New Album from Glen Hansard and Marketta Irglova

Streaming free until it's release date on NPR's Exclusive First Listen
Favorites so far:
Low Rising
I Have Loved You Wrong (especially around the 3:30 mark)

Quote: Travel is . . .

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

- Mark Twain

CTA, I'm ashamed that you're my "Rapid" Transit Provider

After a couple months of driving to/from work because of after-work commitments (softball leagues, golf, etc.) I started taking the train again this week. My morning commute from Bryn Mawr to Davis (with a change from the Red line to the Purple line at Howard) should take no more than 30 minutes. Yesterday it took 45. Today it took 50! After spending the weekend in London spoiled by their frequent trains, constant status updates, and 'next train arrives in X minutes' signage, my return to the CTA left a particularly sour taste in my mouth.

According to the CTA Bryn Mawr schedule, northbound trains should arrive every 5 - 8 minutes between 6:00 am and 11:00 am. Let's see how that played out this morning.

8:00 Arrive at Bryn Mawr
8:05 Watch first Evanston Express pass
8:10 Watch second Evanston Express pass
8:15 Watch third train pass (marked Express but I assume it was red line)
8:20 Northbound red line train stops at Bryn Mawr

Number of announcements made to keep passengers informed - Zero
Minutes in between trains - >20
Explanations for delay on CTA website - Zero

Reaction from CTA staff at Howard - "I'm on a different radio channel, I don't know what caused the delays."

The CTA should feel a responsibility to keep their riders informed. A simple "The next northbound train should be at Bryn Mawr in 5 minutes" is all it takes. Instead, you're left to stare down the tracks, assuming that since you can't see the faint headlights of a train in the distance, it's going to be "a while". This morning, "a while" meant a 15 minute unexplained delay that caused me, and a number of other Chicagoans who unfortunately rely on the CTA as their means of transportation, to be late for work and school and . . .

Just another day on the CTA. I hope it gets better before it gets worse.

July 4th Weekend

This past 4th of July weekend was action packed and included the following:
golf - Mark treated Kevin, Tim and I to 18 holes at Lost Dunes - the finest course I've ever played. Despite my 109, I shot well and had a blast. Can't wait to play it again.
the Cubs - Carl was in town from Boston and had tickets to Friday's 1:20 game vs. Milwaukee. The game ended on a walk-off walk in the 10th. Cubs win 2-1 overcoming a late scare when Milton Bradley lost yet another ball in sun. Cubs take 3 out of 4 in the series.
fireworks - our annual 3rd of July spot just north of Monroe, east of Lake Shore Drive. A little light on the attendeance side this year as Pete and his buddies weren't around but a good time catching up with the usual suspects.
fireworks - happened to be eating at Fat Cat with Gwen, Carl and Vince when Saddle and Cycle had their annual display. Watched from the a table next to their gigantic windows.
grilled steaks - didn't appreciate these until recently. My uncle grills steaks every year on the 4th. Soooo good.
chorizo - late night torta at El Norte. Hit the spot.
hot dogs - Treated Carl to the two hotdog special from Patio on Thursday. I owed him a Chicago-style dog from a friendly wager we made on the Bulls Celtics series. 1/4lb dog at Wrigley from 7-11 on Friday (mustard only). Friday again a hotdog (mustard only) from a stand near the Yacht Club. One more during golf on Sunday.

So that was the stuff that made my weekend. The people - being surrounded by family and friends - made it truly special. What more can you ask for?

Alice.com

I first heard about alice.com when a former co-worker mentioned it in his departure email. He said he was leaving the company to pursue opportunities to work at an internet start-up, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin of all places. I've been following the progress of the site via http://blog.alice.com/ and liked the feel of it enough to be notified when they went live. Earlier this week they did, and yesterday I went online to check it out.

The ordering experience was just that - an experience, and a good one. They first ask what type of household essentials you typically buy, then automatically create a shopping list for you. The list take on the the form of a "Shoot the duck" carnival game in a nicely done graphical interface. It sounds a bit cheesy when I write it but there was no cheese in the experience. Each duck represents a specific item - deodorant, body wash, facial tissue, etc. As you add an item to your cart, a picture of it replaces the duck on your ordering dashboard. You're also prompted if you'd like a reminder when the item might run low (with the option to select 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 months, etc).

They have all the major name brands you'd find at your local Walgreens or CVS as well as a number of environmental friendly products you wouldn't normally find. Coupons were automatically applied to the items that were eligible. Shipping is always free and the prices seemed quite competitive. From start to finish, the ordering experience was smooth and felt natural.

I placed my first order around 11am yesterday and received my items less than 24 hours later from a warehouse in Indianapolis (according to the UPS tracking website). I'll definitely be using the site again and suggest you check out alice.com the next time you're running low on dish soap, q-tips, shampoo, etc.

Chicken Soup with Wild Rice

I made this Chicken Soup with Wild Rice recipe last night.

Total prep and cook time: 80 minutes.

Notes:
Added in some carrots and chopped scallions.
I used 1 lb of chicken breast as a substitute for the whole chicken and it felt like there was plenty of chicken.
I used Knorr's instant soup mix instead of bullion cubes.
Salt and pepper to taste at the table.
Freeze any leftovers.

GeoPlanet In The Real World

I started reading the Yahoo! GeoTechnologies Blog and was alerted to some pretty sweet content on their posting about Geoplanet.
Shape Data on Flickr - including continent, countries, cities, neighborhoods
Neighboring Neighborhoods
Zip Boundaries
SAKMap - Swiss Army Knife of Maps

Fun Coincidences

The past couple weeks I've experienced some fun coincidences.

Coincidence #1:
2 pictures that I came across within 24 hours of each other. The one on the left was attached to an entry titled as time passes, on Myndi Devore's blog. The one on the right was posted on my friend Hugo's facebook photos.

Coincidence #2:
This past Sunday I took a bus tour of Stonehenge, Avebury and other areas near Bath. The tour guide, Gary of Mad Max Tours, teased me a bit because everyone else on the bus was paired up. I was the sole lone traveller. Throughout the tour he dedicated songs to various people, providing some embarassing made-up background story and then playing a song on tape for all to enjoy. At the end of the trip he dedicated a song to me, specifically for the lyrics

Loves the greatest thing
That we have
Im waiting for that feeling
Im waiting for that feeling
Waiting for that feeling to come

The following day I was chatting online with Carl and he said, "... but have to say, Tender by Blur is just an amazing song if you don't know it, check it out can't believe I missed it for all these years." Low and behold, I go to Songerize.com and give it a listen and, you guessed it, it's the same song Gary dedicated to me. Love it!

Bath Stonehenge Avebury

I spent the weekend in southwest England. Arrived Saturday morning in Bath and took in some of its sites including the Roman Baths, the Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Circus. Stayed at the White Hart Inn, a nice little hostel above a pub. Sunday I took the Mad Max Tour Company's full day tour of Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe. Greg kept the diverse group (including 2 people from Lebanon, 4 from China and 2 Aussies) entertained throughout. Despite the cold weather at some of the sites, it was a great trip.

Paris - Weekend with Josh, Mary, Tim

Josh, Mary and Tim flew into Paris on a Friday. I met them early Saturday afternoon. We stayed at Hotel Chomel and took the train all over the place. Some highlights included the catacombs, Sacre Couer, the Louvre and a burlesque show. After a long weekend, we headed to London on the Eurostar.