Drive-Bys

This* shouldn't look like so darned much fun...



... but it does, doesn't it?
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PSA:

If you feed your cat Purina One Vibrant Maturity 7+ dry cat food, you might want to check out this recall due to possible salmonella contamination.
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By jinkies, Rahm is actually a man with a backbone:

Pink slips were sent Friday to about 80 full-time city traffic control aides who will be out of a job Aug. 15. The layoffs stem from a plan Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced on his first full day in office in mid-May, not his more recent plan to lay off up to 625 workers after he said unions failed to agree to work-rule changes.

Now maybe the unions will sit up and pay attention. I hate to see anyone lose their job, on the one hand. On the other, unions really need to stop thinking they should get more benefits than the tax payers who pay their salaries.
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Oooh! An invisibility cloak that really works. Put one on my birthday list, will ya?
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Lots of pretty things like this...


... can be found at A Pocket Full of Posies. I want them all. (Note birthday wish list above. It's coming soon, you know.)
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I have a new super hero -- Excuse Man!

Gotta love a guy who says things like, "Hell no, I don't exercise. When I want to lose my ass, I go to Vegas."
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*Blobbing... blogging -- either way, someone launches you and you're out there on your own, flying without a net. And it's absolutely how this particular blog was launched, too.
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Ear Worm of the Day:

Drive-Bys

All of a sudden Illinois Dems are acting like Republicans -- and they're leaving my head spinning. Behold:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is proposing another round of ethics legislation — this time to try to “reign in the influence” of City Hall lobbyists and lift the veil on their influence-peddling activities.

During his first few hours in office, Emanuel signed a series of executive orders that, among other things, aimed to slam shut the “revolving door” that has allowed city employees and mayoral appointees to lobby City Hall. They are now banned from doing so for at least two years after leaving their jobs.

Emanuel also swore off campaign contributions from city lobbyists and insulated city employees from pressure they had felt to give gifts or make political contributions to the mayor, department heads or city supervisors.

More recently, the mayor also posted an unprecedented amount of information about city lobbyists on the internet.Now, he is prepared to go further. At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, the mayor will introduce an ordinance limiting — to $50 per gift and $100 per calendar year — the value of gifts lobbyists can give to city employees.

And good ol' Governor Giveaway is finally reining it in, too:

Gov. Pat Quinn said Tuesday he was prepared to go to court against the unions to defend his decision to cancel pay raises for nearly 30,000 state workers and he repeatedly blamed lawmakers for leaving him no choice by not setting aside the money.

“It’s very clear that the money wasn’t available for the raises and therefore there’s really nothing I could do to clear it up,” Quinn said after a Chicago press conference where he touted a $10 million program to give teens and young people internships and jobs in state parks, park districts and nature centers.

Quinn made the surprise announcement Friday that workers wouldn’t be getting the 2 percent increase they were expecting that day. The state’s largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said it had no idea Quinn was considering such action.

The raises will save the state about $75 million as it copes with a budget crisis.

And finally Governor Giveaway shocked me with this stunner:

The names of licensed gun owners in Illinois will remain private under a measure Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law today.

The governor approved legislation to prevent Illinois State Police from releasing the names of those who hold or have applied for a Firearm Owner’s Identification card.

Apparently they're listening to the tax paying public here in Illinois. Who knew?
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Quote of the Day #1:

"President Sparklefarts is seriously deranged." -- Second City Cop

(Yes, it made me giggle, although the subject matter did not.)
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Is buying organic produce really better? Apparently that's a yes and a no. Go here to check out which fruits and veggies contain higher levels of pesticides and which ones don't.
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Is it rude to text in at the movies, during a live concert or during a live theater performance?

Those little LED screens can break the spell in a darkened theater, and it doesn't matter that you're not making a sound. "Anything intrusive is a noise, and the light is intrusive," said Charles Coleman, who is the programmer at Facets Multimedia. "Using a phone in a darkened... theater is like lighting a road flare."

In a word -- YES. Turn 'em off, folks.
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Smoke belching from Asia's rapidly growing economies is largely responsible for a halt in global warming in the decade after 1998 because of sulphur's cooling effect, even though greenhouse gas emissions soared, a U.S. study said on Monday.

So we really don't have to go green? All we have to do is encourage Asia to pollute more and that'll stop global warming? Or we could simply burn more coal here in order to save the planet?

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha!!!
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Has anyone else out there gotten a bazillion emails of posts to Google+ from friends who are beta testing the site?

Jeepers Creepers! It's like having Facebook invade your email. Ugh.

If anyone knows how to opt out of receiving every brilliant thought that crosses someone's mind out of my gmail, please, please, please let me know.

(No. I will not be signing up for this one.)
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Quote of the Day #2:

"I'm really not a 'What Would Jesus Do?' kind of guy. I'm more of a 'Why Would Jesus Do That?' kind of person." -- My Baby Bro, 7/4/11

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Holy crap. I almost forgot that ADWD lands six days from now... or so they promise. Seems I'm not the only skeptic.

(Fingers crossed.)

Drive-Bys

What's the sweetest item not on the menu at Sweets & Savories?

A peek-a-boo playing Mr. Monkey Toes, of course! (Our brunch there was fantastic, by the way -- great food, lovely ambiance, very good value.)

Mr. Monkey Toes and Mommy play with Ziggy the skunk and Dot the ladybug. Yes, I've started him out early on theatre, and he loved every second of it. Chicago Children's Theatre is terrific fun for kids of all ages.
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Why don't I try online dating?

Within minutes of filling out my profile, e-mails with comments such as "Hey cutie!" or "What-up?" flooded my inbox. One man even said "Send me some body pics babe! Wanna see if you're hot from the waist down too!"

As Hairboy would say, "Yeef!"

You'd think these does and don'ts would go without saying...

Don't have screen names like "Mommywarnedyou" or "HotstuffMike." "Write a profile name that will make someone smile, not that will scare someone off," says Gandhi.

Don't take pictures of yourself with no shirt on in your bedroom. Shirtless photos are already sketchy, but if you want to show off your physique, be doing something, like swimming or fishing or rock climbing. You sitting in your desk chair with no shirt on just brings out all sorts of bad images that you don't want anyone to have in a first impression.

Don't use acronyms in your profile description that might offend, such as WTF or BS.

Do use spell-check when writing your profile. "You are wooing someone with your words so the first impression matters," says Gandhi. "And use punctuation. In this cyber-world, people think they can type the way they would text, and that can come off as lazy."

Don't reach out to people half your age. I got asked out by an 87-year-old man. I'm not against older men — but I will not be dating someone who could be my great-grandfather.

Don't "wink" at people. This is quite possibly more annoying than a million "pokes" on Facebook. If you like someone, send them a note.

Do write them an e-mail. "Take the time to write a good e-mail based on something the target has written," says Gandhi. "It doesn't have to be long — just enough to make them smile. And use the subject line in your e-mail to stand out. Ninety-five percent of people will say 'Hi'. Say something that responds to a comment in their profile. It shows you've actually read what they put out there rather than just looked at the pictures."

Don't be sarcastic. When I was struggling to write my profile, I decided to ask my 5-year-old son to describe me. I thought it was hilarious. But Gandhi warned, "Sarcasm doesn't translate in writing as well. They need to get to know you first, and that may be off-putting."

Unfortunately some men really do need to be whapped upside the head with the stupid stick. (For what it's worth, there are a lot of ridiculously dense women who should learn a lesson or two as well.)

Life as a satisfied singleton life suits me better every day.
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WTF? of the Day:

A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day.

I don't know what they're smoking in that ivy-covered corner of Cambridge, but it's apparently got some very strange side effects.
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Roughly 530 colleges across the country will soon have to submit special reports to Uncle Sam, explaining why their tuition and student fees have recently surged.

All I have to say is WHAT TOOK SO LONG???
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Obama really should be taking tips from Chicago's new mayor:

Eager to avoid job cuts but more determined to solve a budget crisis, Mayor Rahm Emanuel posed a painful choice for organized labor: face 625 layoffs or sign off on $20 million in work-rule changes by midnight Thursday.

Emanuel said he has identified the 625 employees “as a precautionary measure,” but he refused to identify them, nor would he reveal what city services might be reduced, eliminated or privatized.

The mayor stressed that he does not want to pull the trigger on the layoffs. He insisted that job cuts will not be necessary if organized labor will “be my partner” on $20 million in work rule changes outlined for labor leaders this week that, Emanuel claimed, are already in place in union shops in the private sector.

But the new mayor said he is prepared to balance the city budget, without furlough days that have undermined employee morale and with or without union help.

He's doing a great job of keeping his promises so far.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



I've never been a fan of Rod Stewart... but... I've gotta admit I love the way he does the old standards!

Drive-Bys

The brilliant (and bent) mind behind @MayorEmanuel is finally revealed:

For weeks, journalists and insiders have urged the person behind @MayorEmanuel to reveal himself, but he (or she) demurred. Until now. After a protracted email negotiation, the author has outed himself to The Atlantic. He's receiving no compensation.

The genius behind @MayorEmanuel is Dan Sinker, who has a heart made out of Chicago and balls of punk rock.

Read the whole beautiful thing.

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I don't know why anyone would pay full price for a meal in Chicago, what with Groupon, YouSwoop, LivingSocial, kgbDeals, Open Table and Village Vines offering wonderful deals. And now there's a new and innovative entry into the market -- gDine.com:

Bargain-hunters, there's another discount-dining game in town.

gDine.com launched in the Chicago market today with about 20 participating restaurants, and owner Rakeesh Thakkar says he'll have 100 restaurants within two months.

"It's Opentable meets Orbitz meets Restaurant Week," Thakkar says.

Positioned as an alternative to couponing, the site lists restaurants and their deals, generally a set menu (with choices) for a given price. Diners select a day and time, pay up front and arrive to dine with the big unknown -- the check -- already paid.

Thakkar says the format is especially helpful to larger parties. Individuals can pay their share up front and enjoy dinner with no "who-ordered-what" issues at meal's end.

Sounds good!

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Have any of my readers tried this Provent doohicky?

Looks to me like it would beat the hell out of a CPAP machine or any of the dental devices available on any number of levels -- less invasive, more mobility in bed (YOU try turning over with a hose attached to your head without strangling yourself and/or yanking the machine off the nightstand), and certainly more portability.

I'm seriously thinking about getting the free trial sets, but would be interested to know if any of you have tried this product and how it did or did not work for you.

P.S. -- Given that my dreams, which are once again lasting all night long, have recently featured little pop-up ads in the lower right-hand corner of my dreams, just like the ones at Pajamas Media, anything that would improve my quality of sleep at this point would be welcomed.

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Note to self: Pay attention to the weather report and carry a damned umbrella if rain or sleet is in the forecast. You'll pay the price if you don't.

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Drive-Bys

The only downside of having a grandson, instead of a granddaughter, is that he'd have no appreciation for Nana buying him this adorable set:


Then again, only two figures from the whole set are female so...

Nah. I just can't do that to Mr. Monkey Toes.
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You know how I love me some dealios, and this article has several for the Chicago area for the month of February. (I've proposed to my Sainted SIL that we go to Macellos either before or after Disney on Ice, and I'll be sure to visit the Halsted Street Deli several times for that breakfast deal!)

Also, Goggles4u is having another big sale on spex. When you can get a complete pair or single-vision glasses with coated lenses (lots of cool styles and colors) delivered for $8.99 + $4.99 shipping, you're nuts if you pass up this deal! There are also deals on progressive lenses and designer frames. What are you waiting for?
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Want to see me go weak in the knees? Whisper sweet nothings like:

Also great: the kimchi burger ($6), a glorious glorp that renders both hands a mess with orange chili oil and clear beef juices, its components falling onto the table at first bite. Song's mother makes the kimchi — the cabbage is not overly aggressive, an appropriate 4 on a 1-to-10 pungency scale. Most of the tingle comes from the gochujang mayo, the sweet fermented soybean-chili paste found in every Korean pantry.

For me, the burger's success lies in the buns, a sesame brioche with a gentle crispness surrounding a buttery, airy interior.

Or...

The Philly cheesesteak egg roll ($2) is the unholy confluence of Song's dual-cultural upbringings. I don't apologize about my feelings on this: I would cry foul if the local T.J. McGamer's sports bar served this, but because this comes from an Asian chef, it's as if he — speaking for his race — is giving tacit permission to bastardize the egg roll.

So bastardize on, young man. The deep-fried egg roll, stuffed with chopped rib-eye, grilled onions, white American cheese, and an artful squiggle of ketchup and ranch, is unapologetic bar grub you shake your head while eating, all remorse and grease, but there's no stopping till it's gone.

Be still, my beating heart!
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@MayorEmanuel kicked over the ol' giggle box. I love me some fine political humor!

The Trib's take on this hilarious Twitter feed? "I would look at the @MayorEmanuel account as the social media equivalent of a newspaper cartoon. It gives people a virtual caricature of Rahm."

Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing.
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Heresy!

Bacon has not merely jumped the shark. Bacon has taken all the sharks, stuffed them with cupcakes, ice cream, sausage, lipstick, alarm clocks, and mayonnaise, wrapped them in bacon, deep-fried them, then jumped that. Using a ramp made of bacon.

It's lies, all lies, I tell you!

(A tip of the cap to my green-thumbed pal!)
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