Kudos and Boos

Well I have been slacking. I admit it. But, now we are back and better than ever...

Kudos...Michael! This week he got 2 college acceptance letters! He got into Fordham and Santa Clara. Now, he can really enjoy the holiday knowing that he's in college! Any school will be lucky to have him, but we will see which one it is! Congrats Michael!!
Boos...Brittany Murphy. So sad and tragic. She was so young and to have it right before the holidays. SO sad.

Kudos...Kate and Julie. We throw a good party. We had a fantastic surprise Graduation/Homecoming/Birthday party celebration for Carly last night. Although most of us are a little less peppy as usual but always a sign of a good party!
Boos... Winter storm on the East Coast. Sounds cold to me. But then again, I am cold at 74 degrees. I don't think I could hack East Coast weather.

Kudos...Emril Lagasse. This is a shout out for one recipe in particular. Citrus Champagne Punch. We had it at the party last night, and it was a hit! Possibly the reason why so many people are down for the count tonight...lots of sugar and lots of alcohol. It had Champagne, Limoncello, Vermouth, and Vodka. It almost hurts to write this btw.

Here's the recipe:

Citrus Champagne Punch

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

2 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

hr min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

about 1 1/2 quarts, 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup superfine sugar
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup limoncello
2 teaspoons vermouth
1 (750 ml) bottle chilled dry Champagne or sparkling wine
Ice
Lemon twists, for garnish

Directions

Combine the lemon juice, sugar, vodka, Limoncello, and
vermouth in a large nonreactive bowl and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cover and refrigerate
until chilled, 1 to 2 hours. Add the Champagne and stir to combine.

Serve over ice in highball glasses, garnished with lemon twists.

Copyright 2009 Television Food Network G.P., All Rights Reserved

Boos... Tiger Woods. Has his image been shattered? Why yes, I belive it has.

Kudos...Gingerbread houses! Today I went to the Rollas and made a legit gingerbread house! I had such a good time and although the drinks from last night were all hitting us (some harder than others) we all did wonderful jobs!
Boos...I can't think of anything else.

Celebrity Sighting!

Most people would consider politicians "celebrities" but to me, that does not really count unless they are really high up there...like so anyone could spot them. But, on Friday I did spot and stand about 30 feet away from...Willie Brown, Jr. Now, I don't anticipate a whole lot of people being able to spot him on their own so I really am only calling him a celebrity for one reason only. He had about 10 seconds of airtime in a major motion picture. That's right, he was in...The Princess Diaries! I believe he had one line, and one line only..."The Rain never comes down on Willie Brown" apparently he is on good terms with Mother Nature, which, it seems, Northern California is not.

Okay, so now you want to know all about my super sighting...well, Friday marked the end of Dad's reign as President of the ADC so we went to a luncheon at the Westin St. Francis. Very classy affair. Anywhos, the Keynote Speaker was none other than Willie Brown. And he even sat next to Dad (not for very long though, he was rather late and sat down for about 20 seconds before he gave his speech, which was pretty funny but I wont tell you so if you want to know, email me so that I can get an idea of how many people actually read this.) Okay, getting back on track, Mom and I were at the front table, so I was about 30 feet from him. Add that to the list and we are getting up there in numbers. Although I must say, even though I have a character from a hit movie, the list still seems pretty low. I just have to take it one celebrity at a time.

SNL does it again...

Lisa was told the other day by one of her kids at work that Tiger should change his name to Cheetah Woods. (Dad thinks it would be even better as Lion) But, whatever you want to call him, The Tiger Woods Scandal, 2009 is all anyone can talk about and of course it is being covered by SNL. This clip from Saturday night's episode is all over the internet and people are sending it to everyone they know...but it is just too funny. Hope you like it...

Click here...

Kudos and Boos Christmas Movie Edition!

