The 2026 edition of the Winter In Chicago compilation of oue Shared Life footage began after the 12th Night/Epiphany Party with the Community Of The Holy Trinity. The first clip of footage is my disappointment over the Monday Night Football playoff loss by the Pittsburgh Steelers ending the season. I ran it through the end of March with a visit to the future site of the men's program shelter for where I work.
Much of the footage covers the winter weather including several fog events and "sea smoke" on Lake Michigan. Elphie visited her friend and a regular travel partner Debbie in Seattle while I worked on the final steps of my processing the deer I harvested while hunting. I attended a few shows which were mostly at Reggies and we spent time with the Ollie Mob for the annual Whirlyball meet up in February.
My mom was suspected of having a cancer in her eye so we were graced by the presence of my parents throughout March, including on her birthday. I of course partook of Shamrock Shake Season as well. I thought I had captured but during processing I could not find it a video clip of a protest sign about McKinley Park. Unfortunately it is not included for that reason.
Much of the footage covers the winter weather including several fog events and "sea smoke" on Lake Michigan. Elphie visited her friend and a regular travel partner Debbie in Seattle while I worked on the final steps of my processing the deer I harvested while hunting. I attended a few shows which were mostly at Reggies and we spent time with the Ollie Mob for the annual Whirlyball meet up in February.
My mom was suspected of having a cancer in her eye so we were graced by the presence of my parents throughout March, including on her birthday. I of course partook of Shamrock Shake Season as well. I thought I had captured but during processing I could not find it a video clip of a protest sign about McKinley Park. Unfortunately it is not included for that reason.
01.12.2026 - 01.29.2026
On Monday January 12th, 2026, I disappointedly had to endure watching the Pittsburgh Steelers lose in the first round of the playoffs and end their season. I hung up my Terrible Towel in shame. During the morning commute on January 23rd, 2026, as the Arctic air was beginning to hit Chicago, I witnessed "sea smoke" on Lake Michigan. The water temperature was considerably warmer than the air temperature causing steam to rise up off the lake as it began to freeze over. On Saturday January 24th, 2026, I worked my way through what I could of the liver from the deer I harvested to make tacos for Elphie and I. We also utilized the tongue. We had a decent snow storm hit on Sunday January 25th, 2026 and on Monday January 26th, 2026 I captured a view of Lake Michigan frozen over along the shore as beyond.
LIVE @ Reggies (01.30.2026)
On Friday January 30th, 2026, I went to Reggies to catch a ska show headlined by The Toasters. I saw The Toasters many years ago in 2012 when they played on Valentine's Day at The 86. It was an odd show for The 86 and I think they were trying to fill a gap in their tour. Chris Human got a call and decided to go for it. It was cool to see them again. The Operators and Todd Hembrook and the Seance played the show as well. I captured "Tango" by The Operators and "Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down" by The Toasters. Thinking back, I wonder if they were permitted to play that one at The 86?
01.31.2026 - 02.14.2026
On Sunday February 1st, 2026, we stopped by Krispy Kreme for their Hershey specialist doughnuts. They were alright. On Groundhog Hog Day Monday February 2nd, 2026, it was very foggy in Chicago. I also captured some footage of the ice on Lake Michigan. On Super Bowl Sunday February 8th, 2026, I made some venison sloppy joe to eat. On Monday February 9th, 2026, I captured some footage of the ice on Lake Michigan once again. On Tuesday February 10th, 2026, Elphie wanted to capture some images of her hair after bleaching it then after adding color. On Wednesday February 11th, 2026, Elphie left to go to Seattle for Debbie's birthday shenanigans. I watched Olympic hockey with the Swedish National team getting a win over Germany. On Thursday February 12th, 2026, Elphie captured a shot of her with Mount Ranier in the background. I watched the Danish national team play hockey. On Friday February 13th, 2026, I captured footage of Stein complaining about how he isn't getting enough attention. On Saturday February 14th, 2026, I watched more olympic hockey while roasting then boiling the leg bones from my deer I harvested. This would be used to make a bone broth. Elphie and Debbie spent their evening in Portland, Oregon.
