Brimborion Brew

I've been reprimanded

2006-04-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

I hear it's no longer Paczki day. Although I have to admit that I could really go for somthing like that right now.

I saw this on one of the message boards that I post on. The top 15 skylines in the world. We're #2! Were #2! I think the picture of Shanghai looks like a science fiction book cover. I must say that I am really surprised of all the skylines in the east, I thought the US had cornered the market on skylines, yep, we have our fair share but all of those are really impressive.

It is 10:48 pm and it is 71 degrees downtown tonight. Yep spring has definately sprung. Things to do are coming out of the woodwork. Art Chicago is right around the corner.

There are some really great shows coming up at Ravinia this year. I would love to see Tom Jones and Etta James on July 16th, Bonnie Raitt and Keb Mo on June 23 or June 24th. Steve Miller Band on July 18th. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, I'll have to see if I can find someone who wants to go see some of these shows.

They've announced the movies in the park. Ferris Bueller is on the list. Pulling up a chair and a bottle of wine, hopefully every week.

Taste of Chicago announced their line-up. I'll probably go down and see JoDee Messina.

Another wine drinking festivity fast approaching (I'm starting to see a pattern to my favorite Chicago events) the Grant Park Music Festival, which is actually held in Millenium Park.

Maybe we'll get some more information about this one soon.

I'm off to find more stuff to do!

odds and ends for today

2006-02-28T05:39:00.000-08:00

Well it's Paczki Day once again. I'm not going to indulge, because it seems like that is all I've been doing lately. I'll have a low carb bar in honor of Fat Tuesday! I didn't realize that Fat Tuesday starts with the Feast of the Epiphany. It's all about food. I don't want to buy a daquiri but it was fun to click on things on this site. You can actually make a song.

Sunday is the big day for Oscar, here is a list and some facts about the best picture award. I must say, I haven't seen alot these films.

Looks like Tivo may give away boxes...of course after I've purchased mine.

Hard to believe that a cave so big that you could fly helicopters into it has gone undiscovered until the other day. Open your eyes people. It looks pretty cool though.

http://www.foxnews.com/images/193753/1_22_021306_new_cave.jpg

Alright, more health benefits of chocolate. Imagine that reduced risk of death...I better go get chocolate.

Ah, the answer to the long debated question on whether you need to turn off your pc at night.

lose your free radicals and take a poop

2006-02-18T02:18:00.000-08:00

For all of you who think that Britney is just fluff...Britney Spears guide to Semi-conducor physics.

I get much of the important news of the day from the monitor in the elevator at work. I saw that Psycho Path in Michigan was voted the wierdest street name in the US. Turns out that Mitsubishi sponsored the poll and the top ten winners are a crackup.

10. Tater Peeler Road in Lebanon, Texas
9. The intersection of Count and Basie in Richmond, Va.
8. Shades of Death Road in Warren County, N.J.
7. Unexpected Road in Buena, N.J.
6. Bucket of Blood Street in Holbrook, Ariz.
5. The intersection of Clinton and Fidelity in Houston
4. The intersection of Lonesome and Hardup in Albany, Ga.
3. Farfrompoopen Road in Tennessee (the only road up to Constipation Ridge)
2. Divorce Court in Heather Highlands, Pa.
1. Psycho Path in Traverse City, Mich.

Wow, why couldn't I have downloaded the billionth song from itunes, I could really use a $10,000 Itunes gift card. He downloaded Coldplay, I downloaded several Tom Jones songs lately, I think it would have made a better story all around if I won. HA!

I thought Green Tea was good for somthing. It's good for your brain. It prevents ovarian cancer. It prevents free radicals, whatever that is.

Some cool pics. I liked them so much I watched all 99 of them.

I am glad, I swear

2006-02-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

I don't have one of these, but it cracked me up when I saw it on my google page.

My old roommate used to on occasion call me Pollyanna. You remember her, she played the Glad Game. She would take the grimest of situations and find something in it to be glad about. Well, I happened to stumble upon the hometown of the author who created the world's most optimistic character. Eleanor Hodgman Porter grew up in Littleton, New Hampshire. And how you ask, do you happen to stumble across something so incredibly interesting. Well, I was watching one of my favorite shows, Unwrapped on the Food Network. They had on show about a store that is the Guiness Book of World Record's holder for the longest candy counter. 112 feet to be exact and they say they have tons of old time candy for sale there. The place, fittingly enough, is in Littleton and is called Chutters. Okay, can you plan a vacation around candy and Pollyanna? Look how pretty it is. I wonder if Southwest flies to Littleton.

Look a free library, and Pollyanna is there. Wait a minute, all libraries are free. Well, you don't have to leave your house, who wants to go outside anyway. (That doesn't sound very glad to me...?)

Movie Stuff

2006-02-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

The other day I was watching The View. They had a bunch of beauty products that famous people use and supposedly really work. I'm always looking for a good hair product. This is the hair product that Debra Messing from Will & Grace uses. She has great hair, so of course I wanted it, but it's all relative because if you are movie star and making gobs of money it's no big deal to drop $195 on a hair product.

The academy award nominations were announced. I have to say I'm pleased that some of my favorites were there. I was a little surprised not to see Walk The Line nominated more but I was pleased to see Crash and Brokeback Mountain there. Capote was the slowest movie I've seen in a while. Didn't like that so much.

The 78th annual Academy Awards will be televised Sunday, March 5th at 7pm on ABC. I have to set the tivo, so I can forward past all the boring stuff. Here are some Oscar party ideas from evite for anyone who wants to clean there house by March 5th.

I do enjoy movies with quirky characters, here are my favorites:

Harold & Maude
Wonder Boys
Ghost World
Fargo
The Good Girl
The House of Yes

I'm sure there are more....can't think of them right now

Oh how I love to reminisce

2006-01-20T06:12:00.000-08:00

That is what I should have named my blog, reminicing...Did you ever see a picture of something that you remember from your past with such fond memories that it puts a gigantic grin on your face? That very thing happened to me just last night as I was paging through the Vermont Country Store Catalog. I posted about them a little while back they are the purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find. Drum roll please... Here it is...the good mood maker. You should have seen this thing by the time I got through with it. It's ears were gone. The banana was no longer yellow, I written something on his gym shoes, it was probably "Paula loves Chucky." I remember waking up in the middle of the night and running to my mother in tears that we had to go to the hospital because my monkey's ear had fallen off.
This was fun to see too. You remember Family Affair. That was Buffy's doll, Mrs. Beasley.
I had one of these too. and my rotten brother stuck bubble gum on the doll that snapped on the top of it. He also hung my sister's Dancing Ballerina doll by the neck with a noose he made from the belt of his robe. Happy Birthday little brother.

Looking forward

2006-01-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

Something to look forward to...a new touring Cirque Du Soleil show! I am a Cirque-aholic. The new show is Corteo, they don't have the dates available for Chicago just yet, but it is on the list. Word on the street is that there is a new Cirque show in the works for Las Vegas based on the music of the Beatles. Now I've got two things to look forward to. I have to say being a Cirque-aholic truly compliments or perhaps is a product of my obsession with Las Vegas.

I've always thought the ocean was to look at and not to swim in.
Now I know how to mummify a body. You never know when that will come in handy.
This is kind of funny to me, in sick twisted sort of way, and a not so fitting tribute to the King's birthday last Sunday.
Overeating vs. being unfaithful, depends on who you ask I think.
It's not really as bad as it sounds, visions of some weird freak show popped into my head at first.
Small price to pay for the gobs of money this guy is making with a number one book. Think of him as the Milli Vanilli of the book world.

I cleaned my house for those assholes

2006-01-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

I love this shirt, I have got to get one. I couldn't have said it better myself. It makes me sad.

Well, my dream is over, I hate those cable assholes. They never showed up! When I called to see where they were - they outright lied and said they had been there and no one answered. Malarcky! Why don't we have more than one service to pick from? You can be whatever asshole you want to be, if you are the only one to pick from. Jackass Comcast.

I was reading my copy of Time Out and I was shocked to find that Trader Vic's in the Palmer House closed on New Year's Day. Home of the original Mai Tai, gone.

Berghoff's is closing as well. Why not just board up all of Chicago. All these historic very cool places are closing when we could close Comcast instead.

Happy Birthday Laura.

A new world record

2006-01-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

I walked on the treadmill 2 days in a row. Starting a new habit is tough, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

I also finally broke down and ordered more than basic cable. I'm still not going to get the Travel Channel. Guess I'll just continue to go to Las Vegas or I could go to MSNBC Travel and they can tell me about the top 10 travel destinations. I will get the Game Show Network, ME tv, and TVland. Does it mean you are old if you start wanting to watch old reruns? I just really like Match Game and Press Your Luck and Hollywood Squares. I'm also looking forward to seeing Mary Tyler Moore throw her hat up in the air and Bob Newhart walking through the streets of Chicago.

On Christmas I played Scene It? The TV Edition it was the most fun I'd had playing a game in a long time, well except maybe when I was playing video poker last week and won $1000. It is a dvd game, where you watch a clip from the dvd and then answer questions. It makes a great team game. We had a blast trying to be the first one to shout out the all play questions, you can sample some questions here. I'd like to try the Movie or the Music Edition as well.

Happy New Year

2006-01-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

Watched a news show about the Vermont Country Store, they claim they are the purveyors of hard to find, unique and practical items. I do like the Tired Old Ass Soak. Oh look it comes with practical advice, hahah.

Tired Old Ass Soak perks you up again in a way that is no joke. If you're too pressed for time to take a bath, take a footbath-or quit your job. Life is too short to be worn out.

They also have Aging Hippie Bath Oil. I love it. Where was this place when I was Christmas shopping. Wouldn't it be cool to give your boss some Tired Old Ass Soak.

I had the best cocktail I ever had in my life at Aria the other night. It was an egg nog white russian. It was awesome. It was eggnog, Kaluha and Vodka, yum. They also had a gingerbread and a pumpkin cocktail but I didn't try those, I need to find them earlier next year. I am going to miss egg nog. Why can't everyday be Christmas? I'm going to find some other fun cocktails like these to fill the void. Maybe a trip to the Kit Kat Lounge is in order. They have awesome martinis there.

Back to the drawing board

2005-11-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay already, I hear ya loud and clear, I'm posting in my blog. I've been working tons of overtime and I haven't had time, so I'm taking time out of my favorite weekend time wasters, playing Pogo to get it together and make my first post in 2 months.

I was watching a Martha holiday DVD the other day and I saw this ribbon candy from Hammond's Candies. I thought they would make a nice addition to the outside of my nieces Christmas gifts. Very festive.

Dan, a guy I work with, had the absolutely best holiday idea I've ever heard, and it cracked me up too. He and his friends have a Christmas Vacation party where everyone comes dressed up as one of the characters in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Think of the possibilities:
Clark with a squirrel on his back
Clark with a hole in his sledding saucer
Clark dressed as a woman in the attic
The old guy with the toupee on fire
The old lady with all the makeup who can't hear anything
Julia Louis Dreyfus after the squirrel and the dog jump on her
Clark with a chain saw

Not to mention that I need to get some of these moose mugs, but 90 Canadian dollars, there has to be a cheaper one somewhere.

A little National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation trivia.

I'm feeling a little spiritual

2005-10-31T05:45:00.000-08:00

I love all things haunted. Here is MSNBC's list of 7 haunted places you can visit. This is a cool list. I've always wanted to go to Colorado, now I know where to stay when I go, the Stanley Hotel, which served as the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining. And also, check out the Queen Mary ghost cam. Another place I've wanted to go is Savannah, Georgia often referred to America's most haunted, awesome.

This is cool, a map of haunted houses. In Illinois, one of the places listed is the Country House Restaurant. I've got to get a group of people to get together to go to dinner there. Haunted, and they have good food too. Gets really busy too.

A ghost magazine, both online and in print, I'm subscribing of course.

Tonight, I'm going on a tour of haunted Naperville.

A few things to keep in mind when in India.

Getting in the Spirit

2005-10-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

Went on a little walk this morning to check out a few things to get in the spirit.
Chicago showing their team spirit with the lions at the Art Institute and the Picasso in Daley Plaza both sporting White Sox hats.

We also seem to be getting in the Halloween spirit. Also in Daley Plaza, the decorated pumpkins are displayed.

and the water in the fountain is orange. Way cool.

Stopped off at Borders on the way home to try and get some Pumpkin Spice coffee beans. Wouldn't you know it they are already sold out. Maybe I'll try Gloria Jeans, they have pumpkin coffee too. oooh, and they have free shipping until Oct 26th.