After a weekend full of Holiday Flicks in the North State (Chico), I decided that a little shout out to the classics, and not so classics, would only be appropriate. It's hard to decide which ones are Boos but some just don't hold a candle to others.

Kudos...Miracle on 34th Street, remake. I think that this is my favorite holiday movie, ever. It's got everything that you need. The triumph of Santa, a savvy and witty six year old, a love story and of course some classic lines!! Not only does it make you feel all warm and fuzzy with the heartwarming storyline, but it just makes you believe! I have seen the original, which is also good, but this one definitely is best.
Boos...How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Sorry Jim Carrey, and Dr. Suess, but this one does not rock my socks. Although the book is a classic, and the original cartoon, this one is just a little too long. It definitely deserves the Oscar for best makeup, but there is a reason why there is an editing room people!

Kudos...Muppet Christmas Carol. The best version of the classic tale. We get to meet the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future with our favorite Muppets, which is always a good time. Our favorites are there, Kermit, Gonzo, Rizzo (my personal favorite), Sam the American Eagle and Miss Piggy, but we also meet so many new ones who make it so good!
Boos...Any other version of the Christmas Carol. Why make it again when Jim Hensen, Kermit and the gang did such a good job?

And it was hard to Boo any more Christmas movies, so here are some extra quick Kudos!

Kudos...White Christmas. Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. 'Nuff said. oh and the sidekick, but I forget his name.
Kudos...Home Alone (1 and 2). The Wet Bandits (Sticky Bandits in the second) are classic as well as how well thought out Kevin McCallister's plans are for taking them down.
Kudos...It's a Wonderful Life. Although it is pretty depressing at points, the ending really is great!

Hungry in SF?

Today the Chronicle had an article about where to eat if you shop till you drop in Union Square. Now I think that shopping in Union Square is pretty much the best thing ever and since every time I shop, I easily get hungry so this article is very handy in my opinion.

I read the article and they all sound delish so if you go and eat at one of these places, let me know!

Here's the article.

San Carlos gets good press!

I get emails from Yelp! (to be honest I don't really know why but they keep sending them to me) and so I get weekly emails. Today I went to open my email and this Yelp! email caught my eye...The Good Eats of San Carlos. Yeah ya! They shed some light on some yummy eateries on my favorite down town street!

Some hot spots that they mentioned:
TOWN...seriously delicious but seriously spensy!
Refuge...never tried it but I always wanted to! I hear it's very good.
Gracie's...the best turkey sandwich...oh man so good!
Cowabunga Creamery...Rootbeer Float ice cream is the best!
Vanilla Moon...Their Hostess style cupcakes are better than Hostess's

Alright now I am hungry and in light of my little town's current economic slump...go support San Carlos restaurants!

Happy December!

Today is December 1st! Which means....24 more days till Christmas! If that makes you nervous, I am sorry, but whatevs.

There is not a whole lot of new and exciting news in the celebrity world, well except the whole Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gylnnhaall break up. Did they? Didn't they? Some have expert sources saying they did, reps are telling us that they didn't. One day we will know the truth!

Alright, well not much else to report, so we shall hope for something exciting in the next few days!

Kudos and Boos!

It's that time of the week again...

Kudos: Kate and Julie...job well done today, and you will find out why later!!!
Boos: Tiger Woods...stop dodging the reporters and just tell us why your back seat window was crushed in! Was your wife really just trying to save your life or was it a domestic dispute gone wrong?? People are starting to speculate so just confirm the story already!

Kudos: HOLIDAY SEASON...you can all decorate your homes and trees now without me judging you...decorate people, decorate!
Boos: White House Crashers...Not the best endorsement for the secret service, but what the hell were they thinking? Also, according to ABC, the "wannabe" reality TV stars (she's hoping for a spot on the new edition of Real Housewives on Bravo) are looking to sell their stories for a price! I definitely won't watch this edition of Housewives if this gig landed her a role (well I hope I wouldn't, but I do love the housewives!)