LIVE @ Reggies (02.14.2026)
On Saturday February 14th, 2026 I attended a Valentine's Day show at Reggies with the Koffin Kats, The Last Gang, Crazy And The Brains, and Clear Coat. I was hoping to capture a song where the Koffin Kats would stand on the stand-up bass but the internet failed me in its suggestions as to which songs that might happen. I captured the end of the set with "Koffin Kats Rock." It was the first time seeing The Last Gang. I captured "WFTW" by them. it was also the first time I saw Clear Coat. I captured "Hold On" by Crazy And The Brains. I have seen them a few times now. It was a good show.
LIVE @ Liar's Club (02.15.2026)
On Sunday February 15th, 2026, I went to the Liar's Club "Church of the Broken Heart" matinee show. On the way, my drive was impeded slightly by some dirt bikers crossing over Western. Sally Grayson was in the states for a short visit and was able to get booked to do this show. Even though it was meant to be a matinee, it didn't start until closer to 6pm and the last band of the evening, The Pandamnits didn't arrive til around 7pm or so. It was good to see Sally though and hang out a bit. The Shaws were able to make it out as well and Skot might have been able to work on getting Leper's foot in the door at some point. I captured Sally doing "Wicked Game" with the Pandamnits, ""Crooked Crow" by Iris Marlowe, and "Melt Into Your Arms" by Sally Grayson.
I decided to capture Sally Grayson's newest song as well titled "To Be Loved." I didn't make it viewable until after she had officially fully released it to the world in March in hopes of giving her time to get the word out and hopefully get some listeners to the song moreso than to get views on my channel. I don't know if it worked out that way or not.
I actually left the show a bit early because I was very hungry, ha! I stopped to get a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza from Falco's for dinner. Elphie and Debbie continued the birthday shenanigans in Portland, Oregon.
02.16.2026 - 02.27.2026
On Monday February 16th, 2026, I bagged up the bone broth for future use and put them in the freezer. There was an ice cream truck out due to the unseasonably warm weather. I also spent the evening boiling the skull from the deer I harvested to keep. There was quite a bit of damage to the bones of the skull and I will determine if I want to try to glue it back together or not. Elphie and Debbie visited Vancouver, B.C. Tuesday February 17th, 2026 was Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras and Paczki Day! I got a Paczki at work. On Ash Wednesday February 18th, 2026, there had been a mud rain overnight, coating vehicles parked out in the weather with mud and dirt. Debbie made Elphie a fancy dinner. On Thursday February 20th, 2026, Elphie made her way back to Chicago. I had my first Shamrock Shake of the season.
Ollie Mob Whirlyball Meet-up (02.28.2026)
Saturday February 28th, 2026 was the annual Ollie Mob Whirlyball Meet Up in Vernon Hills, Illinois. We had a decent turn out. I utilized the AI image Tobin created as a flyer and after the games we went to Portillo's as usual for dinner and more hanging out. I actually somewhat figured out how to shoot the ball more accurately this year and scored a few long range shots for my team! It was a good time as usual at the whoppin' speed of 4 miles per hour!
03.01.2026 - 03.02.2026
On Sunday March 1st, 2026, my parents came out to Chicago for a visit. It happened to be my mom's birthday. Elphie sang the song and we had made venison stew and bought some cake for the occasion. My mom was found to potentially have a cancerous spot on her eye and Chicago's Northwestern University Medical Centers were one of the few places where treatment could take place. This visit was more to see the situation in the eye and set up for the treatment process in the coming weeks. On Monday March 2nd, 2026 we went to Cheesie's for dinner and stopped by Andy's for custard.
LIVE @ The Salt Shed (03.03.2026)
I attended a show at The Salt Shed for the first time on Tuesday March 3rd, 2026. Dropkick Murphys were headlining their Saint Patrick's tour with The Aggrolites, Haywire, and Slugger. There was a special edition vinyl split for sale of Dropkick Murphys and Haywire that I made sure to pick up before the show. After the show, Kyle Bawinkel was set up in the Three Top Lounge upstairs. While I waited for traffic to clear out, I went up and hung with Kyle for a few minutes. I captured "Citizen ICE" by Dropkick Murphys, "Til The Wheels Fall Off" by TheAggrolites, and "New England Forever" by Haywire. Both the songs I captured of Dropkick Murphys and Haywire featured each other. The sound in The Salt Shed is surprisingly good. It seems to be a generally well built venue and I could mostly see ok though the usual tall folks found their way in front of me, ha!
03.04.2026 - 03.13.2026
On Wednesday March 4th, 2026, we got dinner at Huck Finn's in the neighborhood. On Friday March 6th, 2026, I captured the fog during the morning commute. Coming home in the evening I captured lightning during the thunderstorm.
LIVE @ Reggies (03.14.2026)
On Saturday March 14th, 2026, we went to Reggies for the annual Saint Patrick's show of Flatfoot 56. They were celebrating twenty years of the album Knuckles Up. Justin made the trip out for the show and did some guest vocals and drumming on a few of the Knuckles Up era tunes where he sang lead. I captured "Chi-Town Beatdown" from that set. Also on the bill was Downtown Struts, Liberty And Justice, and Won't Stay Dead. I didn't realize it until after the show had ended but I apparently paused the recording during Liberty And Justice. Sorry! They were really good too. It was a fun night and we got to see quite a few friends throughout. I decided to stay up where Elphie likes to hide in the loft area. She can sit on soft chairs and I was able to stand to the side without blocking any views to capture the video.
03.15.2026 - 03.31.2026
On Saint Patrick's Day Tuesday March 17th, 2026, I got my last Shamrock Shake of the season. The era of live streaming must have ended as well because we were not treated to a Dropkick Murphys Saint Patrick's Day stream. On Friday March 20th, 2026, I captured some footage of folks encouraging attendance for a "No Kings" rally coming up. My parents had also returned to Chicago for a procedure for my mom's eye. We visited them while they had a nice hotel stay and I got to use the pool for a bit. On Sunday March 22nd, 2026, we took my parents to church at Hope Church Midway then had lunch at the Red Barrel. It was very good. On Thursday March 26th, 2026, I captured some footage of the fog rolling through Chicago on my evening commute home. On Sunday March 29th, 2026, we saw a strange helicopter coming into Chicago and landing somewhere in the city as we made our way north to The Alley. We later went south to Wasted Youth Tattoo and PMA Piercing so Elphie could get some supplies before utilizing our gift card at a Texas Roadhouse along the way home. On Monday March 30th, 2026, I got to visit The Haven which will be the new location for the Cornerstone Community Outreach men's program. It will be where I work. When the ideas were being brainstormed early in the process of this endeavor, we were asked for anything we may want and I asked about EV charging. Two level 2 EV chargers were installed and I was able to utilize one while on our visit. We got to see the rooms, the offices, the kitchen and dining area, as well as a few other spots. We hope to be moving the program into the location soon.
On Saint Patrick's Day Tuesday March 17th, 2026, I got my last Shamrock Shake of the season. The era of live streaming must have ended as well because we were not treated to a Dropkick Murphys Saint Patrick's Day stream. On Friday March 20th, 2026, I captured some footage of folks encouraging attendance for a "No Kings" rally coming up. My parents had also returned to Chicago for a procedure for my mom's eye. We visited them while they had a nice hotel stay and I got to use the pool for a bit. On Sunday March 22nd, 2026, we took my parents to church at Hope Church Midway then had lunch at the Red Barrel. It was very good. On Thursday March 26th, 2026, I captured some footage of the fog rolling through Chicago on my evening commute home. On Sunday March 29th, 2026, we saw a strange helicopter coming into Chicago and landing somewhere in the city as we made our way north to The Alley. We later went south to Wasted Youth Tattoo and PMA Piercing so Elphie could get some supplies before utilizing our gift card at a Texas Roadhouse along the way home. On Monday March 30th, 2026, I got to visit The Haven which will be the new location for the Cornerstone Community Outreach men's program. It will be where I work. When the ideas were being brainstormed early in the process of this endeavor, we were asked for anything we may want and I asked about EV charging. Two level 2 EV chargers were installed and I was able to utilize one while on our visit. We got to see the rooms, the offices, the kitchen and dining area, as well as a few other spots. We hope to be moving the program into the location soon.
Additional soundtrack includes "Stirb Im Winter" by :Wumscut:, "Love's Harsh Winter" by Black Swift, "Winter Fog" by Lauren Peacock, "The Worker's Song" by Bealtaine, and "Zielona Gora" by The Rumjacks.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9ZwEF2QQpO_ZsH7j3Ts06Vv_7r-Brix
