Chicago Day 2

Started our day with the Chicago Food Tour, once we figured out which way we needed to go on the Red Line.
Nicole was our tour guide on our walk and she was perky for 11.
Stop 1: the Ashkenaz Deli for a delicious pastrami Reuben sammich!


Stop 2: Tea Gschwender for Cranberry Mango green tea. I'm not usually a tea drinker, but it was delicious and refreshing!


Stop 3: The Spice House for a delicious sampling of spices and rubs.


Stop 4: Old Town Oil
Delicious EVOO and balsamic vinegars!


Stop 5: The Fudge Pot
Chocolate Shan Gri La!
We got to sample their chocolate toffee. Smooth chocolate, crunchy toffee, amazing flavor!


Stop 6: Delightful Pastries
Here we had pirogees and kolaches. Yummy food from a bakery dedicated to the traditional foods of Poland.


Stop 7: Bacino's Italian for a Stuffed Spinach Pizza. It was good. I couldn't rave because I generally don't love or eat spinach, but the flavor of the sauce and crust made up for it.
After our food tour, we got directions to the Nature Museum near the Lincoln Park Zoo.


It's a beautiful, beautiful building, from an architectural standpoint, that houses a wonderful butterfly exhibit, a nature park, and exhibits on the wildlife native to the area. The Butterfly museum is a must-see.
From there, we took a walk along the beach along Lakeshore drive,


envying all the fit, gorgeous joggers who passed by us.


The day was long, so we worked our way back "home"ward and picked up some tea at the place on the tour and found a train back to the hotel. Dinner was in the hotel's Thai restaurant. Then back upstairs to read and let our legs recover from the day.

Tomorrow: More architecture and museums!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chicago Day 1

We began our day by getting up, let me say, Jack getting up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5 o'dark in the morning. He then gave me the opportunity to sleep in until about seven o'clock in the morning. We went downstairs to have breakfast, and our rule is usually not to eat chain restaurant food on vacation, so we ate at the hotel diner.
After breakfast we walked to the Navy Pier from the hotel. We had to cross Grant Park


and about a mile and a half to 2 miles later we made it to the Architectural Shore Cruise. (Side note: we also had our first Chicago podcaster moment thanks to Rob Lindley and the phrase "doinger shorts." One of the little boys assisting on the cruise was freeballing in a pair as the ship sailed up to land. Later, we would notice his "runway walk" on the deck and figured we'd found a true seaman.) The Shore cruise is a fantastic way to see all of the wonderful building of Chicago, with an unobstructed view from the water. The cruise took us up the river and all the way to the Sears Tower and back to the Navy Pier. Once we were back at the pier, apparently all of the parents and children were awake and we had entered our own private hell of tour groups. Lots of lots of children's tour groups. Still the Navy pier is a fun and interesting place to walk around. We found ourselves in the museum of stained glass and it was beautiful.








After the stained-glass museum we worked our way up to the midway where we rode the Ferris wheel and the swings.





We took a ride on the water taxi from the Navy pier across to the museum park where we went to the Shedd aquarium. The Shedd aquarium is one of the best aquariums we've ever been to, full of wonderful experiences and it's probably one of the best places in Chicago to take children.








There are many picture taking opportunities within the Shedd aquarium, from the shark tank to the coral reefs to the many special exhibits within. Today, we went to the Jellies exhibit, a fascinating look at the lives of jellyfish.














About three hours later, we left the Shedd aquarium and made our way back to the hotel...worn out and really ready to go to bed. After a quick shower and nap, we left the hotel and made our way to the Tamarind restaurant. Some good Thai food later, and we came back to our room to crawl into bed and plan another day.

Tomorrow: The Chicago Food Tour!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

SYTYCD Top 14

Carmen Electra!
Travis Wall!
Let's go!

Guy group - Contemporary
Interesting, yet not dynamic.

Melanie and Marko - Jazz
Choreographed to "Americano," the dance was strong and entertaining, still it wasn't maybe as strong as the song.

And with the "he didn't inhale" comment, I love Cat Deeley a bit more.

Sasha and Alexander - Hip hop
Uhhhh...no. Not as sharp as it needed to be. It was kinda hip hop lite.

Jordan and Thadd - Waltz
They did a good job! Jack didn't love it or believe the connection, but I thought it was nice and believable.

Clarice and Jess - Contemporary
Jack "A lot of the dancers don't seem to dance between the steps."
I liked it and so far it's my favorite of the night. Needed to be tighter with the music, but otherwise it was great.

Ashley and Chris - Salsa
It was cute, the lifts were great, but there were moments of awkwardness.

Ryan and Ricky - Jazz
Jack "I started to fall asleep."
I thought it was oddly enjoyable.
The choreographers are lacking tonight.

Caitlynn and Mitchell - Contemporary
OMG!!!! The routine of the night! Dynamic! Powerful! Emotional! It was everything!!!!

Girls Routine
The girls killed it!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mark Halipern Calls The President a Dick

Douchebag of the year goes to...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mark Halperin Calls Obama a Dick
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Voice - The Final 4

Javier - Piece By Piece
Loved it! Suited his voice and it seemed like a perfect song for Him

Dia and Blake - Won't Back Down
Fun performance! Dia's voice is unique and she made some interesting choices in the song.