Do you remember the first time you saw a sumo wrestler? It's just gross, it's burned in my memory forever.
One of those goofy corpse flowers is blooming again in Germany, just in time for Halloween. More corpse news.

Boo from Ben and Jerry.

Anoka, Minnesota is the Halloween Capital of the World, too bad Southwest doesn't fly there.

Falls, Falls and more Falls.

2005-10-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Niagara Falls. This was my first visit. I've always heard that Canadian Falls are better than the American Falls. It never occurred to me that you could look to the right and see the Canadian Falls.

And then look to the left from the same spot your standing in and see the American Falls.
My question is...Knowing how we are, why did we let them keep the prettier and bigger falls?

You can take a ride on the Maid of the Mist, shown here below. That will give you a close up view as they go right up to the falls, as seen in the top picture.

Canada was very pretty. We took a drive to Niagara on the Lake and the views on the way there were beautiful.

Niagara on the Lake was a very cool town if you love the boutique type stores and variety of restaurants. Being a fan of scouting out all things haunted, I was lucky to be with my friend Patti who searches out angels, we ended up eating at the Angel Inn where the ghost of Captain Swayze is the local haunt. I really need to go back to visit because I didn't get to fully enjoy all Niagara had to offer. I wasn't feeling well which was apparent when I threw up outstide the window of the restaurant in front of everyone eating lunch, creating my own personal falls, yuck. This time it was me who wasn't the greatest traveling companion. Another thing this area has to offer that I didn't get a chance to enjoy is the wineries. There was also a beautiful hotel right in the middle of the main shopping area called The Prince of Wales Hotel and Spa. I saw it listed on a sight in the $250+ section.

If that wasn't enough, back by the falls, the Fallsview Casino. Sounds like the perfect vacation destination for me. It was kind of wierd to put monopoly money into the slot machines.

Of course one of the first things that I did when I got home was look for information on the daredevils that have gone over the falls. What a bunch of nut balls.

And now-- more on Martha Stewart. She made these really cool glitter pumpkins and gravestones on her daily show, but I can't seem to get my computer to cooperate with me and take me to her website to see if there are pics and directions on her site. No marthastewart.com for me, boo.

Up Up and Away

2005-10-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Albuquerque for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. It was a wonderful site to see. Balloons ascending into the atmosphere in every direction. 700 different designs some of them special shapes. The great thing about this festival is that you can walk right up to where the action is and stand next to the balloons. I want to say there is only one downside and that is that you cannot take beer out of the beer garden.

There may be one other thing that some people may not like. The fest starts at 5:45 in the morning. We woke up at 4:30 in order to get to the festival in time for the dawn patrol show. At the dawn patrol show 11 balloons went up in the dark to test the winds and they all turned on the propane to light up at the same time. Right after that the balloons start to inflate and then around 7am they take to the air a couple at a time.

It is possible to take a hot air balloon ride, if you have an extra $245 that you're not doing anything with. These ladies below are taking a ride. I actually have a plan. I thought it was very expensive but I would like to try it, however, I'm afraid of heights. There is a local balloon fest around the 4th of July where for around $20 you can go up in a balloon that is tethered to the ground. That way I can see if I'm scared out of my wits before I take the plunge. Maybe next year.

There were just gobs of balloons.

I really liked the different shaped balloons. They had these bees, a soccer ball and football, a cow, an owl, a car, and a stagecoach just to name a few.

Right after the balloons had gone up they had a parade of old cars.

This was my favorite pic I took. A good ending to the fest. See ya next time bees.

They sell patches and pins commemorating the festival each year. Especially made for Balloon Fest aficionados like this couple.

There were so many other things to do in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The shopping is completely nuts. Your feet and your pocketbook will die long before you run out of shops in both Old Town Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Not only is there shopping in Santa Fe but there is also many historical buildings such as the oldest home in America, the Loretto Chapel (home of the miraculous staircase) and the oldest church (there is music on that site).

The first night we were there we took the tram ride up to the top of the Sandia Peak Mountains and had dinner at High Finance Restaurant. The tram ride is 2 miles long, takes you from 6000 ft. to 10,000 feet and takes 15 min to get to the top. At the top of the mountain there were 25mph winds and the temp was only 38 degrees. As my friend Kristine would say, it's freezy.

After all that walking around you think that would be it, but no there's more. A section of Rt. 66 runs right through Albuquerque. That section is know as Nob Hill. They have a ton of old motels, trendy restaurants, and shops.

But wait there is more. I didn't know this but there are a bunch of wineries in New Mexico. We went to two of them. One of them, Casa Rondena was really nice. They had a great area in the back where you can sit and enjoy an glass of wine. This was a really great trip, I cannot wait to go back because there was so much more that we didn't even get to see.

What is all the hype about?

2005-09-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Went to see CATS last night. I know, I'm a little behind the times, it is the 25th anniversary show but I never got around to seeing it before. I really didn't know too much about the show. A friend of mine Sue who is a Broadway fanatic tried to tell me that I wouldn't like it. I'm really not too impressed with the the Tony pics and Broadway reviewers. This show won gobs of awards and was the longest running show on Broadway. But why?

Then a show that I really liked, Lennon the Musical is slated to close next week due to poor reviews. I got a recommendation for Billy Crystal in 700 Sundays, also a Tony winner, which I bought tickets for. I wonder....

Just got back from a wonderful afternoon at the Art Institute. They have a fabulous Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit.

They had some other artists that were part of the exhibit from the same area, loved this lithograph by Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen, thinking about getting a copy for my living room.

They also had several pieces from Van Gogh and Degas that were part of the exhibit. (Kristin you would really like this exhibit). We did the audio tour which I'm glad I did because it explained all about Lautrec's life, Montmartre, the area in Paris with the famous night club the Moulin Rouge and the famous dancers that are depicted in so many of Lautrec's paintings and posters.

My souvenirs included the book from the exhibit, someday I will need my own library, a CD featuring music from the Moulin Rouge and copy of the 1952 movie Moulin Rouge starring Zsa Zsa Gabor.

We finished up a great afternoon dining outside in the Garden Restaurant . The setting is so nice, the weather was perfect and the food was great.

M-M-M-Martha!

2005-09-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've always been a Martha Stewart fan. Today was the premier of her new daily show Martha on TLC. So far so good. In this show she comes off as more down to earth and likeable, but I liked her before. She poked fun about her recent prison stay and also about being "Martha." I'm glad that she is back on the air, now I get to see her everyday. It's a good thing.

Today she taught Marcia Cross how to fold a t-shirt like this except it was alot easier to understand because it wasn't in Japanese. I think you would still get lost somewhere along step 4 though no matter if it's told in English or not. Martha and the Desperate Housewives star also made scrambled eggs, not just ordinary scrambled eggs, but scrambled eggs served in an egg. She used some special tool to chop the end of the egg off, which of course no normal person owns. Then she stopped in and surprised an Italian family to see what they were cooking for dinner. Martha offered to weed her garden, hhahah. I better clean my house, just in case she decides to stop by my place.

Tomorrow is poncho day (pattern included just in case you are feeling a little like Martha today) and the guest is David Spade. That should be interesting.

a weeks worth of carbs

2005-09-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

While I was in New York I really wanted to stop at Serendipity 3 and have Frozen Hot Chocolate. I of course had a couple problems, one being that I was sick while I was there. I didn't get to go there. Karen, who I went with went on Monday and was kind enough to pick up a packet of mix to make the Frozen Hot Chocolate. Being obsessed with the carb count in everything, the first thing I did was turn over the packet and look at the nutrition information. HOLY SMOKE...I didn't think you could put that many carbs in anything. One serving 119 carbs. Yikes. Laura, let me know how the Frozen Hot Chocolate is.

This totally cracks me up.

Spain has an annual what? tomato fight? Yep, it's true check it out. It's called Tomatina.

As a Big Brother 6 fan, can I just say yeah to Janelle and I hate Ivette and April. I hope Janelle wins. I wish I could be at Ivette and her girlfriend's house when Ivette finds out that her girlfriend likes Janelle. She is likeable, I think everyone likes her except Maggie, April and Ivette.

Saw a new show today called The War At Home, it was pretty funny, check it out.

Good to be back

2005-09-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad to be back. New York was amazing even though I got so sick that I had to stay an extra day just to lay around the hotel room. One of my favorite things in New York is Central Park. We have nice parks in Chicago but nothing like this park. It's huge!

On our first day we had dinner at Tavern on the Green which just happens to be inside the park. We ate in the outdoor section which was very cool with all the lanterns hanging overhead.

I didn't really think that New York would wow me all that much, I thought it would be cool, I mean I live in the heart of downtown Chicago for God's sake. I have to say after visiting New York, especially Times Square, Chicago feels like a small town to me. Times Square is a complete assault on the senses. I've never seen more neon, more signs, more people and more activity in my life, and I spend alot of time in Las Vegas. There is nothing like Times Square, the pictures you've seen don't do it justice.

We took in a Broadway show, Lennon the Musical. It was wonderful, a very well done tribute to a musical genius.

One of the coolest things I did in New York was go to the top of the Empire State Building. The view was fabulous. I did the audio tour which was well worth the $6.

There was so much more I wanted to do in New York, but I was getting a bad case of the flu and my traveling partner didn't think that the day started until the clock said pm. I didn't get to go to Serendipity, and I'm bitter about it, but I'll get over it. I would not have gotten over it if I didn't get to visit Strawberry Fields, a section of Central Park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. This is a mosaic piece in the walkway just inside the park at 72nd St, across from where John Lennon lived and died.

What I learned in New York:
1) Not everyone is a good traveling companion.
2) If there is a guy in Times Square trying to push a comedy club it's because they can't get people to come to their comedy club.
3) Not everyone is a good traveling companion, but I'm not bitter.

Side notes.
This is interesting. This tells me that not everyone is a fan, it also tells me that the next season will be in Key West. Sooner or later I'm going to have to get up enough nerve to play in a tournament. Woohoo Jennifer.

Back for a minute

2005-08-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Vegas on Sunday, I was home one day and then I was off to Winston Salem, North Carolina. Although a business trip, it was a fun one, my boss and I took in The 40 Year Old Virgin. It was pretty funny, better than I expected it to be, even Roger Ebert liked it. I'm home today and tomorrow I'm off to New York City. That's alot of flying for someone who doesn't like it.

Vegas was very fun as ususal, but my room at the Wynn was anything but usual. Just to set the mood, here it the view looking into the Ferrari Store at Wynn.

Without even asking for anything special I ended up scoring a corner room on the 25th floor with a strip view. Being a corner room there was 2 walls with floor to ceiling windows.

The bathroom was pretty cool, soaker tub with a great view of the TV. Lemongrass scented lotion, shampoo and shower gel along with extras like robes, slippers, bathroom scale, very nice.

The view from the room was fabulous both day and night.

The pool was beautiful too, they had cabanas all along the sides for rent on a weekday for $250 per day. That was a little out of my league.

They had a European Style Pool there, that means topless sunbathing is allowed, but do you really think the models are hanging out there?

Of course the best thing about this room is that it was free.
See ya after New York.

2005-08-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well its vacation time again. I'm off for a week of fun in Sin City! A full week comped, two days at a time...I'll be moving around alot!

Last weekend, I went to see my denitst play at the Beer Garden at Navy Pier. He plays guitar for the Pie.

It was such a beautiful day out. The margaritas where not very good there but it was still a fun time and the music was good. After the band we decided to go on the ferris wheel. This is just about my speed, it goes around once real slow and then they kick you off.

The view is fantastic from up there. Last year I went up there with my friend Patti from Ontario during the air show just as the Blue Angels were going by. They buzzed our car it was great.

Couple of my friends were a little more daring, have I mentioned that I'm a big chicken? Laura and Linda went on this ride, doesn't it look fun? NOT!

See ya all in a week or so with pics inside the Wynn hotel rooms!

But first, just a few odd items.
When this guy gets lost he really gets lost. It's good to have goals in life but maybe aim a little higher. Why would anyone besides a vampire do this? Uh, there must be 50 ways to leave your lover, is this one of them? That is what they all say.

I feel like Bob Uecker

2005-08-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Venetian Night in Chicago. Venetian night is modeled after an aquatic festival in Venice, maybe this one, I'm not sure, because it's really more like this. We stopped off at the bar downstairs to have a pre-show cocktail and to see Kristen, my favorite bartender in the world. The place was dead, we had our own personal bartender, only it wasn't Kristen, it was Lisa, she was nice too. They invited us to come enjoy the fireworks from a special section outside the restaurant, which was a nice offer, but I wanted to be part of the action. They said there was supposed to be half a million people on Chicago's lake front. I don't doubt that one bit. See there is wall to wall people. It was very exciting, and not aggravating because I got to walk there instead of being stuck in traffic like my friend Tall Karen. She waited till about 7pm to come down and parked too far away and sadly, never met up with us.

So this is finally where we parked ourselves. I thought it was a good spot, I can see the water where the boat parade will be. We had some preshow entertainment, the kids in front of us were showing me a lady bug they found.

But when the show started, everyone stood up and basically this is what you saw, the top of boat going by, inbetween a bunch of heads.

It was really a beautiful night, the weather was good and we stopped at the store before hand and picked up some little bottles of wine and we ended up having the best view of the fireworks.

Next year, I will get there early to get a front row seat.

It's a doll house

2005-07-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

Visited the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute, is it art , or merely a trip back to the time when you had a really cool doll house that you let your pet toad hop around in. Chicago isn't the only city to have scored some minature rooms. There are some in Phoenix, some in Knoxville, one in Indianapolis and one in Loss Angeles. Here is what they are all about.

We will finally know whether or not Bigfoot really exists or not. Just what we need, who is it that keeps building the tallest building in Chicago. I hope there's a cocktail lounge involved.

Yabba Dabba Do!

2005-07-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Went to go see Abba: The Music at Ravinia last night. It was good but what isn't sitting under a clear sky after a bottle of wine and snacks everywhere to be seen. They sounded great, very much like Abba which I guess is a good trait for an Abba tribute band to have. We had some pre-show entertainment.

The show was sold out so it was pretty crowded, luckily my boss had a friend that went early and saved a huge space. We had lawn seats and I never made it up to walk past the stage to see what the band looked like.

I wonder what the members of Abba are doing now? I don't even know who the members are. Geez, I finally figured out where the bands name came from. Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid. Huh, and they had to get permission form the swedish fish company. You know when you add marrige to the mix, its bound to get sticky. I didn't realize that Björn and Benny produced Mamma Mia. Tons of other Abba junk.
And now for something completely different, I just knew it there is no reason to buy a gazillion threadcount sheet because threadcounts above 380 are a farce.

Biography

2005-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize that I'm easily mezmerized. I snagged these off Growabrain and I couldn't turn them off.

Girl falling, and One, long incredibly broken sentence.

On this day in history, back in 1934, John Dillinger was shot to death in front of the Biograph Theater when Anna Sage, "the woman in red" betrayed him. According to the guides of various Haunted Chicago tours I've been on, the ghost of Dillinger still haunts the alley behind the Biograph. Darn, I'm going to have to miss this one, I'm off to Ravinia tonight. I'm getting my picnic basket (actually its a cooler) and our wine bottles ready and we are heading out for a night of Abba music and cocktails.

I'm looking for things to do for Halloween, this is a definate maybe. The Black Ball, a party held where Resurrection Mary danced her last dance. This is funny, "guests are invited to dress as their favorite dead Chicagoan." Or maybe this one.

Up in the air

2005-07-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Lisle Balloon Fest a couple weekends ago and a Ding sale at Southwest, my friend Amy and I are off to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta at the end of September. It sounds like a very cool fest. They are having a wine tasting and a car show. I also made reservations at the restaurant at the top of the Sandia Peak mountains that you take a tram to get to.

Wow, that's fast, add that to the list of things I'm afraid to do. All kinds of Space Shuttle info. I don't know much about space travel but I do remember looking forward to Christa Mcauliffe's flight into space. She was supposed to hold class from space and I thought that would be cool.

Don't want to promote being high, the thought of that flavor doesn't even sound appetizing.
Reader's Digest says you shouldn't buy these things used, no matter how cheap you are.
12 signs he's cheating on you. He may get the death penalty and I hope he does, no not him, him.

I'm having an acid flashback

2005-07-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

Someone told me about the blog of Joseph Edward Duncan III, the man accused of murdering 3 and kidnapping 2 children, one of which was recently rescued while dining with him at Denny's. I've always wondered what is going on the mind of such a person. The word is definatley out about this guys blog as he has over 1000 justly deserved comments.

Get your hands free devices ready, as of today, you cannot hold that cell phone while talking in Chicago.

Big Brother 6 is finally in full swing. They have a great twist this season. Everyone in the house has a friend in the house and each pair thinks they are the only ones with a friend in the house, should make for an interesting season. I can't tell much yet, only that I don't want Howie to win. There is a Big Brother Blog written by former house guests, most of them from last season.

There is another show that I watched the other day and I happened to notice that it is on 100 times this week on MTV. It's called the MTV 70's house. It is a total crackup. They took a bunch of kids and put them in what looks like the Brady Bunch house. They have to talk and dress and live like it was the 70's in order to win the prize. The facial expressions of the people when they see what they are in for is reason enough to watch. They have a phone with a dial, everyone once in a while when the intercom plays the Hustle they have to get up and dance. Wierd thing is I remember the 70's like it was yesterday. Not a single luxury....like Robinson Crusoe its primitive as can be.

I'd forgotten how much fun it is to blow stuff up

2005-07-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July weekend was a great one. There is so much going on in town. I got to the Taste of Chicago 3 times. The last time I took my nieces, Niki and Noel and we rode on the Ferris Wheel where I got this shot of the crowd.

We went to the Lisle Eyes to the Skies fest, where the weather finally cooperated enough for lift off.

I was very excited to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Lisle fest.
But the best thing about this weekend is when my brother came over with firecrackers and we were blowing a can up in the air from a bucket of water with the firecrackers, just like we did when we were kids. That was great fun until the can flew onto the roof of the house and rolled into the gutter. Then we moved onto apples. I never thought a firecracker could blow up an apple. When we ran out of those we tried marshmallows. It's been a long time since I got to be the annoying neighbor.

I heart Bush?

2005-07-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of work that gets done on a holiday weekend. This is across the street from my apartment, I kind of think of this as my own personal message. If I had a bunch of post it notes and I didn't want to work on a day that everyone else was off on, would I choose to say to the world, I heart Bush? Not likely.

Another Real World run in with the law is in our future.

It appears that Jaws may be making a comeback. People, please go find a nice clean swimming pool somewhere.

The tall ships return to Chicago August 3-9th, don't get all excited, it's not till 2006!

Welcome to the Holiday Weekend!

2005-07-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

Went to see the Lion King the other day, it was absolutely fabulous! I loved, loved, loved it. It was pretty funny too, there was this little girl sitting near me and she was the cutest thing. When Simba tried to roar loud she roared back. When Simba's dad died she was crying. It was not your typical audience. Elton John and Tim Rice have done it again.

Also went to see A Doll House, which was also good. It was based on the Henrik Ibsen story, but very much adapted to play in Chicago as it takes place at Christmastime 2004 in Lincoln Park.

Happy Canada Day!

How did they sneak this in without me knowing? Today is a sad day in history, back in 1943 they started withholding income tax from our pay.

Damn it!

Yeah! I have pictures back again

2005-06-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Couldn't get pictures loaded on my blog in what seems like ages, but I'm back in business baby!
Stopped off at the Shedd Aquarium last week. They have a relatively new exhibit at the Shedd called the Wild Reef.

Below is an eel, looks slimy. I think my friend Joann would like to make a blouse out of his skin, she's partial to animal prints.

They also have and exhibit called CRABS! Mmmm, wish I had some butter.

This is my favorite part of the aquarium, the Beluga whales.

One of my very favorite things when I was smaller was catching frogs and toads. How can something so cute be poisonous?

A nice walk home from the museum along the Chicago lakefront.

Went to see Bewitched over the weekend. I have to say I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. Thumbs up! I love that sound that her nose makes. I wish they would replay that series. Here is some Bewitched trivia for you. Oooh! The complete first season is available on dvd starting June 21st! I ordered it.

On the way home from dinner after the movie, we had a celebrity sighting. I noticed there was this rather motley looking group of people walking towards my friend Amy and me. I didn't really focus on any one of them, it just looked like Lynryd Skynrd was walking towards me and they looked kind of out of place on Rush Street. Just after we passed them my friend Amy said "Do you know who that was?", I said, "No, who was it." She said it was Kate Hudson and her husband Chris Robinson from the Black Crowes with who I assume was the rest of his band, although that site said "former lead singer." I gave Amy hell, I told her the next time a star is walking towards us tell me when I can still see the front of her head. There was a blurb in the Redeye this morning, turns out they dined at Gibson's last night.

The Walmart heir died in a plane crash. Ok, I'm officially back on Xanax. And if I hit it big in Vegas, I'm not flying anywhere I'm moving into the hotel room I happen to be in at the time. Aha! Speaking of Vegas, did I ever score! I got an offer for 2 free nights at Wynn Las Vegas plus $100 in free slot play only problem was that it was that the offer is only good from June 26-June 30th. Found out on a message board that the offer was extended to September 1st. Wow! I'm booked at the most expensive hotel in Vegas for free, it doesn't get better than that.

Let the tasting begin

2005-06-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

So if a 4 hour cut in the work week creates 350,000 new jobs...why not create 700,000 new jobs instead. Go French.

Tuesday the new season of The Real World started. It just cracks me up what happens when you give 21 year olds alcohol.

My friend Laura and I took a half day off of work and went to the Taste of Chicago today, it was steaming hot. I had some tasty dishes, started with shrimp and vegetable tempura from Guey Lon, a very small portion of lobster cocktail from the Steakhouse Saloon, chicken satay and peanut sauce from Tiparos Thai Cuisine, and some Italian Ice from Mazzone's. The tempura nd the chicken satay were excellent and the portion size was very nice for the price! I did not check out L.L. Cool J, but I swear he hasn't done anything since his hit I Need Love back in the late 80's. Tomorrow I will go see Leann Rimes and Clint Black on Sunday and more food.

Are you an online knucklehead?

2005-06-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Here you go then, Netiquette 101! As it turns out I kind of am an online knucklehead. Oh well, another thing to work on.

Quite possibly, the single most important article I've ever read, who'd a guessed, turbulence is no big deal. Throw that xanax out the window.

These are kinda cool, one more way for the casino to make money.

If you miss Bo Bice he is going to perform on the view on Wednesday. I'm having Bo withdrawals.

There is some cool stuff coming up in Chicago, I sure wish Patti lived here, she likes to do everything I do, and she generally will come along even if she doesn't...

Luau by the Lake - $5 Mai tais at Trader Vics on July 7th
Naperville's Ribfest
Leann Rimes, Clint Black, fireworks, Los Lonely Boys at the Taste of Chicago, not to mention the food

Be careful out there!

2005-06-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

You know, people may not always be what they seem. Tips for avoiding internet fraud.

Do you remember what you were doing today back in 1994? More than likely at some point it revolved around this.

This could come in handy someday - how to pass a polygraph test - or you could tell the truth.

Ok...this is funny. A little dumpster diving? Make sure to check out the potential hazards section first.

Ewwwww. That is disgusting.

The saddest thing ever

2005-06-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

My old neighbor sent me this picture. It's of a clematis that I planted when I lived there. I really miss my flowers. It's so pretty. I wish I could have my house back.

Elton extending his stay until 2008 in Vegas is great news. I would love to see that show again, it's very good.

Big Brother 6 starts July 7th. A bunch of shows I want to watch (Real World, Six Feet Under)are starting up, they should start up in the winter when I want to stay in instead of the middle of summer. Tivo rules.

According to this, Einstein's ophthalmologist had removed the scientist's eyeballs and put them in a safe-deposit box and apparently his brain, Galileo's finger, Haydn's head and Napoleon's penis were also preserved. huh. I know that is not really the main topic of the article but its not like I'm taking an SAT test or anything.

Happy Birth Day Madeline

2005-06-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Announcing the cutest baby girl in the world, Madeline Rose - Congrats Kristine and Doug! Only 20 years, 360 days before her first trip to Vegas! I'm sure we will have lots of fun with Madeline. I'm not sure but I think I heard Doug trying to teach Madeline to say, "Auntie Paula will you wipe me?"

I didn't get to see Madeline on the day she was born because I was visiting the Museum of Science and Industry. The building in 1983 was known as the Palace of Fine Arts was built for the 1893 World's fair in Chicago. It is the only building remaining from the White City. I know it looks a little more like Oz here but I'm sure that has more to do with my camera and the fact that we were zooming by in my friend Amy's new Saab convertible. I wonder if she offered to drive because she was embarrassed by my 1995 Probe.

