avoision: December 2005 Archives

December 31, 2005

Met up with Chelsea, Sarah and Bill for New Year's. The four of us decided to ring in the new year at Green Eye - a spot many of you might remember from earlier in the month. Right around midnight, someone came by passing out these little mini-poppers. That's... (read more)

Hello Chicago

Today was my dad's birthday, but we all ended up spending a lot of our time focused on Jasmine again. Today, Shane's mom Bobbi and his step-dad Dave drove down to wish Jasmine a happy birthday. Of course, we had dim sum at the restaurant. I swear to you -... (read more)

Nothing Like a Nice, Relaxing Evening of Ultimate Fighting

December 30, 2005

Fast forward a bit to Stacey and Shane's new house. We spent most of the night in the living room, watching a sugar-fueled Jasmine play around. Here she is with my cousin Haley. Nesta, one of the nicest doggies in the world. Around now, Andrew, Jordan, and I accompany... (read more)

Happy Birthday Jasmine!

My oh-so-cute niece Jasmine turned one today! I can't believe it's already been a year since she arrived. Here are all her presents - tons of stuff from uncles, aunts, grandparents and great-grandparents. The birthday cake (I don't think Jasmine's really had all that much sugar before today). Jasmine... (read more)

Plump's Last Shot

December 29, 2005

Called around and got a hold of a few high school buddies of mine - guys I haven't seen in a long, long time. A bar named Plump's Last Shot was suggested, and we all met up in Broad Ripple - slightly off the beaten path. As I understand... (read more)

Meh

December 28, 2005

Not sure how I passed the time today. Did a lot of freelance work during the day. Watched a lot of poker on my parents' huge TV. Ate a lot. So it goes...... (read more)

Dialup

December 27, 2005

At home, the only access I had to the Internet was through my folks' old, old Compaq Presario. And I'm fairly certain something is wonky with the phone line, as the max download speed I could get was topping off somewhere near 4k or 5k. *weeps*... (read more)

Video Games

December 26, 2005

After a late lunch, I ended up spending the afternoon with Andrew, David and Allison down at the Circle Center mall. The four of us went up to the top floor, where there was a big-ish arcade setup. It's been a while since I've been in an honest to goodness... (read more)

Cute Overload

December 25, 2005

Awwwwww. In the background there is my aunt Vicky and uncle Benny's dog, Macho. All of us spent the evening hanging out and watching Kung Fu Hustle. I didn't mind watching it again. as I laughed my ass off even more. I really enjoyed the fact that everyone in... (read more)

Cutest Video of all freaking time

... (read more)

Home with the Family

December 24, 2005

As is tradition, we met up for dinner at my folks' restaurant. My cousin Andrew was in town, as were my cousins Allison and David. This is a photo of the bracelets she's got on - which rocked. I didn't have my camera out much today, but did make... (read more)

Indianapolis Ho!

Spent the better part of the morning packing up my car with a lot (A LOT) of gear. Clothes to last a week, my cat, cat-related items (litter box, food, scratching post), gifts, camera, and my new computer. I swear, a few more things in the car and I... (read more)

Apologies

December 23, 2005

I realize I've let the blog go recently. No real excuse other than I started my vacation, and I've been slothing it up pretty badly. Lots of West Wing episodes, lots of ass-on-couch action. Also, I've been migrating a lot of my data onto this new iMac. It's a slow... (read more)

Updates!

12/21/2005 12/22/2005... (read more)

Call me Lord, Call me Master

December 22, 2005

At long last! I've won back the coveted Lord and Master Stein™. Finally, it's back where it belongs! Today, I went in to work circa 2PM. While I had the day off, today was a half-day at work (another great thing about my company - they give us half-days before... (read more)

Clubfoot

December 21, 2005

Met up with Justin for some drinks at Clubfoot circa 9PM. We exchanged gifts, and promptly spent the next three hours sipping on Johnny Walker and talking computers. Mostly, we were discussing some of the sweet new tools Justin's been developing, in his off-hours. I'm not going to say... (read more)

GotoAndPlay("vacation")

Woohoo! First day of my vacation, and I spent the morning running around doing some errands. Mostly though, I spent the afternoon on the couch watching episodes of West Wing. Mucked around some on the new iMac.... (read more)

