Drive-Bys

A fixture from my childhood here in Chicago has turned 90. Happy Birthday to Dr. Lester Fisher, who introduced us to The Ark in the Park at Lincoln Park Zoo!

And since my most persistent ear worm has returned due to these memories, I'm passing it on to you:


_____

Mark your calendars for November, when Rob Kroese's next book in the Mercury series lands! I loved the first one, and can't wait for the new one to arrive!
_____

Things I won't be doing this weekend? Going to WingFest (Wah! No PB&J wings!) or to the IKC Dog Show, where I'll bet you Hickory and several of the best in Group from Westminster will put in an appearance.

I will, however, be at the Irish American Heritage Center working the box office for That Was Then on Saturday and Sunday. See you there?

Drive-Bys

Ear Worm of the Day:



Heard in the wee small hours of the morning on the Steve & Johnnie Show. I haven't been able to shake it ever since. (And that's okay with me, because it's happy-making.)
_____

This news makes me sad:

Eleven jobs are being cut at Brookfield Zoo to help close a $1.3 million budget shortfall.

The Chicago Zoological Society announced the staff reductions on Monday, citing budget adjustments and reductions that it says are necessary to ensure financial stability in 2011. The staff cuts bring the society’s work force to a 15-year low. The society says the staff cuts don’t include positions that deal with animal welfare or public safety.

The society also announced wage freezes for non-union workers, the elimination of paid internships along with reductions in seasonal labor, operating expenses and leadership salaries. Two yet-to-be-identified animal exhibit yards are to be closed and the animals sent to other accredited institutions.

If you've never been there, Brookfield Zoo is Lincoln Park Zoo's bigger, steroid-enhanced, simply amazing sibling. Yes, you have to pay to get in... but this is one zoo where you can't see everything in one day because of the size and scope of its exhibits.
____

Quote of the Day:

I looked good, especially considering I am not a spring chicken. I am an early-fall chicken.

I can identify with that!
_____

For those of you who are more intrepid than I, I give you the Cleavage-to-Age Effectiveness Ration for Dating Sites. (Apparently I'd score high.)
_____

You know I love a true love story:

When Nick Schmidt and Bahar Mallah were introduced, he told her he was sick.

At a bar after an Illini game on a chilly night in October 2008, she asked him why he wasn't drinking. Cancer, he explained. That was typically when such conversations ended.

But Mallah stuck around long enough for him to ask whether he could buy her a drink instead.

"'I have cancer, but I'll buy you a drink?'" Mallah recalled saying to him. "'That's your line? That's a horrible, horrible line.'"

Get out your hankies for the rest.
_____

Giggle of the Day:

Drive-Bys

I spent the day at the Lincoln Park Zoo yesterday:









_____

Saw this...

And immediately thought of Jimbo. Can't imagine why...
_____

Tagline of the Day:

"Protection for your privates, both literally and figuratively"

Love it!
_____

Sunday Schedule

I have another new heroine:

The real story of bigotry and intolerance is the fact that it lives and thrives on the left. As a gay woman who spent most of her adult life pushing the cart for liberal causes with liberal friends in a liberal city, I found that sexism, racism and homophobia are staples in the liberal world. The huge irony is liberals spend every ounce of energy promoting the notion that they are the banner carriers of individualism and personal freedom, yet the hammer comes down on anyone who dares not to conform to, or who dissents even in part from, the liberal agenda.

Think about what would happen if you did act up? If you dared to say you like Sarah Palin, or admire Margaret Thatcher, or think global warming is a hoax, or think Bill Clinton is a sexual predator, or that George W Bush isn't to blame for everything, or that Barack Obama has absolutely no clue what he's doing, you know there would be a price to pay. Odds are that your "liberal" friends would very liberally hate you. At the very least, being shunned would be your new experience, condemning you to suffer that horrific liberal malady called social death.

Sing it, sister!

_____

Now here's a little blast from my past:

The bulky, blue machines are all more than 40 years old now, but the idea behind them remains as irresistible to Chicago children today as it once was to their parents and grandparents.

"Now You Can Operate the Amazing Mold-A-Rama Automatic Miniature Plastic Factory!"

I can't wait until my grandson's old enough to start his own collection. Lincoln Park Zoo, Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry and Brookfield Zoo -- Oh, the fun we'll have!

_____

Yep. I called this one a year and a half ago, and once the price of the Kindle itself went down, the sale of the device... and eboooks... went way up:

Though they only make up 9 percent of the consumer book market, e-book sales are up 193 percent over a year ago, according to the Association of American Publishers.

An estimated 4 million U.S. homes have an e-book reader such as Amazon's Kindle or Barnes & Noble's Nook, according to Forrester Research, which predicts sales of more than 29 million devices by 2015.

HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray reports "a sea change in the past few months" among new best-selling books: "On some books, the e-books are outselling the hardcovers."

Seriously, my Kindle was second only to meeting my daughter for the first time on my list of all-time great Christmas gifts. I use it all the time. It weighs next to nothing, fits in most of my purses and I can get books in seconds any time I want. On top of that, I've used it for simple Google searches lately, and I can even check email or blog from the darned thing if I'm really stuck far away from my laptop.

One more thing -- I've been introduced to a lot of new authors through the Kindle store's best seller list, and I've gotten a lot of interesting stuff either free or at a discount that way. (And when I've liked the discounted/free stuff, I've gone back and purchased more of the authors' works at the regular Kindle price.)

They really are dandy little devices.

_____

Getting ready to put together your Christmas shopping list? This article is loaded with tips for saving money on all your holiday purchases. (You may even want to print and save it for future use!)

_____

More Facebook privacy issues. Sheesh!

_____

Quote of the Day:

Braun's ego -- remember her run for president in the 2004 cycle? -- is matched only by her leaden political ear, behind which she had dabbed a little eau de Stroger. Yeah, that'll bring out the vote.

Zorn's got her number, all right.

_____

Where are you on the empathy scale?

My score: 67
0 - 32 = low (most people with Asperger Syndrome or high-functioning autism score about 20)
33 - 52 = average (most women score about 47 and most men score about 42)
53 - 63 is above average

64 - 80 is very high

80 is maximum

Found via LL, who found it via Vox Day. Dr. Helen also took the test.

_____

Blogthings!

You Crave Inspiration

You are optimistic about both your present and your future. Things are going well for you. You see love as companionship. You're the type of person who would fall for his or her best friend. You expect other people to respect you. You are respectful of them in return. Your inner child is playful. You can have as much fun as any kid!

The City Park Test

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

... and...

Your Workspace Says You Work Best With Others

You are generally fairly organized, but you have occasional slip ups. You find keeping organized challenging. You are hardworking and driven. You have an excellent work ethic. You are proud of your life, and you want your co-workers to know how great it is. You're not afraid of some subtle bragging. You don't switch careers often, and you intend to stay at your current job for a long time. At work, you tend to be an extrovert. You enjoy working with other people and drawing people into your work space.

What Does Your Work Space Say About You?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes