I left the big city of Chicago(Gas $2.66/gallon) around 9am on Friday to head to the homeland of Burlington, IA(gas $2.15/gallon). Pressed for a timely return due to a 1pm auto body appointment, I became a little distraught when I was in the express lane (yes, one lane due to construction) on the great Illinois tollway 88 and there was a four car accident a few cars in front of me. After sitting there for 20 minutes, the cars finally drove until we were out of the construction zone. I made it to Burlington by 1:10pm. After dropping off my car, my dad and I went for a delish lunch at my former 2nd home, Subway. It was good to see some of the old sandwich artists, especially Sharkbait. After lunch, we headed home and I got to hang out with the mom for a little while and relax...not to mention get started on my mountain of laundry that I brought home. A few loads of laundry later, we headed out for a nice dinner.
Coincidently, Friday was also Catfish's 50th birthday. So I convinced my mom to head over to the new baseball stadium where he was celebrating. I got to spend someQT with Shiner, the Peach and the Fish, while drinking beer and watching baseball...even better. What a great night.
Saturday morning came early when my mom woke me up at 7am to help out with the garage sale to rid the house of my brothers belongings, since he will be moving to STL in less than a MONTH! The sale went well, I got a chance to socialize with neighbors that I haven't seen in a while. Perhaps the best part was walking around in the grass with no shoes on. You really take a nice yard for granted when you have it, but give yourself a few months in the city of cement and you will be yearning for a little nature. After finishing up the laundry I packed up the old taurarri and headed back to Chicago. After unpacking the laundry, I headed out to Midway, picked up Jenne on her flight back from San Diego and headed down the street to our favorite watering hole. It wasn't a late night, but it was a good night for catching up with each other.
Now I must get in the shower and head in for 8 hours of work.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Flush that! I'm not going to China until this problem's fixed
Shanghai to lift lid on high-tech toilets
World Toilet Expo featuring upgrade of China's public privies
Updated: 10:15 a.m. ET April 13, 2005
SHANGHAI - China is coming clean about its filthy toilets, first hosting a world toilet summit and now about to hold its first ever toilet exhibition which will lift the lid on new technology.
advertisementThe World Toilet Expo will run from May 8 to 10 in Shanghai, China’s most fashionable city, with some experts going potty about a dial-a-loo phone line people can call to find the nearest public toilet, the Shanghai Daily said on Wednesday.
"It’s expected to solve the long-lasting problem that tourists, cab drivers and people unfamiliar with the city cannot find a toilet when they need one," Han Yurong, a Shanghai Public Sanitation Bureau official, was quoted by state media as saying.
Shanghai officials said the city planned to revamp 500 of its 3,900 public toilets this year, build new ones and reserve two thirds for women.
"The current 1:1 ratio is not reasonable," Han added without explanation.
Beijing, eager to freshen up its primitive privies before it hosts the 2008 summer Olympics, recently added high-tech, self-cleaning toilets near tourist sites like the Forbidden City and Summer Palace and promised to keep them stocked with toilet paper.
Most of China’s public lavatories are squat-style pits with no running water, toilet paper or hand-washing facilities.
Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
World Toilet Expo featuring upgrade of China's public privies
Updated: 10:15 a.m. ET April 13, 2005
SHANGHAI - China is coming clean about its filthy toilets, first hosting a world toilet summit and now about to hold its first ever toilet exhibition which will lift the lid on new technology.
advertisementThe World Toilet Expo will run from May 8 to 10 in Shanghai, China’s most fashionable city, with some experts going potty about a dial-a-loo phone line people can call to find the nearest public toilet, the Shanghai Daily said on Wednesday.
"It’s expected to solve the long-lasting problem that tourists, cab drivers and people unfamiliar with the city cannot find a toilet when they need one," Han Yurong, a Shanghai Public Sanitation Bureau official, was quoted by state media as saying.
Shanghai officials said the city planned to revamp 500 of its 3,900 public toilets this year, build new ones and reserve two thirds for women.
"The current 1:1 ratio is not reasonable," Han added without explanation.
Beijing, eager to freshen up its primitive privies before it hosts the 2008 summer Olympics, recently added high-tech, self-cleaning toilets near tourist sites like the Forbidden City and Summer Palace and promised to keep them stocked with toilet paper.
Most of China’s public lavatories are squat-style pits with no running water, toilet paper or hand-washing facilities.
Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
Secret Service Agents arrive at Chicago Art Exhibit
A controversial piece of art at Colombia College's art exhibit drew two secret service agents. The piece of art was a sheet of fake US Postal stamps which showed President Bush with a gun to his head.
Full story.
Full story.
There's a bun in Britney's oven
I am personally not feeling tooo confident in Brit's maternal abilities.
Britney: 'I'm Pregnant'
Associated Press
Britney Spears has revealed what might be Hollywood's worst-kept secret: She's pregnant. In a posting on her Web site, Spears told fans that she and husband, Kevin Federline, were expecting their first child together.
Spears' publicist, Sonia Muckle, confirmed the singer's pregnancy Tuesday but refused to provide additional details.
"The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together," the singer said. "There are reports that I was in the hospital this weekend, and Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."
The couple were married in September. Magazines and tabloids have speculated for weeks that Spears, 23, was pregnant, documenting her expanding waistline and fuller figure, but she remained mum on the subject.
However, she has previously expressed a desire to start a family. In an interview with People magazine last fall, she said: "I want to be a young mom. I can see us as parents."
While this will be Spears' first foray into parenthood, Federline, 27, has two children with his ex-girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson. Spears and Federline met last year when he was a backup dancer on her tour — and Jackson was pregnant with their son.