Kudos: Bonino family soccer game! On Friday we had a soccer game...the Zingers vs. the VP United. Some people were more dedicated (Michael, David, Annie, Christopher, Lisa, Claire and Jeff) while others were not (well I guess just me). It was quite a game...Lisa and I both scored goals...and we had a ton of fun! We even had a cheering section, although they were spotted talking and reading the newspaper more than watching the actual game--they didn't even notice when I scored. Just so you know, they will definitely pay attention when we play again!!
Boos: Highway 5...After a round trip whirlwind excursion to LA this week, I am exhausted! Although the holiday and Black Friday were sooo much fun, I am definitely feeling it today! Although it was wonderful weather in LA on Thursday and Friday (between 70-80's) it was snowing in Gorman on the Grapevine! Never in my life have I seen it snow on the Grapevine, much less cover the entire place!! I did brave the cold for about a nano-second when I rolled down the window to take a picture (If you don't know by now, I don't see snow often nor care to see it). But I have to sayit did look pretty from the inside of the car as I was cuddled up in a fleece blanket!

I heart Friends Thanksgiving Episodes!

Every year, Carly and I watch the Thanksgiving episodes of the classic Friends! This has been a tradition for many a years since these episodes are soooo good! Now, I know you might not have time to watch them before tomorrow, but you have all weekend!!

Here's a list of their episodes... courtesy of Friends Episode Guide

Season 1: The one where Underdog gets away
Season 2: No Thanksgiving episode this year!
Season 3: The one with all the football
Season 4: The one with Chandler in a box
Season 5: The one with all the Thanksgivings
Season 6: The one where Ross got high
Season 7: The one where Chandler doesn't like dogs
Season 8: The one with the rumor
Season 9: The one with Rachel's other sister
Season 10: The one with the late Thanksgiving

Season 8, 9 and 10 are all so good, if you only watch three, those are the ones to watch...oh and 6 is good too! I am sure you can find them on TV this weekend, since the show is on all the time!

But, since I don't know if I'll be able to blog tomorrow (the bus is leaving home tomorrow at 4 am and heading southbound for approx 44 hours) so I hope that you all...both of you readers ;) ... enjoy your holiday and eat lots and lots o' turkey. We will chat when it's OFFICIALLY the holiday season!

Gifts are already selling out!

Although Black Friday is just two days away, some must have gifts are already out of stock! According to a daily email I get, BoSacks, it tells me that the Barnes and Nobel Nook is already a gonner. The $260 e-reader was already sold out at all stores and it looks like there wont be any more in stock until January. Now mind you, it only came out last month. However, a similar product from Sony, which sells for a whopping $400 is also going to sell out.

"Supply is short because the companies rushed the announcement of these two products, and the reality is they're not ready for holiday primetime," said Sarah Rotman Epps of Forrester Research.

Well, if you really wanted one of these digital book readers, I hope you got one. Otherwise, I suppose you are stuck with an old school "book" until January!

Click here for the link if you want to read the whole article!

Kudos and Boos!

Kudos: Thanksgiving food...Last night I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner, well sort of. With the help of Carly and Kate, we were able to cook a full--and delish--dinner. It included: Turkey (courtesy of Safeway, thank you safeway!) yams, mashed potatoes, stuffing (or is it dressing?) cresent rolls, greenbeans and carrots, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie! Carly and Kate did most of the work, but I made some super fantastic cranberry sauce (not the canned kind, thank you very much!!!!) and everyone was raving about it, haha. Can't wait till round 2 on Thursday! love this time of year!
Boos: New Moon...Although it set all sorts of records, I just don't care, and yet everyone is talking about what team you are on, Edward or Jacob...???

Kudos: CAL...GO BEARS! Way to beat Stanford and keep that ax!
Boos: Oprah...kind of anti-climactic that the queen of daytime talk announced this week that she is ending her talk show. However, it isn't for another year and a half. Now, I think it would have been a more exciting shocker if she said that it was like just days away! Now that would have been an exit!

