life and puppies

Archive Page 102

Will it be Chicago?

Published October 2, 2009 local 10 Comments
Tags: Chicago, madison, Olympics

I was up around 5 this morning (well, let’s face it, not UP, but awake) and turned to CNN. I knew the decision was coming soon, but I didn’t realize it would be today!

So, if Chicago gets the Olympics in 2016, lots of biking would be in Madison. I know peeps have mixed feelings on hosting the Olymps because it costs, say, billions and I think some peeps just don’t like having loads of extra people in their town for a few weeks, but I really, really, really hope it happens. I just think it would be super cool. What I don’t think is the coolest thing about it, though, is that I’ll be 41 in 2016. Not that that’s inherently uncool or anything, but it has given me pause.

So, we’ll know today whether or not there will be an Athlete’s Village in Madison.

UPDATE: So sad. Chicago was eliminated in the first round. Given that there are only four finalists, I’m not clear on why there are rounds, but there you have it. * I had heard that the favorite was Rio. We’ll see in a moment, I guess. I’m bummed. [And, yes, I know South America has waited a long time for the Olympics, but so has Madison…er, well, yeah. The end.]

* Apparently, the IOC members vote and if there is no majority in the first round, the vote proceeds to a second round and the city with the fewest votes in the first round drops out. Oh, poor Chicago.

Chicago

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Tribune’s website. I just love the shocked faces. I mean, I don’t love that their shocked and sad, but I think the picture is so great; it makes me giggle a little.

Ok, and this really makes me laugh, which I sorely needed as this whole Polanski bonkers bonanza has my blood pressure at record levels. It also, nicely I think, ties my previous two posts together. Sorta.

Nabbed!

Published September 28, 2009 bling blog 6 Comments

At long last.

UPDATE: And here’s this.

I’ve heard there’s been a lot of pushback on his arrest. This isn’t surprising, of course, but it again annoys me. It annoys me so much that I haven’t been able to read about it much. Because Polanski had the means to live a pretty sweet life in France, had the friends to collect and drum up sympathy for himself, and had the artistic reputation to be able to continue his livelihood — all for the last 30 years — he should now be given a slap on the wrist? Or, excuse me, an even lighter slap on the wrist than he was to already receive for raping a 13-year-old girl? I’m so disgusted by the idea that this guy who fled from a crime he admitted to committing (he pled down to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor) and has led a pretty damn charmed life (it seems) can receive so many cries for leniency. Why in the world does he deserve leniency?

I’m not opposed to leniency in the criminal justice system. Far from it. But this guy — aside from nominally admitting he did something a little off — has never been held accountable for what he did. Instead, he’s been lauded as a genius; folks line up to work for him and sing his praises. He has not spent the last 30 years — or any years — making penance for his wrongs, apologizing to the victim, seeking forgiveness from society. Instead, he has downplayed events and blamed the justice system for his self-made ‘exile.’

He’s just total ick to me.

Hang it up

Published September 25, 2009 tv! 4 Comments
Tags: Jay Leno, stale comedy

I tried watching the new Jay Leno show for the first time tonight. Holy cow. I lasted maybe 15 minutes before I had to change the channel in a Darwinian self-preservation move.

I’ve been confused over what in the hell NBC is thinking in putting Leno in a spot generally reserved for the ‘Law and Order’ and — God help us — ‘ER’-type shows. Is it cheaper to pay Leno than to pay for hour-long dramas? Do they honestly think people will watch it every night? I really have no idea. So, while I have been less than even luke-warm about this whole experiment, I finally decided I’d try it out tonight. Despite having a slow learning curve when it comes to bad tv (at times), I’m pretty sure I won’t make that mistake again. The monologue was stale, uninspired and maybe even recycled. The final straw for me came when Leno made a stupid Hugh Heffner joke. Now, I’m no fan of Heffner, but jokes about the ancient playboy seem a little desperate. And this joke was worse than desperate: it wasn’t funny. It was some nonsense about how old the guy is that when he walked into the room with his ‘bunnies’ he couldn’t remember which one he was going to ‘do.’ Yes, that was the joke: he’s old; he has young sex pots around him; he couldn’t remember with whom he was going to have sex. Because he can — and does — have sex with all of them. Apparently.

Really? This is from Carson’s heir? The joke is so tired, tacky and lame it doesn’t even deserve blogging about — even from me, a lame blogger. There are still probably some viable (ha!) jokes to be made about Hef — maybe something about how anachronistic the whole Playboy crap is (or should be) — but I’m pretty sure a joke about how an 80-year-old man is senile and can’t remember which 20-something blonde he’s going to ‘do’ isn’t one of them.

Like I said, the worst part was that it wasn’t even funny.

Step two? Check!

Published September 23, 2009 life and pups , local 4 Comments
Tags: mid-century modern furniture, selling my place, Valentine-Seaver Original

The vintage couch is mine! And it’s glllllllllllllooooooorious! Enjoy…

The couch!

Ok, maybe it’s not for everyone, but I just love it. I wish the curve were on the other side so that it could define the space a little better, but what am I going to do, complain? Heck no! I got this sweet couch for $100 and that included delivery. The kid probably would have taken even less, too, but I didn’t want to be a jerk. $100 for such a cool couch! It’s a Valentine-Seaver Original and my trained eye places it at Vintage 1961 (I completely made that up — well, the year, not the brand). I think it’s just so peachy. And the best part is that it really made the lower level (not ‘basement,’ people!) so much better for much less than I thought I might have to pay. I know there’s still more work to be done, but I feel we’re on our way. And now, I don’t want to leave. I just love it here.

Also, let me point out to those of you with a critical eye, the space really is not crowded, though it may appear that way in my zoomed photo. The treadmill is in plenty of space behind the couch and there is a lot of space to the side of the couch, so that the murphy bed can still be pulled down without having to move furniture. So, there.

Attempt to sell #1

Published September 22, 2009 life and pups , local 6 Comments
Tags: selling a house

As you probably all know by now, I’ve decided to try to sell my home. I’m not exactly in love with the idea of leaving it because (a) it’s my first home; (b) I really love living there; (c) the location can’t be beat; (d) it’s affordable; (e) who wants to actually move?; and (f) I don’t know that I can do any better. So, why am I trying to sell it? I think it’s mainly two things — (1) Sorry about all of the lists. Ok, that’s not really (1). (1) I’d like to have a house house with a yard that puppy can run around in and relieve herself to her heart’s content without me worrying about a particular neighbor grilling me about Gracie’s bathroom habits and I’d really like to have a more traditional second (or — gasp! — third) bedroom. As much as I love the murphy bed, I’d like to have a real guest room or office or whatever. And (2) I think I just want to see if I can sell it. I know it’s not the ideal time to sell, but what do I do? Wait another five years? I’ve lived here for 4 1/2 and I think it may be time to see if I can move on to something else. We’ll see. If it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t sell and I stay put in a place I truly love coming home to.

That said, if any of you know anyone looking to purchase an exquisite (if I do say so myself) near-west side condo, I’m the one to talk to. And I know peeps say the condo market has bottomed out, and maybe that’s true, but I don’t think that really applies to the place I call home. It’s not a high-rise, it’s not cookie-cutter, and there are only 13 units in the entire association. And really, it’s nice not to have to shovel.

Check it out.

So, for a bit, it’s possible this blog may turn into a boring old blog about trying to sell a place. Step one, put it on the market. Check. Actually, that’s probably not step one, but it pretty much was for me. Step two, try to buy this cool old vintage, mid-century couch off of craigslist to try to stage the basement. Wish me luck.