Okay, it’s March 1st and the MBIP Countdown continues with this second countdown post until we come back in April. I’ve put up a new MBIP Countdown Clock because the hiatus has been extended for a couple of weeks. MBIP will now be back on a daily blogging basis on April 18th, 2016 instead of April 4th. The reason for this is I want to start off the next chapter of MBIP with a bowling post like we did last year and I couldn’t rent out St. Ann’s Church until Saturday, April 16th. So the first MBIP post will be of that party and will be up on Monday April 18th and then the daily MBIP blogging begins again!
Also, for the month of March, I’m just going to be putting up just one photo a day. I kind of got caught up last month and a lot of days I put up a lot of photos which took more time than I wanted and it kind of defeats the purpose of me being on hiatus and working on other projects! The photos are below, enjoy and check back every day for a new photo and a new piece of art at the top of this post.
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - Month of March Graphics
Hard to believe that this is the last day of March! Just a little over 18 days and we’re back live here on MBIP! Here’s the month’s worth of title graphics I did for the month of March. Stay tuned for the April Countdown starting tomorrow!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - Biehls Cleaners in Junction City
I believe that Biehls Cleaners in Junction City is the oldest business in that shopping center. I’ll have to do a post on that when MBIP goes back live. Till then, we have this photo!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - The Peoria Riverfront Museum
I forgot to take a photo yesterday, so I took this late in the evening, it’s another balanced shot in the MBIP World Headquarters. This is important to me, so there!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - The First Annual Easter With Thurston!
Okay, I know I said that for this month I was only going to put up one photo per day, but I sent an Easter package to my friend Thurston and got some photos of him enjoying it and had to put them all up! Thanks to Amber for taking the photos and sending them to me! The package wasn’t supposed to show up until tomorrow, so it’s a true Easter miracle! Happy Easter, Thurston, glad you enjoyed the books and getting mail for the first time in your life! We'll do this again next year!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 25, 2016, 1:57 PM @ Jim’s Steakhouse With Stacy Peterson
I had a really fun lunch with my friend Stacy Peterson this week at Jim’s Steak House in downtown Peoria. Stacy is the Communications Specialist for the City of Peoria. I hadn’t seen Stacy since I ran into her and her lovely mom, Frank at the First Friday celebration on January 1st. It was great to catch up with her and we both really enjoyed the luncheon buffet at Jim’s, it’s always a treat eating there! Check out the City of Peoria on facecrack and on Twitter!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 24, 2016, 11:47 PM - Promo for Mr. Hamilton’s Chump Change Variety Show @ Expo Gardens On Easter Sunday
My friend Roxy Baker is helping to promote Mr. Hamilton’s Chump Change Variety Show, this Sunday at Expo Gardens, here’s the information she sent me:
Don't miss this amazing performance all the way from Austin, Texas! There will also be some local talent from right here in Little Ol' Central Illinois, featuring acts from the Lock & Key Burlesque Troupe! Get your tickets now to save some scratch! $10 in advance at our ticket outlets, the Expo Gardens Office, Moxie's Resale, and Broken Tree. Eat those chocolate bunnies, deviled eggs and ham and then find your way out to Expo for a premiere Peoria event you won't soon forget! Must be 18 or older! Adult beverages will be available! (Tickets will be available on Sunday for $12, but why wait?)