Kudos: Cox-Arquette clan...there is a family emergency and they are stopping production on her new show, Cougar Town, and yet they are keeping it under wraps. They are a classy family.
Boos: Levi Johnston...Posing for Playgirl, but making a lot of noise about it! I was watching E! this week and they had a clip of him talking about his latest photo shoot, and he was bad mouthing his baby's grandma. Now, although I am not Sarah Palin's No. 1 fan, or even in her top 100,000, it's still not classy.

Kudos: The Blind Side...Such a good movie. Sandra Bullock did a great job and so did Tim McGraw! I was very impressed with them and the movie was so entertaining! I give it two thumbs up!!
Boos: Unemployment...I have a new career direction, but unemployment still blows.

Aren't all actors overpaid?

I saw this on Perez today that Forbes just came out with a list of the most overpaid actors. Now, as much as I support the celebrity world, don't we all agree that actors are a bit overpaid to begin with? I've watched the Fabulous Life, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, etc, and know that they are used to the finer things in life...which requires a much higher paycheck!

"Forbes calculates this statistic by comparing the return of investment for each dollar spent on an actor's salary."

Other actors include Ewan McGregor and surprise, surprise, wacky Tom Cruise. Read the full Forbes article here.

I feel bad for Will and Ewan, but I guess they just have to be a little pickier when it comes to their next job. I would read scripts for them! Actually that could be my new career.

Christmas Decorations

There is a house on Howard Ave that put up Christmas decorations last weekend. And not just a few lights, no, no. These people have wreaths, lights, reindeer, stockings, the whole deal. Now, as much as I love holiday decor, I do believe in the honoring the Thanksgiving holidays so that means waiting to decorate your house until Friday!! You are overlooking one of the best holidays because you are so excited for the next holiday! Most people bitch and complain that Christmas is coming too soon, so hold off and wait to decorate your house then!

Now, Thanksgiving is one week from today (!!!) and I urge you all to embrace this next week of fall. As soon as you eat your last piece of pie and come out of your food coma on Thursday night, relish in the fact that you made it Thanksgiving without decorating your house for Christmas. However, I do encourage you to go crazy on Black Friday with whatever floats your holiday boat.

Kudos and Boos!

Kudos...The Old Pro and their drink tickets…One of the main reasons I don’t like going to this particular bar is because of the cover charge (call me cheap, but there is a good place right next door and they don’t charge a cover so I usually prefer to go there). However, on Friday night, we went in and handed the bouncer the five bucks (a lot in an unemployed person’s wallet) but they gave us a ticket for a free drink! I like your thinking Old Pro!

Boos... Sarah Palin…Not only does she just bug me, but she has been all over the media this week hating on her grandbaby’s daddy Levi. Poor form.

Kudos...Boden…So a homegirl from Kids on Campus told me about this company…based in the UK…and it’s kind of like a mix of H and M and J.Crew—two of my favorite places! Although they are a little spensy, their clothes are super cute!
Boos...Wynonna Judd….leave Taylor Swift alone! This week she bad mouthed the 17 (?) year old talent saying she’s too young to win entertainer of the year from the CMAs. My question to you Wynonna is…how many hits did you come out with this year? And how many did T Swift come out with? That’s what I thought.

Kudos...Old Navy…Very cute stuff this season! AND I have stumbled upon something legit! You know when you get the super long receipts with the “take this survey” website attached to it? Well, I finally took one a couple of weeks ago and I got 10 percent off today! It only took like 5 minutes which is definitely my kind of survey! Next time you get something like that…do it!
Boos...Rosie O’Donnell…actually this is a split decision for keeping this a secret from the media for so long. She was able to put us under the impression that the couple still lived together for 2 years…impressive

Kudos...Stanford and Cal…Congrats teams. Way to represent the Bay…especially you Stanford for killing USC (although I am sorry for my silver fox, Pete Carroll). And according to the SJ Mercury, this was the worst smack down USC has suffered since 1966. Wow, I never thought I would say this but way to be Cardinals. Oh and good job my Golden Bears for beating Arizona.
Boos...Old Navy Music…sneaking in some Christmas carols in between their regular music. No good…please please please wait until after thanksgiving, which btw is only 10 days away!!

