312-578-9501 | www.shannonlawgroup.com FEBRUARY 2019
Thank you to everyone who attended our Christmas gathering! We want to thank all of you for your extreme generosity. Together, we raised over $23,000 for St. Joan of Arc’s Adopt a Student Fund and St. Vincent de Paul chapter. Every penny contributed went directly to these charities. I know these charities will make sure all of the money donated is used wisely to help families who really need it. Thank you again! We also want to thank Gavin Coyle for providing such great entertainment throughout the evening, as well as the kind folks at Quigley’s. The service, food, and atmosphere were just what the doctor ordered. Twenty-five years ago, Michelle and I wanted to choose a great family environment in which to raise our kids. When we decided on the west suburbs, we didn’t know anyone here. We were searching for a great neighborhood for our first home, a welcoming parish, and great schools. We have not been disappointed; folks in the west suburbs have welcomed us with open arms. This year, we were reacquainted with many friends from across our 25-year journey. It was great to see our first neighbors, Andy and Mary Wojciechowski. Those eight years in Cinnamon Creek were terrific. We saw great folks from our old parish (St. Margaret Mary), including Larry and Pat Lucas, and David and Ann Schwartz. We were also reacquainted with some parents we met at our schools: St. Joan of Arc, Naperville North, Benet, and now, St. Francis High School. It felt like reunion night with all the folks who have worked at our law firm over the years as well — Kathy, Ronda, and John, to name a few — along with our great clients, who have always been part of our extended family. BUILDING A COMMUNITY
We know that this kind of community does not happen by accident. You have intentionally and graciously included us in your network, and we thank you for that.
We look forward to a terrific 2019. Let us know if we can be of service to you.
–Joe Shannon
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Every four years, February gains an extra day at the end of the month. But what does this contribute to the year as a whole? You might be surprised by what this one day does for us! The 365 days in each year represent the time it takes for the Earth to circle the sun. However, the orbit actually takes nearly a quarter of a day longer than that. The additional 0.2421 of a day might not seem like it would make a significant impact, but after a few decades, it adds up. To ensure the calendar and seasons stay on the right timeline, the leap day was created. THE START OF THE LEAP YEAR The Egyptians were the first to officially calculate how many days it takes to orbit the sun, revealing the need for a leap year. Europeans at the time used a calendar that followed a lunar model, which needed an entire month added to retain consistency. The leap year wasn’t introduced into Europe until the reign of Julius Caesar. With the help of astronomer Sosigenes, Caesar created the Julian Calendar, which included 12 months and 365 days, with a single day added every fourth year.
However, the Julian Calendar wasn’t perfect, because 0.2421 of a day can’t be rounded to a multiple of five, so it caused the calendar to have an extra 11 minutes every four years. Pope Gregory XIII fixed the problem in 1582 by creating the Gregorian Calendar. Now, a leap year occurs every four years except for the years that are evenly divisible by 100 and not 400. For instance, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years because they were divisible by 100. A LEAP DAY BIRTHDAY The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are about 1 in 1,500, which leaves approximately 187,000 people in the U.S. and 4 million people around the world celebrating their birthdays on Feb. 28 or March 1. People born on a Leap Day are faced with dilemmas such as which date they should receive their driver’s license. Although it varies from state to state, most consider March 1 the appropriate
day for leap-year 16-year-olds — who are celebrating their fourth “official” birthday — to receive their license. With all the changes the calendar has undergone, it still isn’t quite perfect. Experts say that in about 10,000 years, it will need to be changed yet again.
3 PODCASTS TO BINGE ON YOUR COMMUTE
Whether it’s a Red Line ride down to the Daley Center or a drive from my house in Lincoln Park to our office, I commute to work every morning. To pass the time, I often listen to podcasts. Now it seems like almost everyone has one. It can be hard to hack your way through the podcast jungle to find one that’s right for you. This month, I’ve decided to share three of my favorites. Hopefully, you can find some time on a morning commute or a family road trip to check them out. ‘HOW I BUILT THIS’ WITH GUY RAZ “How I Built This” showcases the stories of some of America’s greatest entrepreneurs and dreamers. In every episode, NPR’s Guy Raz interviews the founders of companies like Airbnb, Five Guys, Home Depot, and others. No matter the industry or era in which these companies were founded, almost every founder went through seemingly insurmountable adversity in building their dream. Every time I listen to an episode, I’m able to take away some nugget of useful information or inspiration. Even if you don’t have the entrepreneurial spirit, you can’t help but be motivated to pursue your dreams after listening to this one. ‘CONAN NEEDS A FRIEND’ “Conan Needs a Friend” is the new podcast from long-time late-night host Conan O’Brien. If you like Conan’s brand of self-deprecating humor, you will enjoy his podcast and his interviews. As Conan explains in the introduction to each episode, he’s been so busy with his late-night shows over the
last 25-plus years that he hasn’t had time to make deep friendships with people outside of his talk show bubble. Now he’s making up for lost time by interviewing people he’s had on his show over the years to determine if there’s a possibility of a friendship developing. The podcast has Conan’s trademark goofiness, but he is able to be more authentic and discuss his personal life more than the networks allowed. Since the show’s still new, there are not a ton of episodes yet, but as someone who’s liked Conan since I was a kid, this podcast is a must-listen for me. ‘REVISIONIST HISTORY’ WITH MALCOLM GLADWELL “Revisionist History” is a podcast by author Malcolm Gladwell, who is a writer for The New Yorker. I’ve only listened to a couple of episodes, but it comes highly recommended by my wife and both of my parents. On “Revisionist History,” Gladwell takes some person or event from history and re-examines them. Typically, he uses a historic figure or event to discuss a sociological or psychological theme. For example, the most recent episode I listened to was about news anchor Brian Williams’ fall from grace after misreporting his experience covering the Iraq War. Gladwell used that story to analyze the unreliability of human memory. That episode is just one of the dozens of interesting episodes from this highly recommended podcast.
Happy Listening.
–Pat Cummings
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SAMAND JON’S FAVORITE WICKER PARK SPOTS
THE SMOKE DADDY Living in Chicago allows us to try out many different kinds of foods from a kaleidoscope of countries and regions, but sometimes you just want some great American barbecue. The Smoke Daddy does it very well, with amazing pork, chicken, and beef dishes. It has been a staple of the neighborhood for many years. I usually stay true to their excellent pulled pork sandwich and a sample each of their homemade sauces. If you are lucky enough to go for dinner, you’ll be treated to a live musical performance, which The Smoke Daddy offers on a nightly basis. If you find yourself in Chicago and in need of a place to eat, keep these in the back of your mind. We may frequent these places often, but I’m afraid name-dropping will not get you very far. Be sure to call ahead!
My wife and I don’t get out very much — most nights we prefer to lounge on our couch as I fight for (and lose) the television remote. However, we live in a diverse neighborhood in west Chicago with many different restaurants and bars. Here are three of our favorite local spots to go. MOTT STREET This Asian-inspired, small plates restaurant is located a block from our apartment, but I promise the food and cocktails make it worth the trip no matter where you’re coming from. The chefs are always changing the menu to make sure the variety never gets stale. It has a burger that’s been named the best in Chicago by multiple publications (it can be a little tricky actually getting one, so call ahead). I highly recommend the “Everything Wings.” Go with a group so you can try a little of everything. THE DELTA This is a newer establishment that opened up on North Avenue. Sam and I have already been multiple times. They specialize in tamales, and you really shouldn’t leave without trying one. They have Mississippi-style soul food, too (read: fried), and great shrimp fried rice. What Sam and I especially like about The Delta are the cocktails. They have eight different kinds of smash cocktails, with every fruit and spirit combination you could want. It’s perfect on a hot summer night.
–Jon Svitak
SUDOKU
FEBRUARY 2019 DATES OF CONSEQUENCE
Feb. 6
Feast of St. Paul Miki and Companions
Feb. 9
Villanova @ Marquette Basketball
Feb. 16
St. Joan of Arc School Annual Auction @ Bobaks
Feb. 18
Presidents Day NO SCHOOL SJA OR SFHS
Feb. 23
Virginia Tech @ Notre Dame Basketball
Feb. 24
Johnny Basketball Game @ Lisle High School
Feb. 26
Election Day for Mayor of Chicago
Every Saturday morning throughout the year, St. Joan of Arc Men’s group meets from 7–8 a.m. in the St. Joan of Arc Parish Center. Please join us.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Building a Community
Why Do We Need a Leap Year? 3 Podcasts to Binge on Your Commute Sam and Jon’s Favorite Wicker Park Spots
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Sudoku
Thank You!
THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FAMILIES FOR DONATING AT OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY:
The Aceto Family The Alexenko Family The Andelbradt-Murphy Family The Askwith Family Nicole Brochmann Ann Chailfoux The Christenson Family The Clements Family The Connolly Family Elaine and Barbara Corbine The Cummings Family Pat Cummings and Caitlin Robinson The Czech Family
The Durham Family The Esch Family The Fitzgerald Family The Freeman Family The Gibson Family The Glynn Family Neil Gorman The Gustas Family The Hansen Family Patty Hantsch The Hantsch Family The Hart Family The Houston Family The Jennings Family The Johnson Family The Joyce Family The Kapolnek Family
Fr. Don Kocher The Krzywosz Family The Littell Family The Matheu Family The McKechnie Family Mary Mikhailov The Pellegrino Family The Regan Family The Remmes Family The Richert Family The Ritterbusch-McAdams Family The Robinson Family The Sarb Family The Schwartz Family Mary Smith The Smith Family
The Sobolewski Family The Sparacino Family The Svitak Family Jon Svitak and Sam Donne The Sweeney Family The Taylor Family The Thompson-Refine Family
The Valdes Family The Walsh Family The Weber Family The Weizeorick Family The Wenig Family
The Williams-Kelley Family The Wojciechowski Family The Wylly Family Many generous anonymous donors!
The Dirienzo Family The Duginski Family
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