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 23, 2016, 9:47 PM @ Johnny Vig’s in the Metro Centre
Last night I had drinks at Johnny Vig’s with my friends, Amber and Justin. I always enjoy their company and we had a fun evening and lively conversation, as always! Thanks to both of them for hanging out last night and for the friendship!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 22, 2016, 2:50 PM @ Gina Morss’ Journalism Class @ Bradley University
In addition to being the co-anchor of News 25 Today, Gina Morss also teaches a journalism class at Bradley University. Yesterday Gina invited me to be a guest speaker to the class and talk about my somewhat eclectic and eccentric journalism career which has gone from print to online in the last thirty years. Thanks to Gina and her class of budding journalists who are pictured above, it was a lot of fun and I had a great time! This isn’t Gina’s first appearance on the MIBP blog, we had lunch last September at Cyd’s Gourmet Kitchen and you can check that out right here!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 21, 2016, 8:17 AM @ MBIP World Headquarters
Every day I get up around eight in the morning, look out the window and then run back to bed and hide my head in the pillows for about another half an hour while dreading another day. It’s just the way I live!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 20, 2016, 1:17 PM @ The Tartan Inn
I had lunch at the Tartan Inn yesterday with my friends (pictured from left), Joe, Amber, Justin, Shannon and Steven. Their Sunday brunch is fantastic and if you haven’t tried it you should definitely check it out! They have a full lunch and dinner menu and when the blog goes back live in April, I’m going to come here and sample more of the food and maybe even get a few behind the scenes shots of the kitchen, so stay tuned for that! Thanks to everyone for hanging out yesterday, it was a lot of fun and special thanks to Amber and Joe for giving me a ride there!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 19, 2016, 2:01 PM @ Unclaimed Freight Store
Unclaimed Freight Store had a wine tasting event and my friend Lisa was part of that event! Lisa is a Sales Associate for Maverick Wine Company and she had plenty of samples for tasting! Here she is with a bottle and she’s looking pretty as always! Lisa and I are working on a book and I’m hoping it’ll be out in April, right now we have the introduction and the start to chapter one and I’m real excited about this project! Great to see Lisa, as always!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 18, 2016, 10:21PM @ Oliver’s Pizza & Pub North
Last night I went out with my friend, Clare and we went to Oliver’s PIzza & Pub North on Willow Knolls Drive which is handily located right down the street from MBIP World Headquarters. Our waiter snapped this photo of us at our table with our pizza and a book that Clare surprised me with! It’s called, “The Best of Boyfriend” and it’s a collection of articles and photos from Boyfriend magazine which was an English teen publication in the mid ‘60’s. It’s got really cool illustrations and photos of bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Hollies that I’ve never seen before! So very cool and thanks to Clare for the book, for hanging out last night and for being my friend for over 30 years! Oh and the pizza was delicious!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 17, 2016, 8:09 AM @ Two25 In The Mark Twain Hotel on The Greg and Dan Show
Yesterday I was a guest on The Greg and Dan Show on WMBD Radio. They were doing a remote show at Two25 in the Mark Twain Hotel and I announced that Greg Owens and I were doing a 30th anniversary edition of our game, Trivial Trivia, The Idiot Edition. We’re planning on coming out with it sometime in May or June, so stay tuned for more information on that as it happens! After the show, Greg took this photo of myself and someone from the audience named David Batton. As you can see, David’s decked out in his finest St. Patrick’s Day gear and I’m doing my official “Wearin’ O’ the Black,” as I do every St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks to Greg and Dan for having me on and to David Batton for posing with me! Too rah loo rah loo!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 16, 2016, 3:47 PM @ Peoria Riverfront
I was down by the riverfront yesterday and looked up and saw this amazing skyline and thought I’d take a photo and share it with all of you, so here you go. So there!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 15, 2016, 1:03 PM @ Voting Booths @ Woodland Baptist Church
I went and voted yesterday at my neighborhood polling place, Woodland Baptist Church and took this photo of two women voting at the booths lining the walls. For some reason I’m oddly pleased with this photo, I have no idea why, but I’m happy for this moment!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 14, 2016, 4:19 PM @ Thurston Tower
Peoria has a new fashionable apartment complex that recently opened up and I got an exclusive photo of it last Sunday! The apartment complex is called, “Thurston Tower,” and the ultra-chic building has a bawdy Cathouse theme to it. You don’t have to be a pussy to live here but it sure doesn’t hurt. There’s currently a waiting list for spaces in the building and aristocats from all over the Midwest are lining up for an apartment in this complex which many have called the cat’s meow. I’d say that’s the purrfect review for this stunning new apartment tower here in Peoria! Thurston Asher is the mogul/fat cat that owns this building, but he was unavailable for comment as he was hiding under the bed because he’s terrified of Tallis, the new security dog for the building.