Happy Birthday Nonni!

Today is Nonni's birthday!

It's hard to believe that last year we were in the midst of all of the celebrations for her 80th! But, to make sure that she didn't think we forgot, the NorCal Boninos elected Lisa (she had today off from work) to reprensent us in LA. She flew down last night--I believe as a surprise--and is spending the day down there today (oh and go to Disneyland today since that's what they always do!)

This picture was from the party last year...we are a very strange family : )

Anywho, Happy Birthday Nonni! Hope your day is splendid and say hi to Mickey for us!

Not Harvard Bound...

According to this article from CNN Opinion, I am not getting into Harvard. A policy analyst for the New America Foundation compares the chances of finding a job in today's unfriendly climate to the chances of being a Harvard prodigy.

"The odds of any one of these 30 million securing one of the 2.4 million full-time jobs available is 8 percent, the same as the admissions rate of the Ivy League gold standard, Harvard University."

It also says that the average time for looking for a job is 26.9 weeks...or 6 months. I have been officially unemployed for 7 weeks and its totally wearing on me...and my mom.

To read the whole article, click here

Kudos and Boos!

I have decided to do a weekly installment! Soooo…introducing “Sunday Kudos and Boos!”

Kudos: Taylor Swift’s SNL performance...The quirky superstar hosted SNL last night and outted all the people who did her wrong…well sort of. She “alluded” to cheating boyfriends, lame break ups with tween idols and, of course, the infamous Kanye West incident from the VMAs this year…and never breaking the smile that was plastered on her face. Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet.

Boo: Randy Quaid...First of all who knew he had made over 60 movies?! Granted about a 1/3 of those are National Lampoon Vacays but still...really? So here’s the question, if he has made so many movies, then why is he running out on hotel bills? Poor form, Randy.

Kudos: Fall Weather...In San Carlos the fall weather is finally here! Let’s just hope it lasts! The past few days have been rather crisp but then again we had a bit of a cold curve (I don’t think we ever got as cold to call it a snap) but then last weekend weekend we were in the high 70s! I guess it’s finally fall!

Boo: Holiday Commercials...Since it’s finally fall, naturally the media is forcing us to start thinking about Christmas. Costco is covered in Christmas decorations, Macy’s has trees up, and it is not even Nov 15. As I always say, it’s no fair skipping a holiday.

Kudos: Bundle Sunday at St Charles...It has encouraged Marko and Lady Di to purge their closets and attics! Although when I suggest it, I get the brush off. I guess when God suggests it, well that’s a whole other can of worms

Boo: Jon Gosselin...It is sad that I am not even surprised by this TLC tool anymore. As a result from my major dislike for him, I tend to—no I do—judge anyone who wears Ed Hardy paraphernalia. Much like I judge anyone who supports/encourages Jessica Simpson.

Kudos: NY Yankees...I didn’t know that they won the world series until I watched Regis and Kelly this week so props to you Yankees! First time winning since 2000…which doesn’t seem like it was that long ago! But I guess Kate Hudson is your good luck charm!

Boo: Twilight at Nordstroms...Maybe it is because I am anti-Twilight, but to have obnoxious shirts that read “Team Edward” and “Bella is my homegirl” (or something to that extent) and cardboard cutouts at a place like Nordies, just causes me to shake my head. Sorry die hard Twilight fans, but I just don’t get it.