I find this sentence rather remarkable

December 20, 2005

From Boing Boing:Recently-uncovered documents in Moscow apparently reveal that Josef Stalin hoped to crossbreed humans and apes to create superwarriors.I mean, sweet lord. I've seen all those words before, but I just... haven't seen them together, in this particular order. I'm reading it for the ump-teenth time, and it still... (read more)

BEST_TYPING_GAME_EVAR

www.2addicted.com. Thanks to The_Spectre, who posted this over on 12S.... (read more)

Ima IMAC guy

It arrived today. Overall, this machine is quite fantastic. Easy to use, and very smooth, very slick. The only point where I stumbled was when I tried installing memory. Chris ended up giving me a hand, but it took us a few attempts before getting the memory to register.... (read more)

Pot, Kettle, Black

December 19, 2005

Justin may have a pocket protector. But I spent a few months of my life this year playing an online game as a Night Elf Hunter named Thrillho. In retrospect, I think we're tied.... (read more)

Mac Games?

Any suggestions out there for some good video games for the Mac? I was always under the assumption that Macs were maybe 6 months or so behind the PC world, as far as games went. If something came out for a PC, maybe... maybe it would get released for the... (read more)

Slow News Day

Sorry there's not much here tonight. I'm feeling fairly tired, and not that motivated to update the blog all that much this evening. I'm planning on starting my holiday vacation soon (Wednesday), and I'll be lounging around with a lot more time and energy in a few days. Planning on... (read more)

Nerd++

Justin, showing off the POCKET PROTECTOR he purchased today. This is him pushing up the imaginary nerd glasses he wished he had. He and I met up after work at Filter, and talked computer talk for a while. Mostly Mac stuff, and my eminent switch to Apple from the... (read more)

Visiting Alex and Linda

December 18, 2005

Alex's father passed away last weekend, and Justin, Dave and I are heading up to Green Bay to attend the memorial. More updates forthcoming...... (read more)

Visiting Alex and Linda

December 17, 2005

Alex's father passed away last weekend, and Justin, Dave and I are heading up to Green Bay to attend the memorial. More updates forthcoming...... (read more)

Early Night

December 16, 2005

Busy weekend coming up. And I recently took on some freelance work, which has kept me busy the past few nights. While I'd like to try to write some... or surf around some... or come up with some more interesting entries for this blog... I don't have the energy for... (read more)

John Spencer

Well, this is the first time that my blog has informed me of recent events. Thanks, whoever you are, for sending me this note. This evening, a reader sent me a message letting me know that John Spencer died. Spencer was the actor who played Leo McGarry on NBC's... (read more)

Guess what I bought today?

December 15, 2005

Seeing as how I've been using a PC since... well, forever... switching over to a Mac is going to be a prettyhuge shift for me. Justin and Benare arguably two of the most efficient, productive folks I know. I'll be hitting them up for tipsand tricks, as I learn... (read more)

... And Ye Shall Receive

From: Rick DiMaio (Meteorologist, Fox Chicago) To: Jane Subj: RE: Crazy Snow! Dear Jane..... Great question. The reason why the snowflakes were so big was because the temperature above the ground was very cold, nearly 10-15 degrees below zero at 10,000 feet where the flakes were forming. Because the temps... (read more)

Ask...

From: Jane To: Rick DiMaio (Meteorologist, Fox Chicago) Subj: Crazy Snow! Dear Rick, My co-workers and I are simply ogling at the HUGE snowflakes (clumps of snowflakes?) that are falling right now downtown! What are the conditions that cause this? My guess would be that it's going through some warmer... (read more)

Huge snowflakes

Late in the morning, someone looked out the window and noticed the incredibly HUGE snowflakescoming down. Granted, it was snowing pretty hard, but I don't know that I've ever really seensnow this big before. This had everyone out of their seats and up against the windows,looking out over downtown... (read more)

Forgetfulness

December 14, 2005

by Billy Collins The name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of, as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor decided... (read more)

It's Funny Cause It's True

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Marshall Field's Window Displays

Post-party, I hitched a ride with Chris and Leslie. En route home, Leslie suggested we swing by Marshall Field's to check out their window display. According to her, this was one of her family traditions - something she remembered doing as a kid. The whole family would pile into a... (read more)