We went there to see a traveling exhibit called Body Worlds. They didn't let you take pictures inside the exhibit. Check out the website though and see what its all about, it was pretty cool.

There is a permanent exhibit at the museum, it's a little hard to find, it's in the blue stairwell. Its been there since 1946 and it's pretty cool too. It consists of about two dozen 1/2 inch slices of human bodies encased in formaldehyde. Here is a pic below, you can see his brain and spine and other organs, next to each slice there is a diagram so you can tell what you're looking at.

Another exhibit we saw was the U-505, a German sub captured during WWII off the coast of Africa. It has been there for a while but the recently built an indoor hall to move the sub into. The exhibit is huge.

Where Rock Meets Bach

2005-06-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a Classic Encounter evening. This is a great way to enjoy going to the symphony. They serve appetizers and wine before the show and Terri Hemmert, a DJ from WXRT here in Chicago, gives an informal talk on the background of and relationship between the concert being performed and more popular forms of music. Tonight we heard Brahms 4th symphony and 2 pieces from Benjamin Britten, who I never heard of before tonight.

On the way home from the concert, I walked through Millennium Park. It was still warm out and there were a ton of kids running through the fountain. They also have a very interesting exhibit in the park called Revealing Chicago, and ariel view of various sights in around Chicago and the suburbs. Click on the spots on the map to see the photo.

All that combined with seeing my friend Chris, which was long overdue made for a wonderful evening.

A friend of mine, Kathy, is trying to raise money to battle depression on a walk through the night called Out of the Darkness Overnight sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I wish her the best!

Now he's gonna cry, well at least he has sympathy for himself. If he only gets 6 years for killing his wife and unborn child than that is a crime too.

Look at this cutie monkey. check out the rest of the zoo pics from around the world too, about the first 20 pics are zoo pics.

I wish I had $2.9m to drop on the man in black's house.

Parked outside my apt...

2005-06-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

this morning...puts a smile on your face doesn't it.

This wipes it right off. I wouldn't let him in even if he didn't have that stuff he looks like a psycho and he also looks like he's made of clay.

This isn't exactly making me feel warm and fuzzy either. I'm going to need chocolate soon if people don't start acting normal.

Went to go see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants the other day. It was pretty good, definately a teen movie but entertaining. The scenes shown in Greece were beautiful.

The Real World

2005-06-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Take a tour of the real world Austin house. The always have the coolest digs. A hidden camera in one of the pool jets, could be interesting. The casting special is today on MTV at 10:30 EDT, the season premier is June 21 10pm EDT. I might be 90 and still watching that show.

Secret Tivo tips and tweaks. I didn't get any video, they just rolled the credits. Rocheeee, you try it.

I'm going to read along with Oprah this summer. They have online lectures about the books by various professors, message boards, and discussion questions. It will be like school. My friend Amy is going to join me. Okay sorry, gotta go read my book, I have to get to page 85 by Monday.

some people

2005-06-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

It was nice to take the dog out for a walk in the park. Here is a view of downtown from Grant Park.

This is what Irving does when he realizes that I've turned around and I'm heading back home. He plops his butt down in the grass and refuses to get up. Dogs!

So I was wondering if I was going to be included in the ipod settlement. I couldn't remember when I got mine, sure enough in the mail Friday, forms from Apple.

There obviously is no limit to the amount of odd people in the world.
There are some people that feel the need to stick their nose into other people's business. I'm sure he has experience with post partum depression, right?
Some people might feel embarrassed when they finally get their 5 minutes of fame.

One of my favorite places, other than Vegas, is Disneyworld. The mouse epands the small world . I wonder how the other Disney properties are doing. I thought not so good.

This is Kelly Osbourne? I was surprised the first time she went into rehab, but I'm easily fooled.

Habari za Jioni

2005-06-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

My old roommate had to go out of town and he's having me babysit while he's gone...Let me introduce Irving.

I can tell you that someone is not very happy to see him, and that someone is Haley.

There is nothing like a dog to jump start your morning. I won't be coming home to start my blog for the next 4 days, I'll be running around scooping up poop with a grocery store bag. Oh, life is good.

I am absolutely positive that I saw some of these on the side of I-94 the other day and this is beyond disgusting.

Yesterday I snagged a pic from Adam at Bladam. That pic really cracks me up and there is a pretty interesting story about parking in Europe on his blog.

I'm officially trying to learn Kiswahili, my friend Hudson from Tanzania is helping me. Today I learned and I'm going to try my best to remember it...
Good Morning - Habari za Asubuhi
Good Afternoon - Habari za Mchana
Good Evening - Habari za Jioni

I've tried to learn another language before and I wasn't all that successful in the past. All it takes is a little effort, right?

Because it's all about me

2005-06-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

This is a damn shame. That would be my luck too.

Not that this would ever happen to me....

Top Ten Signs Your Boss Is Spying On You by David Letterman
10. Wherever you go you're followed by a potted plant in loafers.
9. The bracelet he gave you for Christmas beeps if you leave your cubicle.
8. Office coffee has hint of hazelnut and sodium pentothal.
7. Your name:"Sam." Next to your parking spot: "Reserved for the guy following Sam"
6. Find yourself getting tasered more than with previous bosses.
5. Your new secretary looks a lot like that chick from "Alias"
4. Instead of photos of wife and kids on his desk, he has a photo of you sleeping.
3. When you're alone in the men's room, a voice tells you to quit blocking the lens.
2. Boss critical of typos in your personal e-mails.
1. The fax machine just coughed.

The world is filled with people who could have found a better way. I don't get it.
This is my kind of school.
Can't we all just get along?
Johnny Depp is going to shoot what is left of Hunter S. Thompson from a cannon. What a way to go - I don't need to be shot but can some one scatter my ashes up and down Las Vegas Blvd? Maybe a little in downtown Vegas too, I don't want to miss anything.

In Chicago the FBI exhumed the body of Emmitt Till, who was murdered in 1955. They are looking for clues to solve the 14 year old's murder 50 years after the fact. I'm sure they were just to busy to get around to doing it before the burial.

Some new finds

2005-05-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm trying something new - Podcasts. Basically, its like a radio show or audio blog that you can download and play on your PC or mp3 player and they have a blog for show notes. It's pretty easy to figure out. You download a program called ipodder, install it, then you search for and subscribe to podcasts, pick an audio file to download and voila, you're in business! There are a couple sites I found to look for podcasts - Podcast Alley and Podcast.net. There are tons of podcasts out there. I found an entertaining podcast called The Whip Report, which is like a short radio show, complete with great sound effects. I also found a great music podcast called The Nashville Nobody Knows that spotlights independent musicians. There is a podcast covering various Las Vegas topics called Five Hundy by Midnight. He posts on the same message board I do. Been having some fun exploring.

Saw this on Oprah, body lotion called Touch Me Then Try To Leave. What a great name for a product! Why can't I come up with stuff like that.

My friend Amy told me about a great newsletter called The Juice for wine tastings sent by Local Wine Events. It's not just for Chicago they have listings from all over. It has the Australian tasting that we are going to go to next week as one of it's listings. I signed up for Chicago and Las Vegas.

My friends Kristine and Doug and found a great restaurant that we went to this weekend out in Lincolnwood called L. Woods. It was like a trip to northern Wisconsin. They have a really good Spinach salad there and their creamed spinach was great too.

I know its seems like I was a little heavy on the spinach that day but I also had a steak. They have Sprecher Beer and Soda on tap.

Sprecherfest 2005 is coming up July 22-23, I went to that a couple years ago, they make a great dark lager there, too bad I'm already going to Ravinia to see Abba: the music that weekend. Ravinia is very cool, you pack a picnic and some wine, grab some lawn seats and enjoy. Some people really do it up and bring practically their whole living room, candelabra and all.

I didn't find this but I wish that I did.
I'm pretty sure this guy could have found a better way!

I feel like throwing the carbs out the window today

2005-05-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Today Oprah had some famous people's pics for specialty foods in America. The item above sounded so delicious to me! It's in New York at Serendipity 3 (check out the lower right hand corner of this site in the gossip section to see who's been there to eat) and its called Frozen Hot Chocolate! It's got 14 different kinds of chocolate in it. I think this is where they went in the movie Serendipity, yep it was. At this site you can also buy Serendipity 3 chocolatress shampoo and conditioner. I want to plan a trip to NYC around a visit to have a dessert! I can think of few chocolate loving friends that are getting gifts.

Some other things that sounded interesting, a couple are even available in Chicago. Chris Rock liked the shrimp and bacon sandwich at the Cheesecake Factory. The best chocolate chip cookies are supposed to be at Neiman Marcus. I wonder if they would just give me the bowl instead, that is my favorite part. Chocolate Champagne Truffles - hmmmmm...from Teuscher Chocolate of Switzerland available here at 900 N. Michigan. It's their signature truffle and it has a Dom Perignon cream center! No wonder you have to save up to buy them. I honestly did not know that was right down the street. I am not a big fan of champagne but its growing on me. They recommended the La Grande Dame Rosé Champagne by Veuve Clicquot. They have a nice site too.

The best ribs were at Hickory House Ribs in Colorado. They said they won an award at Naperville's Rib Fest, an annual event in the Chicago suburbs that I look forward to ever year around the 4th of July. They have a bunch of vendors from all over the world making the most wonderful ribs. They also have concerts there every day. I wonder if they will be at Ribfest this year? I emailed to ask them.

Nick and Jessica like Roscoe's House of Chicken n Waffles in Los Angeles. The name cracks me up and look they actually serve chicken and waffles at the same time.

The Olsen twins like the hard shell tacos at Henry's Tacos in North Hollywood.

Here is a slide show from Oprah.

Segway

2005-05-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

I'm hearing the same things over and over again. Eat a high fiber diet, eggs and berries, supplement with omega 3 fatty acids and avoid junk foods. 11 steps to a better brain. I saw this book on Oprah, You: The Owner's Manual. As I recall he said the same things.

Chicago's Arnold Morton from Morton Steakhouse fame passed away at age 83. He helped launch the Taste of Chicago, one of my favorite summer fests. I recently ate at Morton's for lunch it was the most expensive lunch I ever ate in my life.

We all make bad choices sometimes but these parents have totally lost it.

The Breakfast Club members will reunite at the MTV movie awards to air on June 9th. Maybe they are taking the time that Nine Inch Nails was supposed to take. I must have seen that movie a million times. Here's some Breakfast Club trivia.

Wouldn't you like to send a flower that smells like dirty gym socks or rotting meat to someone? Here is a site with some pics of the corpse flower. Who could I send that to? What a perfect way to say Love Stinks.

The number one beach in the US is.... somewhere in Florida.

It looks a little like a hurricane is going to hit, there has to be a better pic than this.

What is a segway? I wouldn't know.... I don't use them.

Monster in Law really a monster to some

2005-05-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

Eddie Albert, star of Green Acres passed away at age 99.

Went to see Monster in Law and it was way better than I expected it to be. It's funny, funny, funny. Wanda Sykes is hilarious. Here are some MIL stories from their site. The MIL survival guide. And talk about hot! This Michael Vartan is the bomb! I'm a bit young to remember the Vietnam War and could care less that Jane Fonda is in the movie, but there are still others to whom the very mention of her name sparks fury.
Star Wars was also better than I expected. This must be the week of low expectations.

Well what do you know, a Royal Blogger.

Creepy

2005-05-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is so creepy, I read about this on Bacon and Eh's: This guy's blog post led the police to his and his sister's murderer.

Trisha and Garth are engaged. I was wondering if they were still together when I saw both of them at the Academy of Country Music anniversary show.

Didn't you think that homeland security was there to protect us from terrorists?

If you're going to go off the deep end in Canada, do it between the hours of 9-5 please.

that's the biggest I've ever seen.

2005-05-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Big hair must be making a come-back. I'm going to get out my Aqua Net hairspray now. I used to go through about a can of that stuff a week.

Now you can attent Trump U. Now that is one big fish to fry. Call me mean but I love it when and old coot gets arrested. She's probably still complaining. Probably not the best idea in the world.

Went to see Wicked last night and I have to say I was a bit dissapointed. It had some funny lines and the singing was good, the storyline was pretty lame.

Rock star: INXS will premier on CBS July 11th. I sure do love INXS. Michael Hutchence was a great singer. Seems like all the good ones are gone.

I've been to this wine tasting in Chicago for the last two years. It is the best wine tasting ever! Both years we managed to sneak unfinished bottles back home with us. It's going to be big purse night.

Oh I wish I had an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile....

