TO ALL MY PEEPS...

Happy Easter !!!

Saved By The What??

So, here it 'tis...the BIG BIRTHDAY UPDATE!! Try to contain your excitement...

Friday - I had a lovely dinner with family and then crashed out at home. I've still been dealing with this ear infection that definitely has slowed me down. Plus I knew that I had to rest up for the long weekend ahead...and long it was...

Saturday - I was ill in the morning so I slept in as long as possible. My mother and I ran some errands, did a little shopping, and then headed here for massages. Excellent! I then went and got a pedicure, which now looks awful because I made the mistake of wearing shoes that weren't open-toed. Saturday night some friends and family and I got together to play in a trivia event to raise money for the high school that I attended. We came in fourth from last...not so good. After trivia, the adventure began. Regena, Jamie (who hasn't been out in almost 2 years...) and I headed out to one of the local bars with a massive dance floor. We just wanted to throw our purses and shoes in a circle and dance around them as ladies often do. Of course, being on anti-biotics for my ear-infection, I couldn't drink anything, but I never need alcohol to enjoy myself. Jamie, on the other hand, drank enough for both of us so it was covered. Lisa and her new friend, "SuperJake" showed up and Joe joined us a bit later. We even managed to get him out on the dance floor at one point...Amazing! (Stay tuned for pictures...) The highlight of the evening had to be this...

HA! I met Screech! How fun is that? How lame is that? He was performing at the Funny Bone comedy club that was located inside the entertainment complex where we were celebrating. Let me tell you, he may have bombed inside, but outside he was making a killing! He was selling autographed headshots of himself for $20 and autographed Polaroid pics for $10. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for B-list celebs and it was my birthday so I did pay the money for the picture...but it's almost too much fun, isn't it? It would have been even more fun if Slater was there too, but, c'est dommage, no such luck.

Sunday - The sojourn continues...I sped off to St. Louis to meet Winter and Bill, the filmmaker. If you haven't watched the trailer or aren't yet familiar with the project, check it out here. I did a short interview with him about how Winter and I met and our "undefined" relationship and the like. It was quite fun. Winter suprised me with AN IPOD MINI! After trying to give it back several times, he convinced me to keep it and I'm glad that he did. It's better than a new boyfriend...heh.

I LUV U IPOD !!!!

Winter, Bill and I met up with our old friend Louis and his friend at a Starbucks in Webster Groves. Bill wanted to talk to Louis about his connection to Winter. There was one more new Starbucks in the area that Winter needed to visit so we headed off for it. Winter complained about my driving and I complained about the effects that the caffeine was having on him. It was just like old times! Of course, the whole world is going to get a taste of it when the film is released next year. Winter got a little upset when I couldn't find the entrance to the Starbucks parking lot quickly enough so he took it upon himself to just jump out of the car, run across the street, jump like a fool on the median, down into the ditch, and then in and out of the store before we even had a chance to get into the parking lot. I felt bad because I knew that Bill wanted to get a play-by-play of Winter's routine. Anyway, Winter and I took Bill to the airport to catch his flight and headed off to dinner. I knew that Winter hadn't been feeling well, but he stated that he was really nauseated after dinner so we cut the evening short. If you know me on a personal level, you know about my emetophobia so I was prepared to get the ailing Winter out of my car as quickly as possible. We checked into the hotel and we were asleep by 8pm.

Today - We woke up this morning, and despite my efforts to sleep in or lounge around a bit before heading off to breakfast, I was forced into the shower and we were off to The Cracker Barrel, my favorite place in the world for breakfast. After that it was time for us to say our good-byes once again. We were getting good at it. I used to cry, now we just hug, and Winter dashes. I stopped to get gas and later found out that Winter followed me into the parking lot of the gas station to get one last hug. Usually that was my routine. Unfortunately, we missed each other. I decided that I wasn't going to waste a perfectly good day off so I navigated my way back to the Galleria where I purchased a couple of new shirts, some thank you cards, and "socks" for my ipod. Very Exciting!

Socks for my ipod

Cozy little ipod

Hey! I'm Quite Familiar with Striped Shirt Guy and His Friends...

