If you live in or near Des Plaines, you know that The Choo Choo is a tradition in town. Seems our wonderful mayor has designs on that particular piece of real estate, and wants tear the building down.
Stop by here and give him a piece of your mind, will ya? Even better, stop by and have a bite to eat. You'll be glad you did! _____
I'm thinking Joanie and Nancy and I should give those guys a run for their money. We could call ourselves the Hell's Belles or some such blather. _____
I've always been better at remembering faces than names. This test confirms it! I got a 100% Recognition Score and a 79% Temporal Memory score (which would probably have been higher if I'd know from the get-go that's what was being measured).
For those of us singletons who'll never bake a cake because we're afraid we'd eat the entire thing, this is just the coolest:
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
1 Coffee Mug 4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising) 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons baking cocoa 1 egg 3 tablespoons milk 3 tablespoons oil 3 tablespoons chocolate chips(optional) a small splash of vanilla essence
Spray PAM in mug.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla essence, and mix again.
Pour mixture into mug.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (This can serve 2)
And why is this is the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
An argument my brother will raise the next time Sainted SIL complains... _____
These are graduate students? I'd expect this from teenagers, but not from grad students. Kellogg is a prestigious school, and I'm sure they're livid about this. _____
Shot hot tea right out my nose when I read this. _____
For all those folks who've picked on Blogger... mu.nu is down again, and Blogger's like a Timex that takes a lickin' and keeps on ticken'.
It must be one of those technowhiz v. technotard (like moi) things. I'd rather use something that is relatively simple and works like a champ than something I had to fiddle with constantly.
Tom Dart has become Chicago's very own Michael Knight. Why? Because one man can (and did) make a difference.
How cool is that? _____
In one very odd harmonic convergence, the last three books I've read (one romance, one murder mystery and, currently, a thriller) have mentioned, if not featured, this group. How weird is that? _____
Giggle of the Day:
see more puppies _____ This place is aptly named... on more than one level! (Can you read the whole thing without laughing? I couldn't.)
We started early Saturday afternoon over a leisurely lunch in the beer garden (where else?) at Jimmy's Restaurant, which is spitting distance from the Depot d'Omnibus. Located right next to another garden spot, Nancy and 'Pup felt right at home.
Next stop? The Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, IL. It's an incredibly lovely building that closely resembles white marble lace. It's beautiful architecture and impeccably-kept grounds make it a "must" for any visit to the Chicago area.
Then we were off to the Chicago Botanic Garden via the Lake Michigan Circle Tour route. Given the late afternoon timing and consideration to 'Pup's arthritis and Nancy's gacked-out knees, we took a tram tour around the gardens to give them an idea of the many different gardens offered and the sheer size of the place. (See pics below.)
Finally, we stashed the rental car in a parking garage and flagged down a taxi to haul us to Rosebud on Rush for an al fresco dinner. After a ton of good pasta, we flagged down another taxi and headed down to Howl at the Moon for a little dueling piano action. Aside from one inconsiderate idiot, the evening was entirely entertaining. (In fact, I'd like to give a shout-out to those Purdue and Ohio State fans who turned bribing the piano player into a highly lucrative blood sport. $200 for one song? Dudes! I'm in awe.)
Anyhow, we're older than we once were, so we eventually headed off to our respective night-nights... with a promise to meet again yesterday and do it all over again. More tomorrow!
This, courtesy of my buddy Sascha, manager of this fine Potbelly establishment. Hearing it playing on the radio when I swung by for my favorite breakfast sandwich was a reminder that the Princess Mom used to call my buddy Hank McAndless "Hanky Panky" with great glee.
Memories of a tall, blonde, mustachioed hottie and of a gleeful Princess Mom = One Very Good Day. _____
One of the things Nancy and I chatted about during her visit here is the possibility of reviving Christina's old 1,000 word story challenges. Rosie has apparently also expressed interest. Since I'm not quite up to a Blog Novella, yet, the idea of 1,000 words based on a trigger sentence or two has a lot of appeal.
