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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Drive-Bys

Add this to my ridiculous Xmas/birthday/whatever wish list. Luge and skeleton are among my favorite winter Olympic sports, so this little doohickey has a lot of appeal.

Besides -- it's recommended ages 5 & up. (I qualify, I think.)

Given that it doesn't have wheels or blades, I might even make it to the bottom of the hill without killing myself. Either way, it looks like it'd be fun.
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If you've got a teen who's about to get his/her first driver's license, you might want to switch to American Family Insurance, which has a great plan to offer you:

Nora and John Suter said they trusted their son, but they didn't want to take their eyes off him completely as he sped off with his friends into a particularly risky phase of teen independence: the first year of driving.

Thanks to American Family Insurance's Teen Safe Driver program, they found a solution: The Suters installed a video camera just above the rearview mirror of the Mustang. It keeps a running tab of Tyler's every erratic driving move.

I wouldn't have thanked my parents for this, but I didn't have cell phones, iPods or any electronic distraction except the radio when I first started to drive.

Thanks to American Family Insurance's Teen Safe Driver program, they found a solution: The Suters installed a video camera just above the rearview mirror of the Mustang. It keeps a running tab of Tyler's every erratic driving move.

Alas, there have been many. Like the time Tyler floored the gas to pass a friend's pickup in a subdivision.

"I looked up and saw the (recording) light, and I knew I was busted," he said.

Then there was the time Tyler nearly rear-ended a car at a stop sign, or when he gassed the car into a right-hand turn to catch up with a friend. Thanks to two lenses, the camera simultaneously captured what was going on inside and in front of the car.

Nora Suter watched the videos on a laptop in the family's kitchen. "Tyler, do you see how dangerous this could be? A child could run out on the street, and you'd have no time to stop."

Sounds like it would ensure your teen knew when he/she was being watched and give you both plenty to discuss, as well.
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This is a great list of what to do if you've had a pet escape or wander off. Print yourself a copy and tuck it in a drawer.

Here are some tips for finding a lost cat or dog from experts at the Anti-Cruelty of Chicago, PAWS Chicago, Feline Friends Chicago and the Citizens for Animal Protection:

† Act immediately. The longer you wait, the farther your pet can travel. Plus, the chances of your pet getting injured increases.

† Leave items with a familiar scent outside your home. A litter box, pet bed or a shirt or shoes recently worn by the pet owner can attract a pet who has strayed.

† Search the neighborhood. Walk, ride a bicycle or drive slowly through your neighborhood several times each day. Whistle a few times, then call your pet’s name twice. Listen carefully and look around.

† Your pet may be injured, frightened or trapped and unable to come to you. Hearing your voice may encourage your pet to answer you. After you call the pet’s name two or three times, remain in one place long enough to see if you can hear your pet.

† A lost pet may hide during the day, so go out again at night through your neighborhood with a flashlight and call for your cat or dog.

† Ask neighbors, letter carriers and delivery people, anyone you see, if they have seen your pet.

† Post flyers at intersections within a two-mile radius of the area of where your pet was lost. Also, give flyers to local grocery stores, community centers, pet stores, veterinary offices, churches and laundromats.

† The flyers should have a photograph of the pet and how to reach you as well as provide information such as fur color, breed and eye color.

† Advertise in local and community newspapers.

† Visit all local animal shelters and animal-control agencies as well as call or e-mail them. Your pet could show up at any time.

† File a lost pet report with every shelter in the city and suburbs. Check with the shelters every few days.

† If your pet was lost anywhere near a highway, contact the area’s department of transportation.

† Call veterinary hospitals.

† Do not send reward money or offer information to anyone claiming they have your pet.

† File a lost pet report with the Chicago Police Department.

I hope you never need it, but it's a great resource if or when you do.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



I have no idea why this has been stuck in my head, but it's been there since last night.
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Giggle of the Day:

Drive-Bys

Just how smart am I?

Given Braun's history of demonstrably bad judgment, and the fact that Jesse Jackson's filthy fingerprints are all over this turn of events, I'm confident she'll do or say something -- and probably a lot of things -- to get herself blown right out of the race.

And it took less than 24 hours for her to serve up this juicy gem:

Mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun today said she won't make her tax returns public before next month's election.

"Because I don't want to," Braun said when asked why she wouldn't be releasing them in the time before the Feb. 22 election.

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha!!! Keep 'em coming, Carol! Show us how much you really don't want to win the primary, let alone the mayoral race.

(A tip of the cap to Marathon Pundit... and the predictive powers of my Magic Cheezburger.)
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In the interest of making it easy to shop for me for Christmas 2011, I really, really want one of these:


Yes, I throw like a girl. But with one of these, I'd throw like an awesome girl.
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This parody of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" gave me fits of the giggles. Behold just one verse of the whole beautiful thing:

We're numb, we're numb, Emanuel.
Does Carol Moseley Braun still ring a bell?
So Danny's name's the first that will appear
It's him and Gery Chico at the rear.
Your voice, your choice, Emanuel
Stop using words much worse than damn or hell

That's just fabulous!
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New Jersey is going after "unused" gift cards? What's next -- going after your savings accounts because you haven't "used" the money in them?
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Milk Run - BlogHer 2010

On my Metra Route, a milk run has no express runs -- it hits every stop.

Here's almost every stop I made today:

Lunch with the lovely and talented Miss Nancy, as well as: Eliana, Emily, Laura (who has great ideas for where to eat on the cheap in NYC), Veronique (a crafty, wonderful lady who my nieces would adore!), Sandy and this lovely lady, who shares little but the twinkle in her eye.

A run through the downstairs swag hall -- SOYJOY bars, including the new banana one that's not even out on the market yet (Hi, Kendra!), Weebles!, live Mrs. Potato Head (pictures to come), eye makeover thanks to Debra Macki, interesting conversation regarding HPV testing with cervical cancer survivor and all around great chick Christine Baze, Poppin' Fresh the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the dog from Marmaduke (pictures to come), an offer from Jenn Foreacre to blog about her most interesting products from time to time and in any fashion I felt comfortable (okay, it was this post that prompted that offer), enough Eucerin products to moisturize an entire tribe of Bedouins, a lovely service dog, personalized Dora the Explorer tee shirts for my nieces (Crap! Reminder to self to go pick them up in the a.m.), Laughing Cow cheese (which is sitting in the mini fridge, and will be breakfast on Sunday)... okay -- enough already!

Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnn!!!

More tomorrow...

I'm about to fall over from exhaustion!

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But I did want to give a shout out to our waiter Alex at Le Brasserie de Maison. He was the capper on our most lovely day!

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And Miss Nancy says she loves having cocktails getting tipsy with me. Like I'm the bad influence or something...

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:



Once you start perusing Happy Chair is Happy... you start seeing this stuff everywhere! (Go vote for this one here.)
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After all the crappy things in the news lately, stories like this are lovely. (Anyone who's ever had a beloved stuffed animal will agree!) I hope Meare-Cat does make it home again...
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See? The Answer Angel kept her word! (Thanks, Ellen!)
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Having worked for a family law attorney a gazillion years ago and having used a mediator for my own long-ago divorce, I highly recommend anyone who has ever even contemplated walking out the door cut this article out and tuck it away, just in case.

Quite frankly, it's less expensive in all sorts of ways if you can put hurt and anger on the side and treat each other with respect if you part company. It's even more important to suck it up and remember what's important when there are kids involved.
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Ear Worm of the Day: