Several income streams

I'm thinking more and more about many ways of earning income. These past two years, there has been a lot of luck in finding good jobs.

For example for the first time in life as of last year I work full-time and with benefits. It took some time to get there, but it's often a matter of luck or being in the right place at the right time. Of course as with life expect some unexpected circumstances at work.

Also I consider some goals for the new year and I want to always improve financially. Save money, find ways to make more money aside from working a job, keep an eye on my 401k account. There's always something that I can do to move ahead.

At least there's this article as a base for learning, perhaps as we all go forward in 2017 there are other articles to look for on personal finance.

To lighten the mood

[VIDEO] Time to lighten the mood around these parts from the election to a dead mall to a death of a Head of State Dictator. Perhaps we need a little humor around here.

Back in the early 1990s when I was a young buck, Nick at Nite aired an original series called On the Television. Basically it was a pseudo critic show as two critics which I liken to Siskel & Ebert types who review a variety of TV programs. Most of the programs were essentially satires of the TV programs of the time.

The program itself hasn't been seen on TV at all in a while because I learned due to some bankruptcies and other economics the show proved expensive to even air in syndication. Thankfully a few of the satirical TV programs or more accurately sketches were uploaded to YouTube almost a decade ago.

Some of them are quite hilarious and some of them are in my humble opinion quite unwatchable. The sketch you see above involves game show rules. The first one was just dumb explaining heads or tails.

The second one was confusing and was very funny as a result. Even the contestants aren't sure how to play that game.

Snapshot on Thanksgiving

It's been years since I posted a mobile image on a blog. I was walking around downtown on Thanksgiving day with my iPad snapping shots. Took this shot of Pizzeria Due through the Blogger mobile app. Perhaps I'll share more from yesterday.

The abandoned Lincoln Mall

[VIDEO] I don't remember the last time being at this Matteson, IL mall before it's closing. Perhaps it was within the last decade and it look largely vacant at the time. In 2015 it was closed and Matteson is charged with finding a new use for the property.

In the meanwhile, this recent video shows us the inside of the mall. The video has an eerie soundtrack to it. The still pics you see at the end makes this abandoned place look even more creepy. I thought they were in there at almost dawn and that would make it more creepy.

Either way seems like a shame this mall lost business to the point where it is now closed.

Although I said enough #Cubs posts...

Sloopin has a post about the championship rally for the Cubs last Friday. An estimated 5 million came to Chicago to see the parade and the rally in downtown Chicago. The 7th largest gathering of humans in the world. A lot of people have been waiting to see the unthinkable - a Cubs world series championship.

Consider this a mental break while we wait for more states to be called in this presidential election. There has been some interesting results, I was never sure what was going to happen but the results was never what was expected.

The Commissioner's trophy #cubs #worldseries #postseasn #flythew

Not only for the first time in 108 years did the Cubs win the World Series they also brought home their first Commissioner's trophy. You might have seen that in the post about the White Sox and their World Series victory in 2005 as their championship emblem contained the commissioner's trophy.

BTW, I should add having won two world series themselves in the early 20th century - like the Cubs - in 2005 the Sox also brought home their first commissioner's trophy. So as of 2016 both Chicago teams have their own trophy to show for their respective victories. Not sure what they have to show for their earlier victories before a trophy was devised.

The trophy has a similar meaning as the Stanley Cup or Vince Lombardi trophy. I did posts where I explained the history of both especially the Stanley Cup as far as the Black Hawks. It was first awarded in 1967 and before that time if you won the world series in previous you didn't get a trophy. Basically one would get rings for winning the world series just as most athletes get rings today.

I unfortunately didn't go the parade and rally in Grant Park for the Cubs but many fans got a glimpse of the trophy on Friday. An estimated five million came to Chicago to celebrate the Cubs first world series victory since the early 20th century.

Now that I've take care of this need to write about this it's time to look for other topics. I still can't believe the Cubs finally won one!!!

Also I found this article that questioned some of Cubs Manager Joe Maddon's moves with his bullpen during the final two games of the series. The article will claim that the manager choked but the team itself didn't. That article had the only good photo I could find of any Cub with the trophy in their arms.

Chicago White Sox championship history #postseason #worldseries

I waited until the end of the Cubs/Indians world series to post this. Before the Cubs won last night, the White Sox brought a world series victory to Chicago. It seemed to have been forgotten during the excitement over the Cubs.

Unfortunately I never worked on such a post when the Sox advanced to the World Series and then ultimately swept the Houston Astros. Over the years I did one for both the Bears and Black Hawks when they advanced to their respective World Championship rounds. So this post is really 11 years in the making.

Now with the success of the Cubs not only winning their first pennant in 71 years, but winning their first world series in 108 years. It's time to revisit the Sox who missed the playoffs this year and changed managers. Ironically the new manager is Rick Renteria who managed the Cubs in 2014 the season before Joe Maddon took the reins at Wrigley.

As a charter member of the American League which started in 1901, the Sox also won their first pennant that year. The world series as we know it began in 1903. Thus the Sox also won World Series titles in 1906, 1917, and of course 2005. In addition to 1901 they also won pennants in 1906, 1917, 1919, 1959, and of course 2005.

As a side note in 1906, the Sox faced off against the Cubs in the World Series. The only year both teams faced off against each other in a crosstown world series. And the White Sox claimed their first world series victory in this series.

Also the 1919 White Sox team was the subject of the film Eight Men Out. That movie was basically a dramatization of the Black Sox Scandal which took place during the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnatti Reds. Needless to say eight Sox players were banned for life from baseball after an investigation.

In 1969, Major League Baseball had been realigned where each league had been broken up into two divisions. Each division winner would play in an League Championship Series to determine who will play in the World Series.

By 1995, the major leagues would also be re-aligned again with three divisions per league and an extra round in the baseball postseason - League Division Series. Three division winners or those who clinched division titles with a wild card team with that round determining who advances to the ALCS (or conversely NLCS). In 2012 MLB created another round a one-game playoff between two wild card teams where one will advance to the ALDS (or NLDS).

Since 1969, the White Sox have won division titles in 1983, 1993, 2000, 2005, and 2008. The Sox as of yet have never clinched a wild card berth in the baseball postseason.

Also since we broached the subject of a crosstown series between Cubs and Sox. In 2003 the Cubs and Sox were close to both securing a berth in the postseason, unfortunately the south siders fell out of contention. The Cubs would enjoy a memorable run in 2003 even if they fell short.

In 2008, however, both teams were in the postseason winning their central division in their respective leagues. Unfortunately both teams were eliminated after their respective league division series.

The period between White Sox world series titles had been 88 years between 1917 and 2005. Between world series appearances had been 46 years between 1959 and 2005. Not nearly as long of a drought as the Cubs, however, the Sox were the first to bring a major league world series title back to Chicago.