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 13, 2016, 4:19 PM @ Amber, Joe, Thurston and Tallis’ House
I had a really fun day and night yesterday! My friends Amber and Joe came over and then we met Amber’s parents, Diane and Chuck for lunch at Joe’s Sports Grille in Pioneer Park and we really had a lot of fun! Then Amber and Joe went to my parents house to wish my mom a happy 86th birthday! In between all of this action we stopped at Amber and Joe’s house and I met the newest addition to their household, a wonder dog named Tallis! Here’s a photo of Tallis eating my middle fingers. It’s no big deal, I can still type with my index fingers so all is well! Thanks to everyone for hanging out yesterday, it was a ton of fun and a great Sunday!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 12, 2016, 1:28 AM @ Chase Bank ATM Drive-Through ATM Machine
I treat going through the drive-through ATM machine like an Olympic event. I try to see how quickly I can do it. I have my card and my paycheck all ready to go for my transaction and I get my money out as quickly as possible. I don’t linger with my receipt or cash, I grab them and quickly drive to a parking place to put it all together. Sadly, not everyone else feels like I do. This person at the front of the ATM drive-through line took at least three minutes to put their card in the fucking machine as we all waited in our cars, then she kept punching numbers, god only knows what kind of transactions this person was making and then after this person got the receipt—and I timed this—they sat there for over three fucking minutes! Now three minutes may not sound like a long time, but when you’re waiting in an ATM line it seems like eternity times twelve. It's like watching water turn to ice. I guess the point I’m trying to make here is quit fucking lingering in line people! Have your motherfucking card ready to go, make your transaction, get your receipt and then move the fuck out of the line! Some of us have places to go and things to do! Alright, as you were...
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 11, 2016, 12:17 AM @ The MBIP World Headquarters, Mach II
I didn’t realize till late last night that I forgot to get a photo for today’s daily photo, I’m really getting lazy here in this hiatus! Here’s a photo I put up on Twitter last week and it’s a section of the new MBIP World Headquarters, Mach II that I’m particularly proud of. I really tried to achieve perfect balance putting this part together and feel that I achieved it. It’s OCD decorating at its finest hour, If I do say so myself and I just did, so there!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 10, 2016, 11:17 AM @ The Podcast Studio@ PJ Star
Yesterday I was the guest on the debut of PJ Star writer, Steve Tarter’s new podcast series called, “Tarter Source.” I’ve known Steve for over 20 years and he used to write for my magazine, People of Peoria. It was a lot of fun and you can hear the podcast by clicking right here: “Tarter Source.” Thanks to Steve for inviting me to be the first guest on his podcast series and to Matt Dayhoff for engineering the show and taking this photo!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 9, 2016, 1:17 PM—Kenny’s Westside Pub
My friend Lisa Odum was in town yesterday and met me for lunch at Kenny’s Westside Pub and we had a great time hanging out. Cramer cooked us up a delicious lunch and joined us at our booth for this photo. Lisa recently took a vacation to South Africa and you can see her photos from that trip by scrolling down at last months countdown blog. She got me some really cool gifts including a t-shirt, a candy tin and an engraved box that a snake comes jumping out when you pull on it and I love it! Lisa and I are working on a book together and hopefully it’ll all be ready for you to see this fall, stay tuned for more information on that! Great to see Lisa as always and thanks to Cramer for cooking up a tasty lunch at Kenny’s Westside Pub!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 8, 2016, 10:27 PM—The Towne House Motel Sign
Last night I took a photo of the Towne House Motel sign on Knoxville Avenue. In the course of roughly ten minutes while taking it, someone threw up about five feet from me in the parking lot, another fellow was relieving himself in the bushes and a somewhat confused gentleman wandered out in traffic and almost got run over by two different vehicles. And yes, there’s vacancies at this charming motel...golly, what a surprise!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 7, 2016, 10:17 PM—Converse Marketing
I’ve always loved this building up at the top of the hill on Main Street that houses the Converse Marketing business. This is where I started the super-awkward, “Can I Eat My Lunch In Here?” series and a week after I did that they gave me a great tour of the building. You can check out both of those posts here and here!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 6, 2016, 11:12 PM—Kelly Seed & Hardware
I took this photo of Kelly Seed & Hardware after work last night. Yeah, I had to work last night and it pretty much wrecked my Sunday, so there! Here’s a link to a Shop Hop post I did on Kelly Seed last January: Shop Hop @ Kelly Seed & Hardware.