2005-05-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

Time published a list of what they believe are the top 100 movies. Here are their guilty pleasures.

On the list, is the movie Bonnie and Clyde which as it happens, on this day back in 1934, was their last day on Earth. The car they were driving that was riddled with bullets, its on display close to Las Vegas! I missed it on this latest trip but maybe on my nest trip. What's this, their car is depicted on the back of the $10 bill? NOT! Bonnie Parker sent poems and photographs about the Barrow Gang to newspapers. This poem was written by Bonnie Parker. You can see Bonnie and Clyde's census records and a some other famous people's as well.

What would you do with the Wienermobile for a day? You could win the use for a day at Oscar Mayer. I'm going to leave that for Vince to figure out, I'm sure he will come up with something. Take a tour of the Wienermobile. Want to be a Hotdogger? It's only a rumor that there are earthworms in hot dogs. That may be a rumor but there is other gross stuff. Maybe you would prefer the Kissmobile? Take the Hershey's Chocolate Blot Personality Quiz. Hershey syrup historical trivia. How about some Hershey Syrup solitaire? And you are wondering how this all wraps up?

Kids were asked what condiment they would use "if their moms weren't
watching," and 25 percent opted for chocolate sauce.

Biggest Wynn Ever

2005-05-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

This was a truly fabulous trip and the biggest reason why....my largest win to date, $6,709. The lucky casino - The Mirage. Home of the Siegfried and Roy white tigers.

Here is the newest casino on the strip, the Wynn Hotel and Casino. It reminds me very much of the inside of the Bellagio. It's a pretty hotel, inside and out. It's also very expensive to stay there and the slots are tight. So basically, its a nice place to visit, but...

This is the pool at the Wynn. This is the view from the Terrace Point Cafe, where we had lunch.

Went to see Barry Manilow, he has a permanent home at the Las Vegas Hilton on the same stage that Elvis performed on. He puts on a great show. After the show we went to the Manilow gift shop. I noticed that Suzanne Somers' book was for sale in his gift shop. I showed it to my friend and a clerk overheard me and told me that Barry and Suzanne are best friends. I'm still singing at the Copa....

Another great show we saw was Le Reve, by the same person who created O and Mystere, two wonderful Cirque shows. The theater was fantastic and the show received a standing ovation.

And now for something completely different. On this date back in 1992, Johnny Carson hosted the last episode of the Tonight Show.

This is sad, Henry Corden, the second voice of Fred Flintstone passed away at 85.

Happy Birthday Sammy!

2005-05-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 9th Birthday Samantha, my cute little neice. Enjoy that Pokemon game and one more thing, stay away from that Godzilla thing.

Gumby turns 50! I just bought a Gumby when I was in Nashville, he's sitting on top of my pc. And let's not forget Pokey. The history of Gumby. Here is where the shape of Gumby's head came from. Gumby's head reminds me of something else.

Well I'm officially on vacation. Off to the promised land tomorrow morning - be back late Saturday night.

Happy 100th Birthday Las Vegas

2005-05-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas was founded as a city on May 15, 1905, when 110 acres of land situated between Stewart Avenue on the north, Garces Avenue to the south, Main Street to the west, and 5th Street (Las Vegas Boulevard) to the east, were auctioned off.

Las Vegas in 1905

In 1906, The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino opened. The oldest hotel in Vegas still in use. Home of the 99 cent Shrimp Cocktail, first served in 1959 and continues to this day to be a hot attraction downtown. I prefer the $2.99 shrimp cocktail because the shrimp are much bigger.

Las Vegas in 1930

On March 19, 1931 gambling was legalized in the State of Nevada. One month later, the city issued six gambling licenses. That same year the Golden Gate Casino changed its name to Sal Sagev (Las Vegas backwards).

It didn't take long before it started to grow by leaps and bounds.

Las Vegas in 1948

Of course, as soon as they started building it, it seemed like they started knocking it down. Here is the implosion of the Landmark Casino. Here is a history of the implosions . I've heard some rumors recently of the Frontier and the Tropicana being possible future implosions.

Paving the way for the new...

Bellagio

Now its looking more like the Vegas I know. More historical photos of Vegas. The history of some of the hotels on the strip are on this site (look towards the bottom of the page).

The newest hotel. Wynn Las Vegas of which I plan to have many photos when I return Saturday night. here is the latest buzz on the new show La Reve at the Wynn, which by the way I have tickets to. I have heard mixed reviews.

OMG! I just want to see one in person! I'm going to try to win a vintage framed photo, I'll also take the $200 winnings!

Your assignment is to go see Crash

2005-05-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Couple of things to remember. On this day, back in 1998, Ol' Blue Eyes passed away at age 82. Frank Sinatra, a wonderful singer and more importantly a member of the Rat Pack, who of course spent a great deal of time performing in my favorite time off destination. Take the Frank Sinatra quiz, click on the answer and see an explanation in the box below.

The other thing to think back and remember was Skylab, back in 1973 the first space station was launched into space. In the words of Blood, Sweat and Tears: What goes up must come down. Remember, reports of Skylab falling to the Earth? I was sure it was land on my head! I remember Steve Dahl the DJ on the Loop at the time, did a parody song called Skylab, but I can't find it anywhere.

Remember that song shaving cream? It was better than Skylab...They used to play it on Dr. Demento.

I can't pass up a single thing. I want to go to this concert sooooo bad, but I just got back from there.

I just got back from seeing the movie Crash. It's about different races and the relationships between them. I laughed and I cried. I don't believe I have ever seen a more thought provoking movie in my life. A big thumbs up for Crash! Everyone should see this movie.

It's all trivial

2005-05-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Back in 1932 the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped and murdered, today is the anniversary of the day the body of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. was found. Lindbergh flew this plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, from New York to Paris! Non stop for 33 hours! No Xanax? He did it all to win the Orteig prize, $25,000 to the first person to fly from NY to Paris. I so didn't pay attention in history class.

Sometimes I feel like after about 10 years of blogging I might have enough info to finally win a game of Trivial Pursuit.

Laura 2 called, she's in Zurich for work for 3 weeks. She told me about the car they were riding in the other day called a smart car. You push a button and it shifts gears for you! She went to Germany last weekend and they are going to the mountains this weekend. I wish I was her but not while she was on the plane. Is it my imagination or are they leaning a little to the right?

T-5 Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire.

What about Bob

2005-05-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mary! - my first boss (well of my first real job)

This cracks me up!

I like the art of Todd Goldman, he's funny. I especially like the Ex- boyfriend and the One Night Stand pics.

Today is the anniversary of the death of Bob Marley. Did the CIA kill Bob Marley? He was only 36 years old when he died. Look they have an Austin Marley Fest. Never been to Austin, hear its nice. Bet you didn't know that there were Bob Marley shoes...I hear they make you want to move your dancin' feet. Bob's mom gives tours in Jamaica starting at the home he grew up in. Bob Marley trivia quiz. I think One Love is my favorite Bob Marley song.

Oh, by the way I picked Moe.

just a couple things....

2005-05-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Looks like Rene and Kenny tied the knot while I wasn't looking. And the new Bennifer produced offspring. This past Saturday was Dwight Yoakam Day, I'm starting to feel like I still live under a rock.

Pretty soon I might have to stand up and pay attention to this Sirius Radio stuff, I think its cool that they have a Margaritaville station, however, how many times can you listen to "blew out my flip flop, stepped on a pop top". On the other hand they also have Elvis Radio. How much does it cost? Why do I have to pay for radio when I can go turn on the stereo for free? I'm not sold yet.

Look at the cool cars that this guy George Barris created. He's putting some of them up for sale. That is the longest name dropper list I've ever seen.

Eeny, Meany, Miny, Moe....

T-7

Ever heard of Su Doku?

2005-05-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a puzzle called Su Doku that apparently is all the rage in the UK. You fill in every row, column and 3x3 square with the numbers 1-9. If you finish that one, here are more. Or, if you can't finish the first one here is the answer. Monday is supposed to be the easiest so that is the one I linked to. They get harder each day of the week.

I just want you to know that I'm still not watching American Idol, I still think Bo Bice is hot, and I called it that he would win and he's still in it, he's in the final four. I told my boss today that I thought Bo was hot and he looked at me like I was out of my mind. He said he's missing teeth and he's grungy. Is he missing teeth?

File this under the category of totally useless: Suppose you are out in the country, because there are no cricket noises in the city that I can hear anyway, and you've lost your thermometer. According to Weather Bug, nature provides us with a lot of clues about the current or future weather. Pioneers, sailors and farmers depended on these clues to help them survive and created the weather folklore we know today including calculating the current temperature by cricket chirps.
So, the next time you are outdoors in an area where there are crickets, use the following "equation" to figure out what the temperature is: Count the number of cricket chirps in 15 seconds, then add 39 degrees.

I bet there is no burping either.

I've been having trouble making a decision. Do you think a good way to choose a path is to go eeny, meaney, miny moe....

When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil.--Max Lerner, 1902-1992

Happy Mother's Day

2005-05-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

There was a big upset yesterday at the Derby. A horse that had 50-1 odds came in first place. Wow, that would have been a great bet.

Got some time to waste? Play 20 questions online.

Elvis is on CBS tonight and he is a hottie! Coming in June, the 16th season of the Real World from Austin, Texas. I'm never gonna grow up. I still love it. Ahhh, Six Feet Under is returning June 6th! Laura, you've got to tape those for me again.

Hmmmm, trouble in paradise for Nick and Jessica, I would miss that show too.

How do people get these goofy ideas?

Here is the 2005 Movies in the park schedule. Star Wars and ET! Awesome!

The Titanic of the Sky

2005-05-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster, it happened back in 1937 in Lakehurst, New Jersey. I remember hearing the recording of Herb Morrison describing the disaster back a million years ago when I was in junior high school. Click on the Herb Morrison reporting link under the title to hear for yourself. The only part I remember is "Oh the humanity." I didn't realize he was a reporter from WLS here in Chicago.

Today is a lovely day in Chicago. It was a wonderful night to have dinner with friends outside at Bice. After dinner we went to Borders and sat in the coffee shop to continue our chat. Then a leisurely stroll home down Michigan Avenue enjoying the moderate temperature and the tulips in the garden spots along the way. Found this site with lots of Chicago pictures, about 7 down from the top are some of the tulips along the Magnificent Mile.

Don't you just love the internet? I got a post today from Hudson who lives in Africa. Isn't it wonderful that you can connect so easily with someone so far away!

grüetzi

2005-05-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Laura #2, the marathon runner, is off to Zurich for three weeks for work. Sweet! Well except for the gazillion hour plane ride. How much Xanax would that take? Move around so you don't get Deep Vein Thrombosis. Since, more that likely I will never actually be in Zurich, I will take this chance to find out what Zurich is all about? Holy Crap Tina Turner lives in Zurich. I didn't think I liked Tina until I was sitting at the Stratosphere in a bar where they were playing a concert video of hers and I really enjoyed it.
James Joyce wrote Ulysses in Zurich! and what is with the gnomes? These might come in handy, words and phrases of Switzerland and Swiss greetings.

Yikes, keep your hands in your pockets.

Back to the States, don't forget Saturday, Derby Day, take the Kentucky Derby Quiz.

Auf Wiedersehen

And they're off

2005-05-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

There have been commercials for an upcoming Oprah show, where Oprah says "Stedman and I have a deep dark family secret, we have a daughter, and she has a problem and I think it's my fault." I thought, how scandalous at first, then I guessed that she was probably referring to her dog.

The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, coverage on NBC, 4pm CDT and Bellamy Road is the favorite to win. It's all about the hat. If you're not into hats, it's also all about the mint julep, I think make mine low carb. Looks like Arlington Park is opening on May 13th.

Today is the anniversary of The Haymarket Riot which took place at Randolph and Des Plaines, a few blocks west of the loop. A plaque marks the spot of the tragedy.

Today is also the anniversary of the Kent State shootings . Photo journalist shot of the University that day. This site shows pics of the four students that died that day. "Four dead in Ohio" (side note to Patti - remind you of anyone?)

What on God's green earth is an online casino going to do with Britney Spear's pregnancy test?

Hey now...don't ignore your colon

2005-05-03T05:28:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for me between June 24-July4th I will probably be chowing down on food and sitting at one of these free concerts at the Taste of Chicago.

I love this t-shirt, I saw it in Nashville but it was only in kids sizes.