Q101/Loop Christmas Party

We were at the top of the W Hotel this evening, for our annual office party. This is an all-station event and, since we've added The Loop to the mix, I guess that makes it a dual-station event. Lots of free booze, great food, a pretty snazzy room, door prizes... (read more)

Cute Overload

Just try and visit this site without misting up, just a little. I dare ya. Link via Ektopia.... (read more)

Forgetfulness

... (read more)

Trapped in the Closet

December 13, 2005

Ok. Holy shit. Where in the hell have I been? How did it take this long for me to find out about R. Kelly's magnum opus, Trapped in the Closet? This thing has had me (and everyone in the office) beyond speechless. I've laughed harder than I can remember... (read more)

On the way to work

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Interactive Holiday Dinner

December 12, 2005

Tonight all of us from work had our department holiday dinner (for Emmis Interactive). We met up at Uncle Julio's, where we hung out for a bit as they found room for our group. I got to meet several of the "significant others," which was great. I'm remembering some three... (read more)

Panda pang

December 11, 2005

Panda Pang is your typical "one panda versus a horde of invading aliens that look like green, sunnyside-up eggs" videogame. Addictive as hell. Avoid this if you have ANYTHING you want to get done in the next hour or so. I've played this thing probably 10 times in the... (read more)

Updates!

12/09/2005 - The Vending Machine Challenge™.... (read more)

Staying in the City

December 10, 2005

Tonight, I was planning to head out to Barrington to attend the annual Mena Christmas Party. However, I ended up getting a late start, and one thing led to another. I had dug out my car earlier this morning (buried under a ton of snow), but when I came out... (read more)

Errands

Woke up super early and did a lot of errands/shopping. Among the many items I purchased today, I bought a pair of Homer Simpson slippers. That's right. You're jealous.... (read more)

Epilog

December 9, 2005

From: Anthony To: Felix Subj: Epilog This is an ode, to my vending machine bet For less than 12 hours ago my gut was still set See I started to eat, with great reckless abandon But I'm not a pup and am no longer standin' The ole heart just gave... (read more)

The Vending Machine Challenge™, Part 2

Fourteen down (fifteen counting the oatmeal), twenty to go. Three hours in, Anthony takes another power nap. At this point, Anthony is telling us about how his heart is racing pretty quickly. The reason for all the naps, we find out, is him trying to rest himself and slow... (read more)

Intermission: Video Clip Available

During the whole process, we had a video camera trained on Anthony. I didn't record the entire event start to finish, but instead chose to film several quick segments. At the end of the day, after all was said and done, I stayed late at work to muck with the... (read more)

The Vending Machine Challenge™, Part 1

First of all, let me set the stage. The brave gentleman you see before you is Anthony, outdoorsman, farmer, writer, former webmaster for Q101 and thrill-seeker extraordinaire. As he was a former coworker of ours, it's only fitting that he return to the office to partake in our little challenge.... (read more)

New glasses

December 8, 2005

I'm not crazy about this photo, but it seems that an obligatory "new glasses" shot is in order. Keep in mind, I'm a few drinks in the bag. And if you'd like a kind of comparison? Check out the glasses I used to have, way back when.... (read more)

Back home

... (read more)

Rainbo

Hung out with Justin for a good while at Rainbo. It seems like it's been a while since we've hung out, and tonight felt quite good. In fact, tonight's talks made me realize just how long it's been since Justin and I just hung out together. After throwing a few... (read more)

D/Vision, Ukranian Village

Got off at the Division stop, so that I could swing by and pick up my new glasses. En route, we saw several bicycles... lost to the snow. The folks at Division Optical actually gave me a call yesterday afternoon, saying my glasses were ready. "Nah," I thought to... (read more)

Vending Machine Bet: Items Purchased

So tomorrow is the big day, where Anthony will come in and attempt the Vending Machine bet. Justin and Chris, discussing the feasibility of the challenge. Compared to what it looked like in the machine, this collection doesn't seem all that daunting. A few of us were wondering how... (read more)

Afternoon Snow

Starting around 3PM, snow just kept on coming down. At several turns during the remainder of the work day, I found myself drawn to the window... just so I could watch the snow gradually accumulate.... (read more)

