carvill so that option is out.
Pleep and Delete have started a house pool on who will wear what attire. The sure bet is George - neutral Levi straight legged cords, ND logo wear and worn out top siders (no socks). There was a debate over whether George would actually have a shirt on. Pleep pointed out the party is at night & the weather will be cool so that put things to rest there. The side betting is all on how many people brother Moon pants & of those how many are going commando. So far every time Moon picks a target they have been commando. Delete thinks a couple of them may have learned their lesson and will be wearing several layers.
Months in the planning the George & Ida Heidkamp Joint Birthday Bash is nearly here. It all started innocently enough. Ida turns 50 on 15 September. George turns 80 on 13 December. Brother Moon suggested we combine the event and have it Chicago. September is better weather, especially for all the travelers.
Then, as with most things involving the Heidkamp family, it started to get complicated. Venue changes, date changes (to accommodate the ND home schedule), and most importantly the guest list. With a large immediate family, it is easy to hit 50 without inviting any friends. Soon, to quote Perry, everyone who ever had a beer with George or Ida is on the list. Then people who didn't even know George or Ida asked if they could come. We had to draw the line somewhere so no strangers was it.
In search of a party space, Alex Collins, family friend for now, offered the use of the party space at her brand new condo overlooking Lake Michigan and Grant Park. "Don't worry Alex, we swear we've never formally been evicted."
Now - Watch out Chicago. We will be over the limit on the number of Heidkamps allowed in one building in Chicago at one time. Reluctant to leave the capturing photos and video to anyone in the family, Pleep has assigned the task to David Gates. Of course, David is also an attorney which could come in very handy on Saturday night.
It's hard to imagine nine years have passed since the events of 9/11. We were in NYC in July 2001, just months before the terrorists attacked, to celebrate Ed's parent's 50th wedding anniversary. As you can see from our picture of the skyline during the river tour, the Towers dominated lower Manahattan.
The morning of 9/11 found Ed and several of our friends in NYC for business. They were in the lobby of the Millenium Hotel (directly across from the Twin Towers and across from the Generali offices) as the first plane went in.
The picture is very different today. (Thanks to our friend, Dan Carvill.) The rebuilding at the site is moving ahead full steam. Generali's old offices were at 1 Liberty, overlooking what is known as Ground Zero. The new offices are in the brand new building 7 World Trade also overlooking the area. There are over 2,000 construction workers working on the site. You can see the memorial pools marking the site of the WTC towers.
We have been back to NYC many times since then, most recently in late August. On this visit we stayed in the new hotel overlooking the construction site and walked all through the area. There is a memorial right outside the Generali offices detailing the timeline and displaying many photos from 9/11 and the days immediately after. It is important to take a minute today, honor those who died then and those brave men & women in the military who sacrificed their lives in the fight since. Remember we must continue our vigilance and thank those who remain on the front lines. Semper Fi. Ductus Exemplo.
Pleep has a very busy day today. First he has to deal with the rash of injuries and issues plaguing the Monkeybutters just prior to their big week against Parker's Angels. Next week is the last week in the regular season and Pleep would at least like to go into the playoffs leading the entire league.
Next, the Pleepleus Gorillabutters take the field starting tonight with the kick-off NFL game - Saints vs. Vikings. Pleep is hosting a kick-off party with Red Chile Posole and plenty of adult beverages. He's been practicing his favorite Cajun cheer - Hot boudin and cold couscous. Come on Saints let's push push push.
Then, he is faced with a serious dilemma in the College Pick'em Leatherhelmets league. The Monkeybutters are in the middle of the pack after last week and he'd like to see improvement. The problem is Peggy is lobbying to pick the Irish to beat Michigan and wants to rank it top in the confidence scale. Pleep thinks this is a homer attitude and likely a large error.
Finally, in a desperate move to find a lucky charm, Pleep talked to Carnicelli. Carnicelli told Pleep he always performs the Rerun Dance before a big game or decision. Rerun is his favorite character of all time and it has always worked for him.
So, Pleep will be learning this dance from the youtube clip and invites everyone to picture Carnicelli doing it with him.
This is a big weekend for Pleep and this sports management team. The Monkeybutters have locked up their division in the California Baseball Nuts League and are in a tight race for home field advantage in the playoffs. Commenting on his tough management style, Pleep said, "For all those doubters who mocked me at the beginning of the season for trading Lincecum for Sabathia and who scoffed at my trading, pickups and drops, one big monkeybutt to you all."
Even as the baseball playoffs loom, Pleep has managed to turn his attention to his favorite fall activity, college football. The Pleepleus Monkeybutters are planning a repeat performance in the Leatherhelmets College Pick'em League. The league is dominated by Gator fans and Pleep thinks he may be able to take advantage of them. Last year several owners missed making their picks because they weren't paying attention to the game start times. Delete is very excited about the "Era Of Kelly" commencing in South Bend today at 3:41 est. He has been teaching Pleep II the Notre Dame Fight song. Ed is a bit tired of hearing it and is just glad Pleep didn't steal George's bottle opener that plays the fight song with every use. Pleep was a bit bummed about that because he has loaded up on Guiness, put his lucky Irish beads on and started Grandma Al's flying novena.
Finally, Pleep and crew are studying up on the NFL as prep for the Generali USB Fantasy Football draft on Tuesday. The Pleepleus Gorillabutters are in their rookie year but Pleep thinks his management style from the Monkeybutters will serve him well with the Gorillabutters. When asked about the name change, Pleep commented, "The size requirements in the NFL meant we needed to field a larger, more aggressive player than the typical Monkeybutter. I took my cue from the Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago Bears, even though we hate the Bears." Pleep issued the one and only Generali jersey to Leoni, explaining, "Leoni is Generali's mascot so it is only right he should get to wear the team jersey." Pleep has his whistle ready because based on what he has heard the Generali US Branch office is notorious for cheating, lying, and other nefarious behaviors.