David Letterman's Top 10 Drawbacks to Working in a Cubicle
10. Being told to "think outside the box" when you're in a freakin' box all
day long.
9. Not being able to check e-mail attachments without turning around to
see who's behind you.
8. Cubicle walls do not offer much protection from any kind of gun fire.
7. That nagging feeling that if you press the right button, you'll get a
piece of cheese.
6. Lack of roof rafters for the noose.
5. The walls are too close together for the hammock to work right.
4. 23 power cords - 1 outlet.
3. Prison cells are not only bigger, they also have beds.
2. The carpet has been there since 1976 and shows more signs of life than
your co-workers.
And the Number 1. drawback to working in a cubicle is . . .
You can't walk out and slam the door when you quit.

Doctor Oz on Oprah said if your poop plops instead of dives into the toilet it's not good. It should come out curved. Don't forget to check your poop. Key lessons are fiber and water. He said 8 glasses of water. Whole grains are better. Foods with magnesium are also important, supplements work.

Dr Oz also said that blood pressure is the most important number, even more important than your weight. Foods high in potassium are good for blood pressure. They include bananas and avacados.

3 things you can do to cut your chances of getting cancer by 50%
- Folate - leafy green veggies, orange juice or supplements
-Vitamin D supplements
- Baby aspirin (2 per day)

And coffee is good for you - but it does have side effects but its a drug

Thanks Oprah.

I'm home!

2005-05-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Nashville! The weather was crappy but it was still fun. Here are the results of the marathon. My friend Laura finished the race with a great time 4:02:30, she came in 1167th place, 288th in her gender.
I know she will not finish running marathons until she's qualified and run in the Boston Marathon. She needs a time of 3:50 to qualify. I slept in while Laura got up at 3:30am to get ready for the race. I got up around 8 and rushed down to the 26 mile marker so I could see the finish of the race. There were a couple of interesting runners, such as this fellow in the tutu.

I got so excited when I saw Laura coming up to mile 26 that I didn't get a picture of her till she was past me, but here she is after the end, I have to say I would look much worse if I ran 26.2 miles!

Here is the medal that she got for finishing the race.

She cleans up nice too. Here she is having a beer at the Big River Grille. By the way they have a great Stout at the Big River Grille. Yummy!

I've been to Nashville many times. This is the first time that I stopped by to see the life size replica of the Parthenon, originally built to celebrate the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897, 100 years of statehood. It was awesome!

And inside, a statue of Athena. By their estimates Athena wears a size 177 sandal. Yep, she's pretty big.

All over Nashville, they have these huge painted guitars similar to the painted cows we had in Chicago a couple years ago.

One day we went to Robert's Western World to see the local bands. This was a great band, except I forgot what their name was.

So, this looks like fun. This guy is looking for a committed relationship. (who isn't?) And...he is going to travel around the world for 6 months with that person and he's paying the way. I really think my friend tall Karen should try, I sent her an email about it, we'll see what she thinks. I hope she wants to make the video and send it to him.

2005-04-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, Paula is off to see her friend Laura run entirely too far in a marathon. When I want to go 24.85 miles I get in a car.

I am Paula's "favorite bartender in the whole world" (see post from April 5th). Paula ran away to the circus , and she invited me to do a guest blog. I promised not to do anything too pernicious.

I was talking with Paula and Karen about leaf cutter ants the other day. Fascinating bugs.

Well, this was fun. Maybe I'll write more tomorrow.

Have fun in Nashville, Paula!

Going to a Marathon - be back in a couple days

2005-04-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

These are from the Chicago Marathon this last October. It was a great day and the first time I experienced the marathon up close. My friend Laura #2, from the eating beignets post a couple days ago, has run in several marathons. I am going with her to Nashville to support her in her run in the Country Music Marathon and of course I get to visit one of my favorite cities and I don't have to go to work for a couple days. We are leaving tomorrow and the weather looks to be kinda crappy, but I'm going to ignore that until I get struck by lightning. And, there was supposed to be a Sara Evans concert afterward, but while I wasn't looking they changed the headliner to Phil Vassar. I 'm going to ignore that until I figure out what he sings. And look at the bottom of that entertainment page, an evil plot to get me to walk 26 miles. They are going to have bands playing at various spots along the path of the run.

The race starts in Centennial Park, I'm finally going to get to see the Parthenon. I know, but if I can go to see the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas I can see the Parthenon in Nashville.

I'm hoping to get over to the Country Music Hall of Fame. I may have to knock Laura over the head and drag her there or ditch her because its not her favorite place. There is an inductee ceremony on Sunday where some of the members including Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood will be walking down the red carpet. Laura doesn't know it yet but I'm forcing her to go, our flight doesn't leave until 8:25pm and they are arriving at 4:30. I think we'll have time.

There are a couple places we go and watch the local bands play, the world famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge "Come on in for a holler and swaller and don't forget to tip the band a dollar." I love that bar. The other place we like is Robert's Western World. Hopefully I can get Laura to sit still long enough to catch a few bands. Hopefully we can pop in at the Wildhorse Saloon too. I love that town. Yee haw! See ya all on Sunday.

Vince, have a great time in Chicago, wish I was here to meet you in person. Have a wonderful time at the Erasure concert!!!!!

Better late than never

2005-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Oprah had an interesting show on today entitled Around the World. It was all about stepping outside your box and getting to know other cultures. I learned a lot from Oprah today.

Have you heard of Bollywood? Of course then there must be a Bollywood.com. Aishwarya Rai, who was on Oprah today said that Indian women think American women are opinionated and divorce too frequently.
It is the norm to live with your parents until you are married, as does Aishwarya even though she is a considered the world's number one box office star. Arranged marriages are still common in India.

Holy smoke, Ireland has had two women presidents. Here's a list of women prime ministers and presidents, looks like the old forward thinking US is a little behind.

How's this for a different cultural view? Women from Belgium think American's don't eat nutritious food. But she was eating french fries with mayonnaise and Belgians produce 172,000 pounds of chocolate a year. Sounds the same to me.

If a woman from Iceland has sex at 15 she is not thought of as promiscuous. (Here either, unless your boyfriend tells everybody or you get caught.) Having sex when you first meet someone is the norm. It's not as big a deal there. The two delicacies that she brought for Oprah to try were Sour Lamb Balls and Rotten Shark. Oprah did not eat them. You cannot make a racist comment there or you could be fined or thrown in jail.

In Singapore it its illegal to jaywalk, to sell chewing gum, and to not flush a public toilet!

Why can't we all get along and do the cultural diversity shuffle?

Obviously there wasn't a good coffee cake to appear in that day

2005-04-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

virgin mary?

In honor of Sunday, I wanted to pay my respects to Our Lady of the Underpass. This is making big news here in Chicago. Check out the pics on this post from the M.I.L.F. Diaries. The title of this post is actually a quote from Code Three.

Dwight Yoakam has a new cd coming out on June 14th. Its called Blame the Vain. You can hear a clip of each song here. Hmmmm...maybe he'll play at the Country Music Fest at the Taste of Chicago this year since he'll be on tour.

The world's top 50 restaurants according to Restaurant Magazine. Number 14, Charlie Trotter's is right here in Chicago. I have never eaten at Charlie Trotters. I probably will not because I spent all my money at the most expensive lunch in history at the newly opened Morton's Steakhouse. Don't go there until you win the lottery.

My favorite restaurants in Chicago are :
1)1492 Tapas
Have the lamb chops, garlic sauteed artichokes and strawberries in wine.

2) Cornelia's
Have the pumpkin soup and the Tuscan Steak or the pork chops and vanilla infused vodka. Don't try and substitute there, they chop your fingers off just for asking, oh, and go on a nice day and eat outside.

3)Grand Lux Cafe
Have a vanilla bean martini, Crispy Caramel Chicken (enough for two) and for dessert beignets (which you have to order at the same time as your dinner for some reason). Last summer when my friend Patti from Ontario came to Chicago we went there and I watched her and Laura #2 eat beignets, because they aren't low carb.

Patti and Laura at the Grand Lux

Grand Lux has good breakfasts too, I always drool over my friends french toast with strawberries but I take the low carb route and get the luncheon omelet, it comes with a salad. You can get a side of sausage but only on the weekend, what is up with that? Also, don't get hungry for breakfast too early because they don't open until 10am on the weekend and 11 on the weekdays. Oh, and they also have a great dish of fresh berries.

I'm feeling a little like Maxine

2005-04-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well that was a short lived spring/faux summer - winter is back. Not only that but I'm pouting. I post on a Las Vegas message board. Every other year we have a big meet in Las Vegas. The dates for 2006 were just announced. I am so bummed because I will not be able to take those days off work. I guess this means I'll be grumpy until 2008.

maxine

They finally announced the Lollapalooza lineup. There some good bands, some I never heard of, but I think I may go or not I don't know.

The sponge is back and 13-16% of women will get pregnant in a year even though they are properly using it. That's not so great is it. Like its gonna matter to me. I obviously have no concept of how long a centimeter is or I've had bad luck.

A co-worker told me about a good magazine for Chicago events called Time Out Chicago. I ordered it so I will be in the know.

Ipod troubleshooting: The lost chapter from the owner's manual.

Yeah right.

2005-04-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

It's the little things that piss me off. I made some purchases from lasvegasvisitor.com - my advice stay far away, stay very far away. To make a long story short, I never received my merchandise. The merchant is telling me I should contact the postal inspector because I'm not getting my mail. Yeah right pal. I paid through Paypal. I discussed the transaction via email with the merchant for 45 days, at which point I found out you have to file a claim at Paypal within 45 days. Ok, so Paypal won't do anything, now I'm trying to get a refund from my charge card, we'll see what happens.

Ebay fraud. Hmmmm...sounds vaguely familiar.

Want to send a joke to the pope? Here's his email address. Be careful, he probably doesn't have your sense of humor.

Look at me I'm Sandra Dee...Stockard Channing another celebrity DUI, can you believe she's 60? Paula Abdul acting weird? Maybe I need to watch American Idol. I still hear Bo Bice is in the running. Go Bo! The spat heard round the world. No one is more weird.....

I cannot wait to find out where this finger came from. She

I'm on the Top of World looking down on creation

2005-04-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

OMG! I forgot to listen to David Cassidy on 104.3, until yesterday. He's been walking around town and I haven't even stalked him. There was a contest to win lunch with David Cassidy today. I didn't win but I did send him a link to my blog post on his birthday. My friend Patti was laughing at me beause it says I want to have David's face put on a toilet seat.

I'm not good around stars, I get starstruck. One time I stood in line for about 3 hours to meet Tim McGraw. I didn't even say hi when I finally got to him, I just handed him a cd to sign. I was so freekin' nervous! I'm sure lunch would have been stressful anway.

Two girls got stranded at the top of the Stratosphere when the new ride Insanity malfunctioned. I believe the ride is appropriately named.
Vegas is copying Hollywood with the walk of the stars, the list of 100 future honorees has been released.

What are Web logs? Where was this article 3 months ago?

A new fake Leaning Tower has been approved for construction in Pisa.

150 years ago today the Chicago Beer Riot broke out.

Hey check this out a video game art exhibit.

Strawberries and wine for everyone!

2005-04-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

I had the best dessert last night. We went to 1492 Tapas today to celebrate my friend Karen's birthday. It's a great little place. Most of the time I don't get dessert but today I found a carb friendly dessert on the menu. It was strawberries soaked in wine with whipped cream in a brandy snifter. If I thought I would get out of the gutter I'd have it for every meal.

Canadian Police warn "do not lay in the street" um...ok.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step. Looks like "I'm stuffing myself with cheese" is a common quote. Well, maybe he's on Atkins. Here at Cheese.com you can look up 652 different cheeses. Good, maybe if they stop making that low carb bread I can still eat something. You can also submit your cheese photos. I gotta dig those out.

3 fat chicks are still at it.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of Richard J. Daley, father of our current mayor Richard M. Daley, who was recently named by Time magazine as one of the top 5 mayors.

It's a sad week in history, today is also the 6th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. Unfortunately, there are many more.

Geez, can you even go to a website without a pop-up.

It's a sad day in history

2005-04-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a look at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Today is the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh was executed June 11, 2001.

The dedication of the Lincoln Library in Springfield is also today. I have a friend who lives in Springfield, I plan on going down to see it in person. I'm shooting (no pun intended, I swear) for the third weekend in June. They have an exhibit that commemorates the 140th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Kinda funny that I'll be seeing something that normally resides at the Chicago Historical Society.

Another opening day is approaching fast and that would be the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. You've seen the ads with Steve Wynn standing on top of his hotel. Wonder what this means? "I only see the mistakes in my jobs. Unfortunately, I see them in the 30 days prior to opening."