Everyone, Meet Milla

Yesterday, Ludmilla (Milla) joined our office. She'll be working with us until the Spring, coding and writing stored procedures, and doing all that fancy backend/database stuff that I'm totally unfamiliar with. And of course, I had to take a photo. Like I did for Bryan. Like I did for... (read more)

Apparently, today is not my day to be warm

December 7, 2005

Walked into an icebox of an apartment tonight. I guess, during the whole "fixing" process this morning... the guy working on my heater forgot to flip some switch back. I had hot water via the sinks, but the heater wasn't circulating any warm air at all (and hadn't been,... (read more)

First Descent

Met up with Jon, Ric and Dustin today, after work. The three of us met at the Hilton (where Dustin's staying), and meandered over to the South Loop Club for a quick drink. Afterwards, we headed over to the nearby AMC theater to catch a showing of First Descent.... (read more)

The source of the problem is isolated

I think this here might be the friggin' problem. Several months ago, my landlord (after hearing my complaints about the cold winters) had some guys install a new heater in my apartment. Free of charge. Well, it turns out they had this workaround. The vent (or exhaust, or whatever)... (read more)

No Hot Water

This morning, I woke up and when I brushed my teeth... noticed that I had no hot water at all. The past few days, it's been pretty cold out. And inside my apartment, it's been a little chilly, Having lived here for the past few years, I know it's cold... (read more)

Dustin visits

December 6, 2005

Quick entry. L to R it's Jon, Dustin, and Ric - all of us hanging out at Rainbo. Dustin's in town for a conference, and we spent a good deal of tonight just chatting and getting caught up. Jon, rocking the Q-bert. It should be noted that Ric, until... (read more)

Thinking about Absence

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Rectangles

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A bunch of nothing

December 5, 2005

I sat down at the computer tonight, and tried to write. An hour or two later, I've got nothing to show for it. This whole time, I've been asking myself - what happened to me? I used to write all the time. I'm wondering what happened to my brain. I... (read more)

Guided by Voices

December 4, 2005

Updated the audioplayer tonight as well. Last night, at the Green Eye, they were playing a lot of Guided by Voices. In talking with Chris, he mentioned not knowing their older stuff all that much. After updating the photos from last night, I was reminded again of Guided by Voices... (read more)

Updates!

12/03/2005... (read more)

Hangover, and some dumplings

Spent a good deal of today on the couch. I had a headache hangover this morning, which is a bit unusual for me. The hangover, that is. Usually, I don't drink to the point where I'm pained the next morning - I've been good about moderating myself. But today, my... (read more)

The Big Three Oh: Happy Birthday, Chelster!

December 3, 2005

Prior to the birthday festivities, a few of us met up at Cafe Bolero for dinner. I walked in shortly after two other women, and shortly thereafter realized we were all attending the birthday dinner. I sat down with Nicole and Megan, two DJs at WLUW that also work with... (read more)

Errands

Woke up early this morning, and did a bunch of errands. Lots of grocery shopping, and a stopover at Stanley's for some veggies. Finally broke out my crock pot for the first time in... well, jeez, a long ass time. Full with supplies from the morning, I ended up trying... (read more)

Zubbles

December 2, 2005

For more info on Zubbles, check out www.zubbles.com. To learn more about the long journey process that led to colored bubbles... check out this Popular Science article. And as an FYI - I signed up on their mailing list. As soon as I hear anything regarding availability or how... (read more)

You Are Beautiful: Year In Review

The good folks over at You Are Beautiful have updated their site, and created a Year in Review page. MAN those guys keep busy! Go check out all the cool stuff they've been up to. One of the items you'll see on that page references the You Are I Am... (read more)

Updates!

12/01/2005... (read more)

Black Keys @ the Metro

December 1, 2005

Chris mentioned The Black Keys to everyone yesterday, and was trying to get folks to go with him to the show. Seeing as how I liked one of Chris' last recommendations, I decided to go with him and Will to the Metro. It's been ages since I've been in... (read more)

tiny hats of snow

... (read more)

Good advice

Spotted this by the Damen Blue Line stop. Seeing this message today? It's one of my favorite things about winter (and snow, in particular): all the notes other people leave behind.... (read more)

Such Great Heights - July 8th, 2004

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