Gateway Breakfast Food

My friend Derek was at the after party last night with a baggie of candied bacon in his pocket.  He'd pull it out and open the bag wafting bacon smell out into your face before the offer "Candied bacon?"  The first one is free kid. Little did I know that one bite of it would lead me out to the food truck outside where they were selling chocolate covered bacon which I loved soo much that later when our coach pulled out a bacon chocolate bar and offer everyone in the room a square, I would put both hands up and yell  "Me! Me! Oooh, me me  me! Pick me!" while hip checking every one in the way, between me and that little square of artery hardening goodness.  I hope last night's binge doesn't lead to a hardcore deep fried butter habit.

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Dear Greenpeace, sending me an e-mail with the subject line "A Horrible Way to Die" does not entice me to open your e-mail.  Put some candied bacon in your pocket.

College

I caved in and Ella's birthday party will be at Chuck E. Cheeses. It's a few weeks after her actual birthday because of the holiday break and school and the time it took to get classmates addresses and crap. She didn't mind. The last time I went to the Cheese's was for Dave's 18th birthday with Dan. That was back when I wore long cut off jean shorts, black and white stripped stockings underneath and combat boots. Cute. We also used to eat tacos as often as possible and listen to cassettes of RHCP and Psychefunkapus while rattling around in Dave's old Bronco.

Five Good Things

Last week I tried out for the Houston Roller Derby and got drafted! This is exciting for me as you can imagine. It'll be nice to have like minded women in my life and I look forward to being able to slam into them at full speed.

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Over the weekend I got a lot of notes from family and friends about the previous post. Thank you.

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I'm doing some web comics for Zombie Logic Press, go visit.

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Important

F*ck The Illinois Legislature. Signed: The Homeless

then

By the Poetry HERE


Also read:
Protecting homeless service -The Chicago Tribune 07/14/09
HUD Report Only Tells Half the Story -Progress IL 07/10/09
Tracking the State Budget Fallout -Progress IL 07/05/09

Memorial Day 2009

The Little Bistro

A few weeks back I helped Ms. Quik write a business plan for her new restaurant, The Little Bistro right in front of the farmer's market in Beloit, WI. She'll feature Paninis and gourmet burgers along with the best potato salad I've ever had in my life, home made potato chips that are to die for and various beer and wine. She'll also have jazz and art and wine tasting on Friday nights, it's my kinda place for sure. I won't get the pleasure of being here on opening day, July 1st, but I did get to sample some of her genius today. She invited folks over and taste the menu as well as all the wines and beers she's trying to choose from. It was simply the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon with pals.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month

DD Hunter t-boned a full sized Chevy pickup doing 40mph on her motorcycle yesterday. The driver who pulled out in front of her said he didn't even see her. I spent over an hour with DD's husband pacing the floor with no idea what was happening behind the fortress they call the emergency room "We're still running tests" was the only information we could get. Eventually we were allowed to see her. She broke her left orbital bone (eyebrow area) and will be consulting with a plastic surgeon today. She filleted her pinky finger, sprained her hip, has leather glove embeded into the back of her hand, a gash in her thigh and may have bruised her spleen. The doctors locked her in the high tower over night for observation. The guy in the truck drove away after the accident and for DD, there are stitches, bruises, a banged up helmet, clothing they cut off and one totaled motorcycle.

I'll say it again May is Motorcycle Awareness Month.

Our Soldier

One of our very closest friends in the world is leaving for Afghanistan with the Army and we gathered up last night to send him off together over dinner and drinks. He and Dan were in boy scouts together and grew up skateboarding on the same streets. He's the guy who accompanied Dan and me on our first date (the ice cream shop next to the college.) He's the guy who lived at our house briefly between college and his marriage and dutifully stayed out of all the newlywed fights Dan and I had (thank you for not choosing sides.) He picked me up after I crashed the car and brought me to the hospital (Dan had the flu and couldn't come to get me.) This great guy is now our neighbor as well as the husband of a very wonderful lady whom I adore and father to an incredible four year old girl who plays with Ella. He's been a fixture in our lives, and when I went to find a picture of him on my hard drive I found too many to choose just one. He and his family are at every party, every birthday, every wedding, and every baby shower; they are living their lives right here beside us. And now he will be defending us and I respect him for that more than I can say, because I know his family and I know what he is sacrificing. Be safe Friend.

Going Away Party in Rockford, IL 06.20.08

Birthday

It's Dan's birthday today and so I am cleaning house and getting everything ready for tonight. We are leaving Ella at Grandma's until tomorrow and hitting a cocktail party early before we meet up with some of our best friends at a going away dinner party at our favorite restaurant later, so we'll be dressed to the nines... ok we'll not quite that dressed, but maybe dressed to the sevens. It'll be a little bitterswet as the going away party is for a close frined leaving for Afghanistan, but we are looking forward to the evening just the same.

And since I know no better place than to talk to the universe than here; I just want to say thank you for bringing this wonderful man to me. I hope his birthday will be exactly what he needs today and I hope his next year brings forth fruit from every seed he’s sewn, may his hard work pay off and his success reach new heights as his garden flourishes.

Before the War

It's snowing like crazy and we have company coming tonight. Good friends from out of town are here for the holidays and so we're getting the old crowd together with kids at our place. I'm cleaning like mad and soon we'll put away any toys that Ella doesn't wish to share and vacuum. Dan's picking up Papa Murphy's Pizza (yay!) and I'm putting the booze on ice (yay!) It'll be nice to catch up with everyone.

It's weird to think we used to spend every day talking to each other on the phone and hanging out together every weekend and now we only see each other twice a year. Alas, that was pre-munchkins and we barely had lives of our own then. Back in the day when people knew each other’s phone numbers by heart, because you actually had to dial them, Dawn was the queen of political statistics, reading precinct print outs like Bill Gates reads code, Mike knew everyone and played golf with them but alas didn't even have a refrigerator in his apartment as he found it easier to eat out every meal and Dan and I wrote speeches and ad campaigns for fun but still lived in a basement. We used to obsess over the local scene together scathing about who was jockeying for what position in the county board and state legislature, sharing donuts at 7 in the morning before canvassing a subdivision and spending hours organizing dinners and county fair booths. At 1:00 in the morning election night 2000, when they finally announced Gore had NOT won FL, we cried over a pitcher of beer together in a smoky old neighborhood bar on the Southside.

That's marked in my memory as the beginning of the end of the good old days.

Merry Christmas Eve Internets!

Last week I bravely accepted an internet dance challenge agreeing to post a home made video of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend". Little did know at the time, it's a four minute song and so I asked to amend the challenge to include friends and family (thank God.) A handfull of my friends helped saved my ass from jerking around wildly trying to dance for four minutes by giving me the best gift I could get this season - their own dancing on video, and so now without further ado I present to you...

The best thing you'll see in the internet today...