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 5, 2016, 10:27 PM—The Peoria Public Library
I took this photo of the Peoria Public Library last night after work and was pleased to see that I got the Pere Marquette sign in the background without even knowing it! The Peoria Public Library has a great public toilet and here’s an MBIP post from July of 2013 featuring an up-close look at their bathroom plus a photography exhibit by Matt Buedel and Scott Cavanah: PTA—Public Toilet Alert!—The Peoria Public Library (Downtown Branch)—Plus A Look At The "Every Other" Exhibit Featuring Photography By Matt Buedel And Scott Cavanah...Sheesh!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 4, 2016, 10:19 PM—The Grand Army of the Republic Hall
Here’s a shot of the Peoria historical landmarked building, The Grand Army of the Republic Hall that I took after work last night. I got a special tour of this place back in September of 2013 and you can check that out by clicking on this link: A Tour Of The Grand Army of the Republic Hall With Bill Ordaz.
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 3, 2016, 6:27 PM—The Twice-Baked Potato @ Jim’s Bistro
Last night I went to dinner with my parents at Jim’s Bistro. I had a dinner salad and the twice-baked potato. Their twice-baked potato is the best in town as far as I’m concerned. It’s a huge potato and it’s stuffed with melted cheese, bacon and chives and I always eat the whole thing, skin and all. It’s delicious!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 2, 2016, 2:31 PM @ My Incoming Email @ MBIP World Headquarters, Mach II
I’ve been putting up a daily MBIP Post From The Past over at the MBIP facecrack page until we go back live here and the other day I put up a link to when I went to Second Chance Church, which used to be a lively nightclub. Well I got an email from MBIP reader, Brian Stear saying he had seen Stevie Ray Vaughn there and still had his ticket stub from the show. I asked him if he could take a photo of it and send it in and he sent it to me yesterday and here it is in all its glory! In the email Brian wrote: “Here you go Marty...Dave Chastain was there, along with other guitarists, most just shaking their heads in disbelief.” Very cool, thanks for sending this in Brian!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - March 1, 2016, 11:19 PM @ MBIP World Headquarters, Mach II—The 365 Camera
As I reported last month, I’ve moved the MIBP Headquarters into a new location down the hall from the old one and I’ll put up a full-fledged post about the place when MBIP goes back to blogging daily on April 18th. While moving I rediscovered little items I save and hang on to for sentimental reasons and one of them is this 365 camera. I bought this specifically for when I started my A Guy Walks Into 365 Bars blog. That blog and this camera really set me off on a crazy journey. That year was one of the nuttiest ones in my kooky life and I continued to use the camera with the blogs that followed, Marty After Dark, Tripping With Marty and MBIP. It finally broke down about a year ago and I had to get another one. But this camera took thousands of pictures and was with me on just as many journeys and adventures and they’re all still online. I went back and looked at the first 365 Bars post and realized I’ve pretty much lived my life online for the last six years! Pure craziness, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Cheers to the 365 camera and the crazy adventures we had together!
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The MBIP Daily Peoria Photo - February 29, 2016, 10:17 PM @ The Landmark Building on Main Street
So today’s daily photo is a shot of one of my favorite Peoria buildings, The Landmark Building on Main Street that I took after work last night. So there!
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