Kudos: Nonni...This week is Nonni’s birthday so…Happy Birthday Nonni! She spends her bday every year at her happy place…Disneyland! She did it last year too in the middle of all of her celebrating…we had what I like to call: Nonni-Palooza from the beginning of November to January! I guess we will just have to stretch it out till Thanksgiving!

Boo: Unemployment...It rose this week to over 10 percent…not good for us college grads but this week I start my job as a temp for 2 months! This will keep me busy and roll in some dough…but still, unemployment…no good.

Orange County Housewives!

This post is for you, Kate, since we have been counting down to today : )

Okay so tonight is the premier of Bravo's Real Housewives of Orange County. Its about time! They have created a franchise with these "Real Housewives" but Orange County is still my all time fave. New York is good but some people are a little lame. Atlanta is a little too trashy--I have never really watched it so I guess I can't judge too much. New Jersey is a little too mafia, although Lady Di loves it. And i think that they are doing a Washington, D.C. set and that one has potential.

But this one is really the best! I like to see where they are going since and it would be a boost to the ego to find out that we could go to the same place. (Side note: When we were in San Clemente last summer, Lady Di was having drinks on the Pier and spotted Jeana from the show. Now she was not positive, and tried to take a photo but did she call me? NO. I told her in those kinds of situations, don't think about it, just call me and I will be there in minutes. Just an FYI)

There is so much going on right now...the recession hits Orange County, women are dating their bffs ex fiancees, eviction...it will be one hell of a season.

Not Your Best Work CalTrains

So, you know (or at least heard about) the big Bay Bridge debacle last week which closed the bridge for seven days and caused traffic turmoil for commuters (not that I was one of them but I felt for them)…Strike one. Well, last night when I was driving home from the airport (I drew the short straw and had to pick Christopher up from SFO last night at 9) we encountered a few snags in some more of CalTrain’s handiwork.

We were in the Jeep (solid, elevated, protected) and rounding Burlingame and just about to hit San Mateo. Now, this specific stretch of highway (101 South) had been under construction for a verrrry long time. I think that they were working on expanding and adding a new lane in each direction I think. So, anywho, I was driving and I was in the fast lane which suddenly opened up but there were no markers indicating where the lanes were so I could have been driving in the new lane (if that even existed) or I could be on the shoulder or riding in the middle of the shoulder and the fast lane. Needless to say after a few moments of not knowing what the hell was going on, I merged into a lane that had specific boundaries. Strike two.

Then, just moments later, a flying, tall, skinny, orange traffic cone comes flying towards us! There wasn’t enough time to react, more or less to cautiously look over my shoulders and change into the appropriate lanes, so I just gripped the wheel and powered through. What else was I supposed to do?! But the traffic cone hit the grill of the car and then went underneath without another sound! I assume it just continued flying into the car behind us, but when I looked in the rearview mirror the same car was still behind me. Both of us were quiet, we didn’t know what to do. We were lucky we were in a high car---I don't think a sedan would have survived such an impact! Putting my life (and Christopher's) in danger...Strike three CalTrains.

So, I encourage you to stay in the far right lanes on Southbound 101 by Burlingame (when you look to the East you see all the hotels) and watch out for mystery lanes and flying cones!

Funemployment is getting a little old

Another month has come and gone and still no job. : (

But my days are being filled with random errands, sending out resumes, reading and staring at the phone waiting for it to ring. (Not to sound too emo or anything) But there are things to look forward to this month...Nonni is going to have a birthday next week (although nothing compared to Nonnipalooza last year-3 huge celebrations, but she totally deserved it!) and of course Thanksgiving! Lets hope that I'll have a job at that point so I can really be thankful!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween reader(s?)!! Yesterday the festivities were kicked off in the best possible way when I went back to Santa Clara to KOC and saw their fantastic parade! Some of my favorite costumes included: Harry Potter, Spiderman, Bumblebees, Elephants, Dorothy and Toto, and many many more! Although this holiday kind of reminds me that although those kids are adorable, I am not ready to handle kids on a rollercoaster day like Halloween! But it sure was fun to watch!

The weather today was a little cloudy (I guess it's Fall!) but it looks like it is clearing up as I type! The kids lucked out--last week they were talking rain all weekend! Soo I am wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween!

Here are some jokes to get you in the spirit:

Why didn't the ghost go to the movies?
He didn't have any guts

What kind of mistakes do spooks make?
Boo Boos

What do you get when you goose a ghost?
A handful of sheet!

Where do Mummies go to go swim?
The Dead Sea

Why was the mummy so tense?
Because he was all wound up

Enjoy the day but don't eat too much candy!

Pandora's Box

So, while I sit intently at my computer typing away and browsing for potential jobs, I have found myself getting sick of my usual iPod (or pizzle as I like to call it) playlists so for the past couple of weeks I have reminded myself of how much I LOVE Pandora. Type in one thing and they give you radio without the annoying DJs and commercials (I apologize if any of my three readers have aspiring DJ careers).

Some of my personal favorite selections are: U2 (for obvious reasons of the awesomeness) Blondie, the Eagles and when it gets to be that time of year—their Christmas song selections!

Go ahead and listen. You know you want to.

Blinkers for everyone!

I have been saying this for years. Pedestrians should really wear blinkers. As a driver it is so annoying when you are stopped at a 4-way-stop and you already have that awkwardness between you and the other drivers. Is it my turn? You really got here before I did, but you are slacking. It isn’t your turn and you should have made a more complete stop but I’ll let you go anyways. But then add into the mix the unpredictable pedestrian! You suddenly spot them and then a sudden rush of urgency comes over you to hit the gas so you are visibly proceeding through the intersection so they have to stop. Forget “Pedestrians have the right of way!” you have a coffee date to get to! But sometimes they just are too quick and you spend your time stopped trying to calculate their speed with their arm pumping velocity and see if you have to let them go through. After lots of deliberation (seconds actually turn into minutes in this dimension) you let them go because pedestrians do in fact have the right of way. But, what’s this? They are going in a different direction! You lose your turn and have to wait for the next rotation as you curse them in their blue jumpsuit.

Unfortunately, the same thing goes for being the walker. All these cars that are in some sort of groove and you have to stand on the street corner waiting for permission. I also love it when you get into a waving match with the driver saying “You go! No, you! Oh, okay, I’ll go, oh wait you weren’t serious!” Then you get that nervous knot in the pit of your stomach and then look at the ground as you prance from through the crosswalk. (You prance just merely for the fact that you try to make up for some lost time for both you and the driver.) A heavy sigh comes over you when you reach the other curb and try to avoid all eye contact with any car that is in your direction by examining the landscape. Or has this only happened to me?

Well just imagine if people were all to start wearing blinkers. In my head, I see them as small lights attached to your shoulder—maybe they could clip on to your shirt and then you just tap. When you think about all the benefits from this. First it would ease the flow of traffic, especially at schools during drop off hours. Possibly produce fewer accidents. And just basically be safer for pedestrians AND drivers all over. If I don’t have a real job in 4-6 months, I’m going to capitalize on this. But hey, it’s just food for thought.

Cheezbourger Cheezebourger Cheezebourger...No Fries, Chips!

So the World Famous Billy Goat Tavern have you ever seen the SNL sketch for the “Cheezbourger, Cheezbourger, No Fries, Chips!” man? Well, bitd (back in the day) there used to be a sketch based off of this guy who would tell you what you were having rather than taking your order. And when you mix his accent with demanding nature, you get something far worse than the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld! He told us we were having double “cheezbourgers” and that was it. (Mom was afraid to ask for a diet coke.)

Classic hole in the wall, but only in America would it still be in business.

I can't find the real SNL link, but this was the best YouTube could provide...

