2 Things @ Once

Did You See This?

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a pretty arresting image. Wow.

Posting Every Day (?)

Since October 23rd, I've posted to my blog every day. I got a jump start on November's National Blog Posting Month and just kept on going. Initially, I was curious to see if it would boost my blogs stats (which it really hasn't) and now going on month six, it's become a personal challenge to see how long I can keep it up.

While I'm on vacation, I'm cheating a bit by preloading entries to correspond with our route. I hope to send photos from the iPhone. No promises.

Bon voyage. I'm outta here!

Take that Wine Order and Double It!

Last night the BVI crew gathered for our final planning meeting, a last chance to review what we'll need, ask any questions, revise what we've provisioned, and compare what we're all packing. More than anything, it was another fine excuse to share a delicious meal together. Rick served his annual Osso Bucco feast, which was outstanding, and many a bottle of wine was shared. Lots of good spirits and laughter around the table. If our trip is half as entertaining and fun as last night was, we're in for a heck of a fun time.

Two things came from our meeting last night:

1. We definitely need to double our red wine order.
2. A Tom Jones medley needs to be added to our vacation soundtrack.

Saturday 3 p.m. ~ Testing Testing

Addendum: It suddenly occurred to me last night, if Annie was bringing her iPhone on the trip (which she is), then I could post an occasional photo update to my blog from the islands. (Assuming we can pull the US phone signal from the BVI side of the islands.)

With Annie's permission, I downloaded the Typepad iPhone app (which was free, quick and easy to do) and had posted the photo above in less than three minutes. Success!

This is a major reason why I'm looking forward to getting an iPhone. Photoblogging, including posting my Saturday 3 p.m. photos, will be a snap. Plus, while I know the iPhone gets a lot of crap for poor picture quality, compared to the camera phone I have now, this looks like a million bucks.

So, consider this my Saturday photo of the week. Though it wasn't technically taken at three o'clock, I was doing the same thing I'll be doing at three this afternoon--running around doing errands, tying up lose ends before the trip, and getting my hair cut. Tonight the crew gathers for our final pre-trip meeting. We're in the home stretch now.

Randomness on a Friday Afternoon

• I twittered about seeing the Jimmy John's golden jaguar yesterday. I wasn't seeing things. Apparently the Tribune found it newsworthy. Typical.
• Also in the Tribune, Col. Sanders is filling potholes. Personally, I'm okay with corporations slapping their ads on the asphalt if it will help eliminate the craters covering our city streets. City workers sure can't keep up. It seems for every one they fill, two more appear. Driving around Chicago takes defensive driving to a whole new level.
• I'm not a big Maurice Sendak fan and I don't recall ever reading Where the Wild Things Are, but judging from the trailer I'm looking forward to the movie. (Directed by Spike Jonze, with a script by Jonze and Dave Eggers!) Great use of an Arcade Fire song on the trailer.
• And while we're at it, I could sit through another Jack Black movie if it means I can laugh along with Michael Cera.
• Finally, 'tis the season. Yeah Peeps!

Shout Out to the House on Sheridan Road in South Evanston

Valentine's Day is over.

It's time to take your Christmas tree down!

2008 in 2008

A small sense of accomplishment and a strange sense of symmetry with this, the 2,008th post to my blog.

Random Thoughts to Close Out the Week

NaBloPoMo, Day 2

• The turning leaves tell us Fall is here in Chicago, but the warm temperatures, blooming flowers, and robins going crazy in the trees make me think it just might be spring.
• It may be 4 p.m. on a warm Friday afternoon but if it's Halloween, any playground will look like a ghost town.
• I've decided, as I did last year, that I won't patronize any business that puts up their holiday decorations before Thanksgiving.
  
• I was lucky and had to wait only 30 minutes to vote early. How long did you have to wait?
• I'm working the election on Tuesday and have calculated that in order to get eight hours of sleep the night before, I'll need to go to bed tomorrow evening at seven o'clock.
• I really can't believe that this Presidential campaign has just one day remaining. I thought it would never end.

Saturday 3 p.m. ~ Planting Bulbs

I took advantage of what may well be the last warm and sunny weekend of the year to plant daffodil bulbs--about a hundred of them. I also planted some squill--those tiny blue flowers that come out just behind the crocuses in the spring. If you've ever seen lawns or areas under trees covered in tiny blue flowers, that's probably squill. Absolutely beautiful.

I also couldn't resist a bag of miniature iris bulbs, which I planted in the plot on the corner. My goal is to have a yearly blanket of blue and yellow covering the front of our place every spring. The nice thing about planting these bulbs, as opposed to tulips, is that one fall of back-breaking work and you're done. These bulbs should multiply on their own and provide years of welcome spring color.

I spent the rest of the weekend getting all the outdoor fall chores done. Brought in all the hoses, emptied all the vegetable tubs in the backyard (including a cherry tomato plant that amazingly still had some blossoms on it), reorganized the garage to stow everything away, and gave the front stoop a good washing off. Next weekend, the indoor fall cleaning begins in earnest before we have to seal this place up for the winter.

Swish...Swish...Spit?

There's a first time for everything.

Last night, as we were merging with other cars leaving the Grant Park South parking garage after a performance of the CSO, I glanced over to see a woman brushing her teeth while driving her car. I mean really scrubbing away. Unfortunately, our lanes diverged before I was able to see where she spit.