Hello,

Well, here goes. I have always had a lot to say but never have really been one to keep a journal. I have lead an interesting life full of colorful characters and unbelievable stories. I am doing this because they are both starting to fade from my memory. Faces and events once so vivid in that movie that runs through my mind are starting to deteriorate...

Let me share a little bit about myself and invite you into my warped world of "screwed up" insights and opinions. I am a 30 something Chicago native, a husband and a father of three. I live in North East Wisconsin, it is as beautiful as it is laughable. I'll explain more as we go along. I work in a Methodist Church with Families and run a Teen Outreach Center/ Music venue.

That all sounds pretty normal so far I'm sure. I am also the son of a Chicago Police Officer who was banging my "hippy" Mom behind his wife's back. They met in a neighborhood (Greek) Diner on the North Side she worked at in the late 60's & 70's. And in 1971 I hit the scene. I was raised by Truck Drivers, Red Card Players, Carnies, Outlaw Bikers, Cowboys, Thieves, Gangsters, Drug Dealers and a loving gentle Southern Grandmother. I love and miss them all dearly.

My boyhood was spent in a wonderfully dangerous place known as "Uptown" on the North Side of Chicago a.k.a. Hillbilly Heaven. It no longer exists, part of the goal of this Blog is to preserve some of the stories connected with this place and the wonderful and delightfully screwed up people I encountered as a boy!

-Jeff