Good morning! I just want everyone to be aware that I DID indeed prepare an entry yesterday for St. Patty's Day, unfortunately, when I went to post it, it never showed up and was lost and gone forever. I'm sorry if I've disappointed my loyal readers...you know who you are.

Today's entry, unlike yesterday's, isn't by me at all (thanks to Mike Polk at Phat Phree) but I wish that I would've thought of it because it's flippin' hysterical. Plus, really I can do almost whatever I want since it's the last day I'll ever have to be 27.

Don't I know this guy from somewhere? Oh yeah, EVERY BAR THAT I GO INTO!

"Look at my striped shirt! Fucking look at it! This shirt means one thing! I'm coming home with a fine lady tonight! That's right! It's been a long week at the office and it's time to blow off a little steam! I'm a Junior Vice President! I even have cards that say "Junior Vice President" on them! They're glossy and magnificent! Here! Have one! Take it!

My boys are coming out with me tonight! They all have striped shirts too!

I figure we'll kick off the night with some Golden Tee! I'm going to smack the shit out of that little white ball! It's going to be so fucking loud! I'll bet I can drive that pretend golf ball 600 fucking yards tonight! I'm that fucking pumped!

I can almost taste those Jager Bombs right now! I fucking love Red Bull! I put it on my cereal every morning!

I'm thinking about buying a boat this year!

I'm gonna fight someone tonight! I pray to God someone makes eye contact with me! I will beat his ass! And God help him if he gets any blood on my striped shirt! I mean it!

I'm gonna grind on some girls tonight! You heard me! When I see a group of girls dancing in a circle, I will select the most attractive one and dance all over her!

I will valet tonight! I will treat the valet with contempt and make sure he knows that I am superior to him in life! I will tell him to 'Take it easy on the brakes, Champ!'

I will talk to people I don't know about my job tonight! They will all know that I'm an important man! I will call all female bartenders 'Babe' and all male bartenders 'Chief'!

When I do not hook up with a girl at that club, I will say that place is 'full of skanks'! We will wait in a long line at another bar only to strike out again!

I will give up and decide to order a gyro from a street vendor! I will make fun of him to my friends! I will look ridiculous purchasing my gyro because people will be able to tell by my striped shirt and tinted sunglasses that I struck out and am settling for a gyro!

I will make one last attempt to hook up by trying to coax two big girls who are also ordering gyros to coming back to my place for 'after hours'! When they reject me, I will make fun of them for being overweight! I will leave!

I will then go home and pass out! I will need some fucking shut eye so that I'll be ready to fucking party again tomorrow night!"

To Celebrate Hump Day...

Kim brought this site to my attention and it has been making me giggle all morning. This picture is just the beginning. I even had to sumbit my own pic to the "humpmaster"...keep an eye out for it.

IN OTHER FUN NEWS...

I came across a guy, whose blog isn't poop contrary to the title, who developed a rather amusing list. Thought I'd share...

"Things You Probably Heard in the 80's...or Would Hear at Any 80's-themed Pary"

1) "Man, it's not going to get any better than these cassettes! Not in my lifetime. Fast forward AND rewind? It's just crazy!"

2) "Some bands are built to last and others aren't. I'm sorry, but I just don't think that U2 is going to be around in another 20 years. They just don't strike me as that kind of group."

3) "Do you want to go have some unprotected sex? We're straight, it's not like we're going to have to worry about AIDS or anything, c'mon!"

4) "When I think about George Michael, two words come to mind: P**** Magnet. That guy gets more ass than both of the Thompson Twins COMBINED. Man, I'd give my right nut to be George Michael, even for a day."

5) "Mike Tyson will never lose. He's an inspiration to us all."

6) "I look forward to following Michael Jackson's career. If there's one artist that you can count on to put out one exceptional record after the next, it's MJ. The guy is just incredible, and he's not the least bit pedo-philey either."

7) "Dan Quayle is too dumb to be in politics. I bet you he's the dumbest person we have ever had in office during our lifetime. At least we didn't vote him in. Imagine if we ever actually voted for someone that dumb! It'll never happen."

