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Greetings from Warm Chicago.

I think it was almost 50 degrees today. Way too warm for Chicago in December. Yes, I’m actually complaining. Chicago in December should be at least a little chilly.

Christmas. It was great. Everyone was well fed. The kids loved their presents. The grown ups loved all their drink. We went to Christmas Mass @ 10pm (my parents’ church doesn’t hold a Midnight Mass anymore) and listened to the Christmas message. The Bears brought home a victory on Christmas Day against a faltering Brett Favre. It was a fun holiday all around.

The day after was spent in Chicago fighting the crowds to get pictures taken at the great tree in the Walnut Room at Marshall Field’s before it just becomes another personality-free Macy’s. I took some great pictures of the big clock & the signs outside the store. It will be sad to see another Chicago institution go away. And, yes… we also did shop.

The rest of the week will be filled with seeing old friends, going to movies (we saw “Rumor Has It” tonight), and sleeping late. I was invited to a party at a bar down on LaSalle Street for NYE. I think I will go. Supposedly it’s a great crowd (older, not so wild) and it’s free.

Well, that’s about it from here. I must go and fiddle with my new Ipod. Very cool. I think I might just be hip now.

Enjoy your evening.

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How sad…

Tony Dungy’s (Head coach of the Indianapolis Colts) son died today. Kinda puts the Superbowl into perspective. In the grand scheme of things…. a ball game really doesn’t matter.

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Answers to your questions…

1. Pride & Prejudice.
2. I’m not sure… probably not.

Now… that’s random.

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Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennett:

“You must know… surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to travel with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I’d scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love… I love… I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.”

(the movie was better the 2nd time around)

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Because I’m totally unoriginal today (due to lack of sleep getting ready for my Christmas Party tonight)…

(i stole this idea from someone else’s blog…)

Four Jobs that I have held
1. TCBY yogurt girl
2. Loews Movie Usher
3. Telemarketer for Montgomery Ward Life Insurance
4. Tutor for Special Needs kids

Four Cities/towns I have lived
1. South Holland, IL
2. Willoughby Hills, OH
3. Cuyahoga Falls, OH
4. Chicago, IL

Four TV Shows I watch
1. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
2. Grey’s Anatomy
3. Lost
4. Two and a half Men

Four Places I’ve been on vacation
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Aspen, CO
3. London, England
4. Westport, Ireland

Four Websites I frequent regularly
1. cnn.com
2. usatoday.com
3. chicagotribune.com
4. amazon.com

Four favorite foods and/or drinks
1. very cold lemonade
2. a good merlot
3. boddington’s beer
4. bbq ribs

That’s all folks for today… Enjoy your weekend. :O)

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10 days left for shopping (so get to it Chris…) and other random ramblings…

So, I was asked… (not so nicely… might I add) to do another post in my blog. I think taking a few days off for the holidays is reasonable…

Here is more randomness about me:
1. My first “adult” concert was Michael Jackson @ Comiskey Park (I was 12)
2. During my first year of driving I was involved in 6 accidents (they weren’t all my fault). My first accident was plowing down a $500/15 year old Boston Pear Tree.
3. For not being to a dentist in a loooooooooooooong time… it wasn’t so bad… only 1 cavity (and the news that.. yes, my wisdom teeth need to come out).
4. I eat cereal without milk.
5. I hate yogurt.
6. Despise peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.
7. My favorite restaurant is Berghoff’s in Chicago.
8. I still get excited when I think of the White Sox winning the series.
9. I want to see “Brokeback Mountain”
10. I always wander through the toy aisles @ Target with a smile.

That’s about it for now.

Enjoy your Thursday!

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Life… and all its stories…

Sorry to plagarize from the King of Prussia ad that seems to be on the TV every 5 minutes…

So…. today is the dreaded dentist appointment. UGH. Still can’t figure out why I am sooo fearful. Will report back tomorrow.

My overnight at the hospital: I’m just in awe of what humans can do to each other. Horrible evening.

From the “You-Can-Learn-A-Lot-From-TV-Sometimes” file: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition… how can you NOT want to jump out and help someone after watching this show???? I think I cried for 2 hours last night. Then there is the sappy, soapy, & dreamy medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy”… One line struck me… One of the docs speaking of why he believes in God said (to his girlfriend… the agnostic Jew): “I need to believe in something bigger than myself… if I don’t… I’ll go crazy” (or something to that effect)…

So.. go forth my 5 readers… believe in something bigger than yourselves today.

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Saturday evening…

I’m here the hospital for my last overnight of the year. I’m hoping for a slow night. We shall see.

Today I went to see “The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe”. I really enjoyed the movie. At times, it seemed like “Lord of the Rings: the Diet Version”…. and if you see it… you will know what scenes I mean. But other than that, the casting was superb. I loved the kids cast. The story is a classic.

Nothing else too exciting to report…. I’m off to visit a patient.

Enjoy your evening.

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Random Thoughts…

One thing I can never figure out about Protestant churches…most WILL NOT be meeting on Sunday, December 25th. The reason: because it’s Christmas Day. One of the most important Christian holidays of the year… & the church doesn’t meet. I still haven’t heard a very good reason why. This so doesn’t make sense. It’s a Sunday, so they should be meeting. There is no excuse of the “Oh… Christmas is a Wednesday this year so we aren’t meeting.” UGH.

The Catholics have and always will have one up on the Protestant church when it comes to Christmas services. Bring on Midnight Mass.

Re: Federal Marshals & Miami airplane shooting. It was horrible that an innocent man was killed…but that’s what these guys are trained to do.. shoot to kill. Again, don’t yell out that you have a bomb on a plane… you should be OK.

Snow and local news stations in Philadelphia. Some of the worst sensationalist reporting around. It’s winter. It’s supposed to snow. It’s like Chicken Little & the sky is falling.

Good things:
1. 16 days until Christmas & my shopping is all finished.
2. Christmas Music all day long..
3. Snow.
4. My Christmas Tree.
5. Top Tomato Pizza tonight!!

That’s it for now.

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Things I’m just *shocked* (I TELL YOU) *shocked* about…

1. I usually don’t comment on the life of would be celebrities… cause frankly I don’t care… but Nicole Richie and her DJ boyfriend broke off their engagement… SHOCKED!!!! I thought their’s would be a marriage forever.

2. If you say that you have a bomb on a plane… you might be shot. I’m SHOCKED that the federal marshals did their jobs. (ok… I’m mildly upset and maybe I should be more upset that an innocent & apparently mentally unstable man died…)

Ok.. their was your 9.14am early dose of sarcasm.

Enjoy your day.