More of Chi-Town

Friday’s weather was not really cooperating with us…wind, rain and some more rain. Luckily this was the day we had our tour of the city’s architecture on a river boat. But we prepared ourselves by going to the most amazing museum—the Art Institute of Chicago. I got to see lots of Impressionist pieces and one of my favorite painters—Monet. Next, we then headed towards the “World Famous Billy Goat" restaurant for lunch with Dad since he finally got a break. (See next post) But we made our way back to the Magnificent Mile for some shopping just before our wet river tour, oh and it was still pouring. But we did see some beautiful building foundations. Eventually, we did decide to brave the rain and stand on the top deck for a while so we got to see the top of some of these wonderful buildings! That night we went to Harry Carrey’s (named after a famous Chicago Sports-caster) for dinner with some more friends!

Saturday was Dad’s one and only day to really enjoy the city so we went on a walking tour of the south side—seeing Millennium Park (which was where Obama had his acceptance speech the night he was elected) with the giant silver bean and then going to see the hotel that Dad used to stay at when he came to Chicago—the Union League Club. Good times. When we made our way North, Mom and I dragged him into the American Girl Place so that we could set up a reservation for tea and he was less than thrilled go there—I, however, loved it. (BTW there is a doll named Julie now…coincidence? I think not).

But when we were walking to get some lunch we encountered a medical emergency! Dad’s nose started bleeding and it would not stop! I kept telling him to pinch his nose and lean forward, but does he listen to me…no. So the next thing we know, we are at Northwestern ER! (Ironically this is the same place Lisa went when she popped her knee freshman year at Loyola.) As a result, Mom and I missed our tea reservation. Oh and yes he was okay, it was the dry cold weather and the fact that he didn’t pinch his nose to stop it. Just a little excitement on a lazy Saturday! Before we knew it, we had to hop on that Southwest flight heading west and bid farewell. Until next time Chicago…

Chicago!

Don’t worry—I didn’t get a job yet. I have just been seriously “slacking” (people tell me) on my blogging. So, back by popular demand…my life!

Let’s start out with…Chicago!

My kind of town. ‘Nuff said. This place was amazing. I think that if I liked the cold—I could definitely live there (however, it is approximately 65 degrees at the moment and I am cold). But, getting to the point, we went for a Conference-Convention type deal for an organization that Dad belongs to—DRI (Defense Research Institute, I think—bunch of lawyers in one place so we spent most of our time outside). So the three of us hopped on Southwest flight and flew East! It was a beautiful day when we got there and that night after a reception we went to dinner at Lou’s Italian Village. My mom liked to call this restaurant, “K-Mart in Italy” due to the tacky decorations and twinkle lights (sorry any K-mart fans) but the food was delish.

On Thursday, Mom and I put on our tourist shoes and began a foot attack on the city. We started with the John Hancock Building which is a 90-something story building with an incredible view of the city. OH! I forgot to brag about the celebrity sighting that I had whilest walking down Michigan Ave (aka the Magnificent Mile!) drum roll please…I saw… Bachelorette Gillian’s…fiancé ED! He was running and minding his own business but I spotted him! After a quick confirmation to Teresa to make sure that they lived in Chicago, I confirmed that it was him! I was so excited since I NEVER see celebrities—my family can attest to that. But getting back to the day’s events—we went on a tour of the city with a legit tour guide (he was approx 65 and hilarious) and saw most of the city! But we hopped off and went to the Museum of Natural History—the Field Museum I believe is the proper name—and we met the country’s (possibly the world’s) most accurate T-Rex, Sue. She had the most bones of any exhibit…take that LA!

That night we went to another reception at the Aquarium (the last place on earth I would EVER have a party). People who like fish probably had a good time, but being under ground with a huge tank of sharks looking at you is not my idea of a good time (and neither are touch pools). But luckily we had dinner reservations with some of Dad’s friends so we scooted back to the Hancock Building and had dinner on the 95^th Floor!