Vicci - Afraid to Sleep
I liked the song, but I don't think the song went as big as the song promised. That's the sad thing because I had high hopes for Vicci's original song.

Beverly and Christina - Beautiful
Oh. Em. Gee.
Not just a beautiful rendition, but beautifully done. The only issue...singing it WITH Christina brings up the automatic comparison to the amazing voice of Christina, and it naturally paled.

Dia - Inventing Shadows
Jack "I liked it. It sat really well in her voice."
Me "She has a great voice and sound, but the song was sleepy to me."

Javier and Adam - Man in the Mirror
Wow! The first duet of the night where the performer shined at least as brightly as the coach. They sounded great together and it sat well in his voice.

Beverly - Lovesick
She always owns the stage, always gives great show. I didn't love the song. I WANTED to love it, but it wasn't catchy or

Vicci and Cee-Lo - Love Is a Battlefield
I couldn't stop smiling! Vicci is the only person onstage that gives Beverly a run for her money as far as performance is concerned. Great performance and great sound.

Rarely is there a show with such a tough call.
Based on duets
Jack - Man in the Mirror or Beautiful
Me - Man in the Mirror or Love is a Battlefield

Based on Singles
Jack - Inventing Shadows
Me - Piece By Piece

SYTYCD - Top 20 Redux

No one got the boot, so they all got to meet guest judge Debbie Reynolds!

Ryan and Ricky - Jazz
Great dance, full of sex and passion. Only regret, the fact the two were smiley all the way throughout.

Caitlynn and Mitchell - Contemporary
Dancing to Adele, they did a beautiful job with the story. Dramatic and beautifully danced.

Missy and Wadi - Cha Cha
Fifty percent awesome. Missy looked really good. Wadi...not so much. No hip action, no rhythm, just awkward.

Iveta and Nick - Bollywood
Jack - Looked like they just learned it.
Me - I give them so much credit for getting thru the routine with power and energy.

Miranda and Robert - Hip hop
Jack - I didn't like it AT ALL!
Me - I thought they did a fabulous job with such intricate choreography.

Clarice and Jess - Contemporary
Lovely. Simply lovely.

Jordan and Tadd - Viennese Waltz
I really kinda love Jordan. And Tadd is really kinda spectacular. The pair are for me the ones to beat.

Melanie and Marko - Jazz
Really a good routine.

Sasha and Alexander - Hip hop
Another NappyTabs routine! So well executed, so strong!

Ashley and Chris - First hot tamale train of the season! The routine was fun and kinda challenging. They did a good job with it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

SYTYCD: Top 20!

First competition week with the contestants: Judges this week Nigel, Mary, and Megan Mullaly! Let's go!

Jordan and Tadd: African-Jazz
Fun routine and well-choreographed. No lack of energy.

Sasha and Alexander: Contemporary
Such a good job with one of Travis' routines. Raw, powerful, and so impactful.
Both are such wonderful contemporary dancers, that it was almost effortless.

Clarice and Jess: Broadway
Danced well, but boring for me. Raves from the judges and the choreographer.

Ryan and Ricky: Lyrical Hip-Hop
Wow! Fun, intricate routine from Christopher Scott. It was really fun and the dancers did a great job with the routine.

Caitlynn and Mitchell: Jazz
Sonya's choreography is usually amazing, but this wasn't my favorite. Robert filled in for the injured Mitchell and did a fantastic job.

Miranda and Robert: Latin
Wow! Fun routine. Don't know if the technique was 100%, but it was certainly fun. But it was just fun!

Missy and Wadi: Jazz
Wow.
Wow.

Wow. Athletic, dynamic, rhythmic. Performance of the night so far!

Melanie and Marko: Contemporary
Sometimes the work of Travis Wall is so amazing you forget that he didn't win! This is one of those times. The dancers did an incredible job with the piece and the only critique is at times there are moments when Marko lost his balance.

Ashley and Chris: Hip Hop
Good, but did not live up to the routines of earlier in the night.

Iveta and Nick: Ballroom
I think this is officially the end of the Curse of Quickstep! Great routine, great footwork, and entertaining!

Top 2:
Missy and Wadi
and
Melanie and Marko

Least effective:
Clarice and Jess
and
Ashley and Chris

Probably going home:
Ashley and Mitchell

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trailer 2011 HD

Saw this trailer this week and this kinda freaked me out.
Just sayin'.

I demand this in every theater this summer!

After watching Xmen: First Class this weekend, I NEED this in every movie. We sat down and after the theater filled, this dude rolled in with his homey and sat in the vacant seat between me and another guy. Party foul #1. Then in the middle of the movie, this ass decides to not only answer his phone, but carry on this hushed CONVERSATION during the movie. So, I have no sympathy for this kinda shit.

The Alamo Theater in Austin created this No Texting/NO Phone Calls PSA after warning a patron twice to stop texting. Please...enjoy!



Here's the rest of the story:
http://gawker.com/5809262/movie-theater-turns-customers-angry-voicemail-into-anti+texting-psa