St. Charles residents will come to appreciate noise ordinance
The loud bang did more than startle me from a deep sleep. It just about knocked me out of my bed. I strained to see the time on the clock, and it was about 5:30 a.m. And then another loud bang rattled my foggy brain.
That was my introduction several years ago to living near retail stores during a cool summer night in which my bedroom windows were open. Those loud bangs? Oh, just your average industrial size garbage bin being emptied into a waste truck and sounding like it was dropped from the top of a building onto concrete pavement.
Not long after that noisy summer, the city of Geneva got after the culprits and reminded them about noise ordinances and certain quiet zones before 7 a.m.
I bring up this story of an evening slumber gone bonkers because I feel St. Charles aldermen did the right thing last week in asking that businesses in commercial zones keep trash pickup, construction or other maintenance chores on hold until at least after 7 a.m.
This makes things tough for waste companies with hundreds of stops, but it does a world of good for people needing proper rest.
Off the shelves: Do you have a few books you could do without? You know, the ones just cluttering your shelves. Take them over to the TriCity Family Services drop-off spot at 315 W. State St. (the Geneva Theater building) from 9 a.m. to noon the next three Saturdays.
It's all in preparation for a used book sale during the Geneva Christmas Walk that will benefit the family-counseling center. For information, call (630) 443-3508.
PIN number for pizza?: A concerned reader sent along a note, saying he was having a hard time getting through to Aurelio's Pizza in Geneva. He said the pizza joint's phone number was giving him a bizarre message about redialing and entering a PIN number.
It appears it was just his phone acting strange, as the number worked for me and the folks at Aurelio's assured me they were open - and busy. When I called to ask about the phone, they asked in return: What kind of pizza would you like tonight?
Catholic school flashbacks: I was afraid it would trigger a few nightmares, but it was actually educational and entertaining.
We joined some friends - most of us former Catholic school alums - at a Saturday matinee of "Late Night Catechism" at the Copley Theater in Aurora.
My Catholic school years could be titled "Groucho Marx Jr. takes on the meanest nuns in the Western Hemisphere."
Lisa Braatz, portraying "Sister" in the play, actually made me feel sorry for nuns when explaining how tough it was having a room full of clowns in a 100-degree classroom, while inflicted with a sinus headache and 20 pounds of clothing on.
Another great one: I recently watched "Hombre," a Paul Newman movie that barely got a mention during retrospectives the week of his death. Maybe critics felt he was miscast in playing a white man who lived with Indians. But for my money, "Hombre" was another great Newman movie.