Spears wed Federline just eight months after ending a 55-hour Las Vegas marriage to her childhood friend, Jason Alexander. Her second marriage has provided endless fodder for tabloids, which have speculated that the union is in trouble — prompting an angry outburst from Spears on her Web site last month.
Yet the couple have hardly hid from the limelight — last week, the pair announced they would document their courtship in a new reality series on UPN. The network promised "exclusive, never-before-seen private home videos" of their "personal love story."
Spears' impending motherhood may be the ultimate indicator that the former teen princess is all grown up. Spears was cast as an innocent with a bit of sex appeal when she made her debut at 16 with the multiplatinum " ... Baby, One More Time" and became a youth icon. As she grew older, her image got sexier, and more vampish.
Her last album was a greatest hits collection, which has sold nearly 1 million copies.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Britney: 'I'm Pregnant'
Associated Press
Britney Spears has revealed what might be Hollywood's worst-kept secret: She's pregnant. In a posting on her Web site, Spears told fans that she and husband, Kevin Federline, were expecting their first child together.
Spears' publicist, Sonia Muckle, confirmed the singer's pregnancy Tuesday but refused to provide additional details.
"The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together," the singer said. "There are reports that I was in the hospital this weekend, and Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."
The couple were married in September. Magazines and tabloids have speculated for weeks that Spears, 23, was pregnant, documenting her expanding waistline and fuller figure, but she remained mum on the subject.
However, she has previously expressed a desire to start a family. In an interview with People magazine last fall, she said: "I want to be a young mom. I can see us as parents."
While this will be Spears' first foray into parenthood, Federline, 27, has two children with his ex-girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson. Spears and Federline met last year when he was a backup dancer on her tour — and Jackson was pregnant with their son.
Spears wed Federline just eight months after ending a 55-hour Las Vegas marriage to her childhood friend, Jason Alexander. Her second marriage has provided endless fodder for tabloids, which have speculated that the union is in trouble — prompting an angry outburst from Spears on her Web site last month.
Yet the couple have hardly hid from the limelight — last week, the pair announced they would document their courtship in a new reality series on UPN. The network promised "exclusive, never-before-seen private home videos" of their "personal love story."
Spears' impending motherhood may be the ultimate indicator that the former teen princess is all grown up. Spears was cast as an innocent with a bit of sex appeal when she made her debut at 16 with the multiplatinum " ... Baby, One More Time" and became a youth icon. As she grew older, her image got sexier, and more vampish.
Her last album was a greatest hits collection, which has sold nearly 1 million copies.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Monday, April 11, 2005
XxxxxxxxxxxxBOX....2005 style
LOS ANGELES - Microsoft Corp. Monday said it would unveil the next generation of its Xbox video game console in a May 12 special on cable music and entertainment channel MTV.
The unveiling will be a first, as video game companies usually take the wraps off their new consoles at exclusive industry events like the trade show E3 -- which will be held the following week in Los Angeles.
“I think we need to signal a change that things aren’t going to be the same in the next generation,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president in the Xbox division, in an interview.
"While it’s gaming at its core, there’s a much bigger and broader entertainment message that we need to get out there.”
(MSNBC is a Microsoft - NBC joint venture.)
Microsoft said the special would also air in Japan the morning of May 13 and across Europe that evening.
The special will include footage of next-generation Xbox games and also online play, Microsoft said. Actor Elijah Wood will host the show, with local hosts for each country.
The company has not set a release date for the Xbox successor or even announced a name, but the new hardware is expected to be released later this year.
RELATED STORY
Microsoft offers details on new Xbox
Market leader Sony Corp. has said little about the timetable for its next-generation PlayStation console, but there is speculation it will offer details at E3 next month.
Last week Sony advised it would hold its E3 press conference a few hours before Microsoft’s, a break with tradition that some saw as a sign Sony wanted to steal Microsoft’s anticipated thunder.
Moore said Microsoft has been planning the MTV launch since last year and only found out about the Sony schedule change last week.
Moore said the show will be “live to tape,” meaning it will be filmed as though it were a live event, and edited later to add celebrity interviews and the like.
© Reuters 2005. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
The unveiling will be a first, as video game companies usually take the wraps off their new consoles at exclusive industry events like the trade show E3 -- which will be held the following week in Los Angeles.
“I think we need to signal a change that things aren’t going to be the same in the next generation,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president in the Xbox division, in an interview.
"While it’s gaming at its core, there’s a much bigger and broader entertainment message that we need to get out there.”
(MSNBC is a Microsoft - NBC joint venture.)
Microsoft said the special would also air in Japan the morning of May 13 and across Europe that evening.
The special will include footage of next-generation Xbox games and also online play, Microsoft said. Actor Elijah Wood will host the show, with local hosts for each country.
The company has not set a release date for the Xbox successor or even announced a name, but the new hardware is expected to be released later this year.
RELATED STORY
Microsoft offers details on new Xbox
Market leader Sony Corp. has said little about the timetable for its next-generation PlayStation console, but there is speculation it will offer details at E3 next month.
Last week Sony advised it would hold its E3 press conference a few hours before Microsoft’s, a break with tradition that some saw as a sign Sony wanted to steal Microsoft’s anticipated thunder.
Moore said Microsoft has been planning the MTV launch since last year and only found out about the Sony schedule change last week.
Moore said the show will be “live to tape,” meaning it will be filmed as though it were a live event, and edited later to add celebrity interviews and the like.
© Reuters 2005. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Pizza Party...cha cha cha
Liz decided that laying on my kitched floor while the pizza cooked would be a good idea. Halleh walked by and Liz also thought giving her a tap on the tush was a good idea.
A little of this and a little of that
Halleh, Kate, me and Liz.
The girls had so much fun at Hawkeye's on Friday night that they wanted to go back on Sat. What can I say? Is it me? Ha ha ha.
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