Sharpen your pencils, boys and girls. We'll be getting back to you with the details soon. _____
I'm in a bit of a pissy mood because I can't go to Helen this year, so I decided to play some Calvin Ball:
Your result for How good of a Calvinball player are you?...
Your Grade= A+ Good knowledge and excellent strategy!
63% Game_Knowledge and 89% Game_Skill!
Amazing. You are part of the 4.3% of the population that landed in this category.* You know the game and its history well, and you did amazingly well when it came to playing Calvinball strategically.
This suggests that you probably have a natural talent in Calvinball. You have learned that the trick to doing well in Calvinball is not brute strength, but quick wit. With your natural ability you could go far.
You are definitely already talented enough to beat Calvin. A match versus the quick-witted tiger would be close. I'm going to give you the edge, but his superior knowledge of the game might propel him to victory.
And then I got a text message from this Texas pal o'mine. Seem she and her dear hubby are in Chicago for a high school reunion, and I get to take them out on the town tomorrow evening.
If I can't have my Blown-Eyed Blodgers, I'll take a couple of the Blown Star variety!
(I just hope my pals in Helen remember to tip a gallon or two of the Chatham Artillery Battery Acid and Built-In Hangover in my honor.... A real hardship, I know.) _____
Your result for The Supervillain Archetype Test...
The Professional
Cool, Levelheaded, Lethal
The Professional is the most dangerous of all villains. You do what you do better than anyone, because, as a Professional, you have standards.
The Professional is like the Crook in that they both desire money. But the Professional wants more than that. The Professional wants job satisfaction. It isn't sadism really, he just wants to be sure that the job is done, and done well. No hard feelings, it's just business. Professionals prefer to work alone, but will work in groups if given incentive.
The greatest weakness of a Professional is risk. A Professional is business-like, but can't resist a challenge. They often use the word "worthy opponent". People like that are easily baited. And if a Professional is eventually cornered (not easy to do), they might lose it.
Want to know who to blame for the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac debacle? Just ask LawDog.
Frightening. _____
The Advice Goddess is on a tear about assholes who are clearly not disabled abusing disabled parking.
There's a guy who does just that every day right next to my train station. Tomorrow I get out the camera phone and take a movie of him parking and sauntering off. Then I'm calling the cop shop, which is right across the street. And I'll have the photographic evidence to back up my allegations. I've had it with this jerk.
(And, yes -- the fact that the Princess Mom couldn't go out unless she was in a wheelchair these last couple of months did bring home clearly how necessary those spaces are!) _____
Got a lot of unused vacation time? Read this, and you might want to rethink banking all that time. I've got 129+ hours banked, and I'm going to be making a BIG dent in that real, real soon. _____
Finally, I don't get paid to endorse products. I only do it when I find something that really blows my skirt up. This game, recommended by the Venomous One, was a HUGE hit with TMPAE on the occasion of her third birthday. Even my brother got in on the fun.
BARACK OBAMA:The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!
JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road... ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz
SARAH PALIN: BECAUSE, PRAISE JESUS, I WAS GONNA SHOOT HIS SORRY LIBERAL ASS OFF FOR BLOCKING MY VIEW OF RUSSIA!
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of crossing?
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.
DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmers Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.
JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one? _____
And since Jihadgene is holding his usual Friday "Let's Dance!" party, I'll see him a Chubby Checker and raise him a Laura Petrie:
... have I been for the last couple of days? Rejoining the living.
Night before last, I hit one of my favorite late night watering holes and met this reporter from Amsterdam who looks a lot like this guy, but with better hair and accent. Yes, I stayed out WAY too late. And, no, I didn't pinch myself. If that was a dream, I still don't want to wake up.
Anyhow...
Last night I spent texting back and forth with this Cubs baseball fanatic, trying to keep him from committing hari kari over last night's game. Geeze.