Something from Anne over at Fishbucket:
A slice of life.

Top 10 Viagra advertising slogans.

10. Viagra, Whaazzzz up!
9. Viagra, The quicker pecker upper.
8. Viagra, Like a rock!
7. Viagra, When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight
6. Viagra, Be all that you can be.
5. Viagra, Reach out and touch someone.
4. Viagra, Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.
3. Viagra, home of the whopper!
2. Viagra, We bring good things to Life!
And the number one slogan:
1. This is your penis. This is your penis on drugs

Does anyone else think the Burger King guy looks creepy?

I don't have to go to work today!

2005-04-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

Today is a free day! No work! Woo hoo! I should do something on my day off. Maybe I'll go out for lunch/cocktails to an outdoor diner, but first Take a nap.

I'm not very fashion conscious, my policy is that your purse should not cost more than you have to put in it. It's okay for Celebs, but if I have to take out a loan to buy a purse, send me to the looney bin. L'Extravagant, I should say so. Here is a change purse, for $165. Well, it would be tough to follow my policy, I'd have to fit $165.01 in change into that little thing.

I found another quiz Your Linguistic Profile. Kinda funny. There is a link following my results below.

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

20% Yankee

15% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

An update on the days events: Margaritas for lunch, and a nap to sleep it off when I got home. hahahha. What a party animal!

Broadway in Chicago

2005-04-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Which Desperate Housewife are you? Take the quiz. Turns out I'm Bree, but I'm sure I'm the Bree that sends her kid off to boarding school and not the Bree that is planning the perfect dinner party.

Look at this, at 101 years old this former Ziegfeld dancer is performing again. Florenz Ziegfeld 101. Here is a pic of the Follies of 1907. If you want to live to 101, maybe its important to know What makes a Ziegfeld girl.

I live within walking distance to the big theaters in Chicago, which is very cool. For a long time I didn't think I liked musicals because I started with Les Miserables and I fell asleep. Then my friend dragged me to Rent - couldn't follow it so it lost my interest. Phantom of the Opera had some good parts - I'd give it a 5 out 10. Lately, I've seen a bunch that I did like, so I'd have to say it's all about picking the right one. I liked All Shook Up, (Cheyenne Jackson who plays the lead was a hottie), Mamma Mia was very good. Hairspray was also good. Spamalot was very funny! Next month I have tickets to Wicked, which is all about the 2 witches in the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy came along. It sounds promising.

Open the patios!

2005-04-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not really an American Idol fan but I did see parts of it a couple times now and I too love Bo Bice. He's a hottie.

This morning I got tickets to the 40th anniversary show of the Academy of Country Music at Mandalay Bay in May. Looks like there is going to be a good line up.

Let the outdoor dining season in Chicago begin! Tonight Cornelia's. I need to explore and find more! Here are some of WGN's picks. More. Metromix's newest options. The Chicago Reader has my favorite listing of restaurants. Spring has sprung and its time to get out and enjoy! I do believe cocktails are in order!

Bashing?

2005-04-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

Saw Mickey Rourke on David Letterman. He's starring in the new movie Sin City. Can someone tell me what happened to Mickey's face? This isn't even as bad as he looked on Letterman. Is that just age? His head looks bigger. I used to think he was very good looking back in the 9 1/2 weeks movie. Now he looks like a burn victim or something. This site suggests it's bad plastic surgery and they are saying the exact same thing about how he used to be cute.

What I want to know is how does he reach the pedals? How do you spell that cat fight sound? We shouldn't let humans be in charge of anything, there is too much error. Well at least I won't have to worry about this happening to me.

They probably made a lot of noise or something.

Go Go Godzilla

2005-04-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

This little "cutie pie snuggle muffin" is my brother Steve and his family's new pet. He's a Chinese Water Dragon. Guess what his name is. Yep, Godzilla. I'm not sure if he did this on purpose but his mother-in-law said she's not coming over anymore. hahaha. My brother's wife, Tina, tells me you can hold him and feed him.

go go

Here's another warm and snuggly pet for you. Just in case you didn't know 7.5 centimeters = 2.95275591 inches. And that leg span, up to 20 centimeters = 7.87401575 inches! Yikes! Perfect Pets : Love your Dictyoptera Blattodea.

The internet is useful for many many things, but who would have thought that you could find someone to eat you. "Germany is struggling to understand the act." Imagine that, so am I.

In the news: River Phoenix's brother Joaquin in rehab.
You can go to the mall to get a prostitute if you live in Hungary.

Elvis has left the building!

Point me in the direction of Albuquerque

2005-04-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, hold onto your seats! It's a very special day today! It's David Cassidy's birthday!!!!! Is he not the cutest thing you've ever laid eyes on? There was not an inch of my bedroom wall that this guy's picture was not plastered on. Of course my favorite show was The Partridge Family. Back in 1972 Dave appeared almost nude in Rolling Stone magazine. Here's a bunch of old Partridge Family stuff. OMG! Dave is going to be in town in a couple days! He's going to be on Magic 104.3 from 7-9am for an entire week starting April 18th! Yahoo!!!! Maybe I need to go to Powderham Castle for the Once in a Lifetime Tour starring The Osmonds (man that's a lot of kids), David Essex (jump up and down in your blue suede shoes), The Bay City Rollers (hahaha! SA-TUR-DAY night!) and Dave. He's still a hottie today, he's looking more and more like his dad all the time.

oh boy

For a minute I thought I could buy David Cassidy's face on a toilet seat, wouldn't that be cool, but that's not what this is. They do have some interesting seats though. Wait a minute, hold everything...a quick check at FAQ page and I find out that I can add my own picture. hmmmm, $65, I'll have to think about that. Okay, this is kinda funny, I'm going to order these for all my friends for Christmas. Happy Birthday David, if I had a poster of you I'd kiss it goodnight. Ahhh, memories.

Ouch!

2005-04-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Dee got this cool looking tattoo! I like the tattoo but it sounds kinda painful to me. Dee is Cher's number 1 fan. I went with her to see Cher twice, we had awesome seats. I'm sure she is going to the April 16th show as well. I'm glad I finally saw Cher in concert she put on a great show, it was one of my all time favorite concerts. As a side note, look how cute Chastity is in this pic.

dee's tattoo

Speaking of farewell...I'm probably the only person in the world that thinks that the Eagles suck. Farewell to you!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day in Chicago. Went to breakfast at The Grand Lux Cafe. My favorite meal in the whole world is from there: Crispy Caramel Chicken, A vanilla bean martini and beignets for dessert. We walked around town to enjoy the weather and to pic up a few essentials. I picked up a great magazine for stuff around Chicago, they also have a website.

We also went to a great little store for "cheaper" hair care products called Bravco. Bring cash or a check, because they do not accept credit cards. The dollar stretcher says that salon products are not better than drug store products. I have to say that my hair looks better and feels better when I use the more expensive hair products such as Paul Mitchell or Biolage. I say whoever wrote that article did not have hair longer than an inch.

Yep, this guy is nuts. All that sensitivity training is working wonders for me....maybe I didn't get sensitivity training after all. It could just be in my head.

Charlie and the contest factory
To help launch its upcoming film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Warner Bros. is introducing a contest that mirrors the plot of the movie. A search for five Golden Tickets will begin in May and continue until April 2006 or until all the winning tickets have been found. The five grand prizes include a trip to Los Angeles and a tour of a video animation studio; a trip to a fantasy sports camp; a private shopping spree; a $10,000 check; and a European vacation for four. The film opens in July.

R-2

2005-04-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Denise's new dog, his name is R-2. Is she a Star Wars fan and is D-2 on the way? Was her last dog named R-1? I don't know, but I know he's so cute!

10 week old R-2

Working 9-5 what a way to make a living

2005-04-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

Innapropriate Remarks. Petty Behavior. Zero Productivity. All in a Day's Work. I am liking the new sitcom The Office. It's based on the award winning BBC hit. No comment on whether or not I compare co-workers to people on the show. Making work fun? Thank God for vacations.

I'm still liking the Sketch Show. Can't stop watching Desperate Housewives, they sure are trying hard to keep us thinking they are all buddies. Leslie Ann Warren joins the cast as Terri Hatcher's mother.

I wonder what has to happen before it's actual child abuse? ok this is gross.

Greta Garbo is 100! except she died 15 years ago.
Things that make you go hmmmm.

Finally I can post.

2005-04-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many times you have to set off the smoke alarm in your apartment complex before they don't renew your lease? Twice in the last two days. Once because of my highly advanced cooking abilities and once because of the steam from my shower. It's always nice to talk to the builidng personnel in your robe.

WARNING: this is completely stupid and disgusting and you won't get it, I sure don't. Its a suspension convention. This surely takes the cake in the are they stupid department? There is a slideshow, more power to you if you can look, I cannot. I can only shake my head.

Next time I find out someone is getting married, I'm going to send them some of these wedding dress links. These are quite amusing!

I don't know why I like tests so much, maybe I should go back to school. Take a test of commonly confused words. I didn't really understand my score because I got 4 of them and they weren't all 100% so I guess I got some of them wrong. I do like that they schmooze to me afterward though! I be an....

English Genius
You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 86% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 64% on Beginner

You scored higher than 72% on Intermediate

You scored higher than 28% on Advanced

You scored higher than 91% on Expert

Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test written by shortredhead78 on Ok Cupid

To spit or not to spit...

2005-04-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Wine Tasting for Dummies. To spit or not to spit, that is how I know that my friends and I are not wine snobs, just looking to try differents wines and catch a buzz. Adjectives rarely used by wine tasters. We used to belong to Wine brats just to go to this huge Australian wine tasting event in Chicago. It was great, they seem to have dissapeared off the web though. How sad. I don't believe I've ever tasted a Penfolds wine that I haven't liked. Many of them are inexpensive too. Malarkey Alert. Hangover humor.

Things you don't expect to find on McDonald's Menu Board.
I could imagine that there would be alot of odd things left behind in hotel rooms.

Saw this on Conan O'Brien. Steven Seagal has a new cd out and if you click here you can hear a sample. There is an mp3 sample page.

Prince Rainier passed away at age 81. I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him before. He married Grace Kelly in 1956, who died in a car accident in 1982. Stephanie on the accident that injured her and killed her mother.

Where everybody knows your name

2005-04-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Kristen is my favorite bartender in the whole world. This is where I go when I need to kick back and relax after work. Truthfully, everyone does not know my name there, but she does and a couple others would recognize my face. And I have to tell you Kristen is in the know. Today I heard about a new product, and I was very excited about it, Starbucks Coffee Liquor. My conversation went something like this, hey Kristen, did you hear that Starbucks has a new coffee liquor?
Yes, have you tried it?
No.
Well let me bring you a taste.
Thanks Kristen!

It tastes fabulous! I never have to drink anything else ever again, except we've decided it has its fill of carbs.
Epinions review of Starbucks Coffee Liquor.

This stuff is made by Fortune Brands. Talk about diversified.
The Redeye listed a couple of drinks made with Starbucks Liquor available at a bar called The Motel Bar. Doesn't this sound good?

Mochatini - Starbucks Liquor, Stoli Vanil, Godiva White Chocolate Liquor
Chocolate Covered Cherry - Starbucks Liquor, Bailey's, Chambord
White Russian - Vodka, Starucks Liquor over ice with cream

Some funny stuff

2005-04-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Funny = I had to share, thanks for sending these Lise.

So I told my friends Kristine and Doug that I wanted to live forever, no matter what do not pull that plug. Not only that but I told Laura I want her to visit me everyday. Kristine said she would put high carb stuff in my IV.

Crap it's Sunday

2005-04-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

My friend just emailed me and informed me that she had 2 free tickets to Art Chicago coming April 29th-May 2nd. It's definitely spring in Chicago, events are starting to come out of the woodwork!
Chicago Improv Festival Free Lunchbreak Performances. 2005 Mayor's Office of special events calendar. Come on summer!

Watched Open Water at my sister's house yesterday on pay per view. It was stressful to watch, the whole time everyone was commenting. Why aren't they swimming? Why don't they yell? armchair survivalists.

Today in history - The Unabomber was captured in 1996.
Toy flu bugs, sore throats, microbes.

Alright! A new cd and tour announced by Dwight Yoakam!

Times are changing

2005-04-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Mental Floss Fact of the Day, It's Vicks Vaporub's fault that you get junk mail!

That explains it, mystery solved. Thank goodness for spell check, sometimes I forget to check. again. Here's one I mess up all the time. Other Grammar Traps.

Cripes, we have to change the clocks tomorrow. I like that it stays light later, but I hate changing my clocks. How long will it be before they are all changed...What time is it in Indiana? Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. I'm going to spend Monday emailing all my international contacts at work and ask them what time it is.

My niece Noel had a birthday while I was in Vegas, she's 17. Seems like it was just the other day when she was walking around with a lego bucket on her head crashing into stuff. She wants Demeter perfume for her birthday. I bought it at Sephora, they didn't have all of these scents. Some of those scents crack me up. I had a hard time picking out a scent for her. Too bad they didn't have dirt at Sephora, I would have gotten that. I didn't like the ones like Sugar Cookie and Tangerine. I ended up picking Gin and Tonic and Rain.

April's Fools Day

2005-04-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

I was so shocked to see that Mitch Hedberg passed away. He was only 37 years old. My friend Marc and I just went to see him at a comedy club about a month ago. I'm sad. Here are some Mitch Hedberg quotes.

So there are a couple sites that you can find someone that wants to swap houses with you for vacation purposes, such as digsville, homelink, couchsurfing. It sounds like a cool idea, except I'm not sure I trust someone to stay at my house if I'm not there.

It looks like downtown Chicago will host lollapalooza on July 23-24. Can't wait to see what the line up will be.

Top 100 April Fool's Hoaxes of all time. History of April Fool's Day. Night.

Some trip pics

2005-03-31T19:28:00.000-08:00

First off, let me say Happy 11th birthday Michael!

One of my favorite finds this trip to Las Vegas was Roxy's Diner. It's a 50's/60's style diner located on the casino level of the Stratosphere. Every 10 minutes or so the waiters stop and sing an oldies favorite. Here they are singing Summer Nights from the Grease soundtrack, not exactly an oldie but definitely a favorite.

singing waiters

My mission once I went downtown was to get a 4 of kind on a treasure chest video poker machine. I've seen these machines before but I've never seen the treasure chest bonus when you get a 4 of a kind. You get 5 chests to pick from. The chests have an amount between $32.50 - $1199. I spent a ton of money just trying to get a 4 of a kind. Those were some tight machines. I even had Patti playing them like nuts trying to get one. We were convinced that there were no treasure chests.

Patti playing Treasure Chest Video Poker

Finally, I got a 4 of a kind!

and here are the chests!

So I picked the middle one, and I got 140 quarters. Bummer. If I was playing double double bonus poker and I got that exact hand I would have gotten 800 quarters.

Saturday we stopped by the Bellagio and checked out the Conservatory. It was easy thinking spring!

Bellagio Conservatory

Bellagio Conservatory

Think Spring

Went to the Observation Deck at the top of the Stratosphere.

You can walk outside on the second level of the deck. It was a beautiful day out, but it was just after Melanie Bell committed suicide by jumping off the Stratosphere. They had half of the deck roped off and there were some police very interested in something going on below but I couldn't see what they were looking at. You have to climb over 2 fences to jump.

Here is a great view of the Hilton from the top of the Strat.

We also stopped by to see the fountain show in front of the Bellagio. They had a great show. First time I remember ever seeing smoke created on the water just before the show.

smoke on the water

fountains

Another big trip highlight was the slot tournament that my friend Norm, pictured here with his wife at Roxy's Diner, and I did at the Stratosphere. The lucky guy he ended up winning first place!!!! Way to go Norm.

Norm and Andrea

It was a fun trip, can't wait till the next one in May!

More poop in the news! Did you know that today is Bunsen Burner Day?

You can't always get what you want

2005-03-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post some additional pictures from my trip but I can't seem to get them to load. Bummer. Maybe tomorrow it will work.

Dinosaur poo on view. No wonder its a big hit, free admission to the Crater Rock Museum!
Do you know your dinosaurs? You do not have to print this out and give it to your teacher, and its a good thing too, I scored 37.5 - I believe that is not a passing grade. Don't you wish they had the internet when we were going to school?

Only in Fargo. Why do you suppose they called the police?

I saw Steven Wright in Vegas last week with my friend Norm. We both enjoyed the show. Here are some quotes.

As I've told you before I do live under a rock, but it's a nice rock. I never heard of this before but last week I met two people that that talked about the Red Hat Society. Sounds like my kind of group they hold their conventions in Vegas. If you've seen ladies walking around in purple dresses and red hats then you've spotted some members. My friend Liz wants to start our own chapter, women under 50 wear lavender dresses and pink hats. We would be "Ladies in Waiting." Liz just wants to be Queen.

From one extreme to the other

2005-03-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas is all about extremes. Here is one example, you can go from the Deep Fried Twinkie available for 99 cents at the Mermaids Casino downtown. It looks alot like a corn dog. I wanted someone else to eat one so I could see the expression on their face after biting into it because I know this woman's expression is completely for show. According to CalorieKing it's only 420 calories and 45 carbs, too many for me.

Deep Fried Twinkies - Downtown LV

Now for the other extreme, the new Jean-Philippe Patisserie located just past the conservatory in the Bellagio Casino and Hotel. This is the chocolate fountain that greets you at the entrance. Yes its true it's only for show but its pretty and there are plenty of treats that you can eat there.

Chocolate Fountain

For instance check out this huge Rice Krispie Easter Egg. That would even take me a while to finish.

Rice Krispies Treat!

On a little fancier level, there is a large assortment of beautifully crafted desserts from which to choose.

Yummy

but wait there's more

My friend Patti, who lives in Ontario, surprised me and showed up in Vegas. Here are our choices. She had the Chocolate covered strawberry and I found a sugar free, almond flour fruit tart. They were yummy.

Here is Patti with our choices

It was a great place to visit! I can't wait to get back there.

Speaking of chocolate, can't wait to see Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka!

Today on Oprah: Lisa Marie Presley said she consummated her marriage to Michael Jackson. Shocker. She didn't look like she was lying either. She looks soooooo much like her dad. She also said that she didn't tell her mother she was marrying him, Priscilla found out from the news. Kids. I can tell the future...from the April 5th issue of Time Magazine.

I'm back!

2005-03-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

I didn't hit it big, but there is always a next time...
I missed the whole Easter thing traveling so I'm going to sneak in a couple things. Check out these cool Ukrainian Easter Eggs. It's a dangerous job but somebody has to do it. I had to put this snag from Bacon and Eh's cause it cracked me up, Unfortunate Easter Cards.

Odds and Ends:

This is not a good way to go, but what way is? Things that make you go hmmmm. What is that guy talking about? He's too weird to be innocent.

I was wondering what originally happened to Terri Schiavo, tragic.

Oprah is going to open a resort in Hawaii. She has her hands in everything.

Now that is thinking. He really is artistic.

What's your sign, here's your bad habit.

I've gotta go, I've got so much catching up to do!

still fishin'

2005-03-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

extended my trip till sunday, Happy Easter!

Gone Fishin'

2005-03-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

Viva Las Vegas! I wish you would. I'll be back on March 25th!

Some of my favorite things to do in Vegas:
watch the Bellagio Fountains
Conservatory at the Bellagio
Shopping at Sephora, I don't know why I wait till Vegas, there is one right down the street
Casino Legends Hall of Fame at the Tropicana
Play craps at the Casino Royale
Mystere at Treasure Island
Walk up and Down the Strip
Have a shrimp cocktail at The Golden Gate downtown
Play video poker and video slots!

Things I'm planning to do this trip:
Go to the Elvis-a-Rama Museum
Steven Wright at the Orleans with my friend Norm who lives in Vegas
Slot Tournament at the Stratoshere, wish Norm and I luck, 1st place is $10,000
Go see Bite at the Strat with my friend Las Vegas Gene
Ride the monorail, it better be working!
Monet exhibit at the Bellagio

Things I'm saving for my trip in May with Laura:
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
See Barry Manilow

I'm going to bed

2005-03-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

I'm surprised that Robert Blake was acquitted. I know I wouldn't make a good juror, I don't the whole story, but I think he's guilty.

Most irritating cliche. Actually, the most irritating to me is the last one on the list, "I just wanted to touch base."

Marmite is brown spread. Vegemite is dark reddish brown. They sell Deep Fried Twinkies in Vegas.

The Earth from Above.

I'm tired cause I'm working like a dog.

2005-03-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

The lead singer from Molly Hatchet passed away. I really liked that song Flirtin' with Disaster when it was out a million years ago, oh it was 1979. Close enough. It says that the band was named after a 17th century Southern prostitute that beheaded and mutilated her clients. Yep, that is what it says under Stumpy's Big List of Band Name Origins. This cracked me up - misheard lyrics from Flirtin' with Disaster.

Buddy Guy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with many others, including U2. Complete list of inductees by year. Bono of U2 has launched a clothing company. Chiffon Dresses? Overachier.

Here is a site for ugly bridesmaid dresses. Check out Big Ass, Short Skirt and the Condom Dress hahahahh.

I was very excited to see that Harrah's Las Vegas and Toby Keith signed a deal to open a new country themed bar this year.

Sock it to me!

2005-03-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

Thousands gathered in Nevada for a Mountain Oyster Fry $1 a pop. Hahah, batter up! I don't care what you do to them, I'm not eating them.

Watched a new show yesterday Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show. It reminds me of a modern day Laugh-in. Pretty funny. When I checked out the website, they even mentioned Laugh-in. Sock it 2 me!

Grossest six figure job. no comment, not this week anyway.

Check out the photos - Who says Arizona ain't green? Saguaro National Park, Sedona

I should be smarter: Art of the Day - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle #1, The School of Athens

It's starting out to be a great week

2005-03-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

Here I am in 30 years. I went to play bingo today with my SIL Tina and her sister Margaret (I'll be nice and not mention the you should not be saving seats with bingo dabbers fiasco). It's a good thing I had them with me because it took all three of us to get me to yell "Lightning" when I won. It's a special pull tab game with 3 numbers on it. All your numbers have to come up to win. I won $50! and a couple games later Margaret won $75. This week starts with me winning bingo and ends with me going to Vegas. It's going to be a great week. I feel Lucky! Maybe it's the luck of the Irish, I know it's a little early but they did dye the Chicago River green this weekend.

One of my favorite places online to play free games, including bingo is Pogo. I play some video poker games here. I play free slots here. I play Texas Hold'em here.

I should be smarter: word of the day, Art of the day Masaccio The Expulsion from Paradise, Geography of the day

What next?

This is kinda fun - Montage-a-google.

Just some stuff

2005-03-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't had a chance to really check this out yet, but my nephew Jon, writes stories and he posts them on Fiction Press. They have over 110,000 writers that post their works on this site.

Nicole DeHuff, who starred in Meet The Parents died back in February. It must have been a busy couple of news weeks with Michael Jackson's antics and killers on the loose and killers killing themselves. I was surprised to hear that someone so young died from pneumonia, she was only 31.

Monday on TLC, there is a special on the BTK killer.

It's the little things in life that piss me off, like when I buy a Tivo expecting a rebate from Circuit City only to find out that you have to apply online before the deadline. Every other rebate I've ever done I get some time to mail in, Thanks for telling me.

This looks pretty funny - Humor Gazette

Conan did a skit a couple times on his show about a band spoofing Slipknot, now I cannot get this song out of my head, Thanks Conan.
"We are the slipnuts, We're slipping on nuts.Dancing around, And slipping on nuts. No ifs, ands or buts,Just slipping on nuts.Oops! he fell down""I slipped on some nuts"

You know I should be smarter: Word of the Day, I already knew that one though. Art of the Day - Giotto The Arena Chapel Frescoes 33 scenes from the lives of Christ and Mary, Geography Lesson - Padua

Let's go on a road trip somewhere

2005-03-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

First things first: That's one way to handle it. hahahhahah, way to go Leno!

I'm in the mood to plan a road trip. From Roadside America - The Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions. Hope Cemetery headstones. What is so interesting about a corn field? oh. What kind of vacation does this guy take? And then you can go see Mount St. Helens. Now you don't have to travel there to see it. I was just missing Christmas the other day. My sister and her kids wouldn't get out of the car. I saw some of these in Arizona, they were kinda cool. When I was here, I didn't have a chance to go to this one, I went to the book depository instead. I went to one of these places in Wisconsin and I felt sick. hmmmm, no thanks once a month is enough. Good for a picture I guess. Bug art! wow. I could go to this tomorrow if I wanted to. This one's kind of gruesome. This place reminds me a bit of the contents of the house on the rock. I love her.

Locally, Body Worlds. Where I would like to go in May. I would like to go back and see the Jungle Room.