8) "I cannot wait for 'Back to the Future 2'!!! When it said 'to be continued...' at the end, I was like, 'Man, it can't come soon enough!' I bet it's better than the first!!"

9) "Heavy metal is here to stay!"

10) "Special effects will never get better than 'E.T.' That bike was FLYING!"

11) "Did you hear that Christopher Reeves took up horseback riding? Is there anything that Superman can't do?"

12) "I wonder what Janet Jackson's boobs look like..."

13) "There are three things I'll never do in my life: pay to watch TV, pay to listen to my radio, and pay more than $5 for a movie. It's totally not worth it."

14) "I wish George Lucas would make some more 'Star Wars' movies. How great would those be??"

15) "Man, those Coreys are such a dynamic duo! Their futures are so bright, I just gotta wear shades!"

16) "Wouldn't it be great if there were a television show celebrating how much we love this decade? No? Yeah, you're probably right."

"Hey Kool-Aid!"


Have a great Wednesday!

I've gotta go buy the newest issue of Tiger Beat!

Let Them See Cake !!!!

My name is Jodi and I love Cake...that's why I have 7th row seats to see them on April 20 here! Hoorah!

However, I also like cake of this variety :)

(Pssst...only 4 shopping days left !!!)

Blech !

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

Thanks mom, but no thanks...

No She Didn't !!

Yes, it's a BONUS POST !!! Wahoo! I came across this interesting new "list" and I thought I'd play along...

I'm addicted to making music compiliations and someone brought "Project Frankenstein" to my attention. Legend has it that it came about as a result of a questionnaire/bet in one of the forums on this site. You simply compile a bunch of music according to the below statements. It's one cd made from lots of different parts...


Here's the formula:

1) A song that gets you going in the morning
2) A song from an artist that you're embarassed to admit that you like
3) A song you think is romantic
4) A song for a rainy day
5) A lullaby
6) A song that makes you feel great no matter when you hear it
7) A song from your favorite band
8) A song that makes you laugh
9) A song that reminds you of your high school days
10) A really good cover song
11) A song from a movie
12) A song with the word "look" in the title
13) A song by an artist who is a member of the "Dead Rockers Society"
14) Your favorite song by either Elvis or The Beatles
15) A song by a group that you otherwise don't like
16) Whatever it is, it's gotta be funky!
17) A song from the most recent CD you've bought
18) A song with "blues" in the title
19) One of the earliest songs that you remember listening to
20) Wildcard - A song by anyone about anything

My Frankenstein Mix would look like this...Enjoy!

1) "Disco Ball World" - David Garza
2) Anything by an American Idol finalist...shhh...don't tell...
3) "The Luckiest" - Ben Folds
4) "Breakin' Me" - Johnny Lang
5) "When You Dream" - Barenaked Ladies
6) "Steal My Kisses" - Ben Harper
7) "Your Bird Can Sing" - The Beatles
8) "Idiot Boyfriend" - Jimmy Fallon
9) "Piano Man" - Billy Joel
10) "Time After Time" - Matchbox 20
11) "Somebody's Baby" - Andru Donalds (Good Will Hunting soundrtrack)
12) "Look Away" - Chicago
13) "Watching the Wheels" - John Lennon
14) "Oh Darlin' " - The Beatles (the answers for this one are too numerous to mention)
15) "Walk This Way" - Run DMC
16) "All in the Groove" - Blues Traveler
17) "Candy Apple Red" - The Oohs (great local band)
18) "Fisherman's Blues" - The Waterboys
19) Anything from Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual" album
20) Check out The Beatles' version of "Come and Get It"...amazing stuff

Make your own mix and share it here!!

(This means you too Electric Bozo...)

Busy Little Bee, That's Me !!

Wow...I feel like such a stranger! I have had one of the busiest weeks ever and it's only getting busier. Of course I'm not complaining because I would rather be running around doing things than figuring out what to do with my free time, which seems to be dwindling anyway. I've come to the conclusion that time flies whether you're having fun or not. It's sad but true.

This week is going to be a crazy mix of fun and work. Here's the breakdown. Here's the part where you pretend you care...

Monday - Preparations for the week

Tuesday - Speaking engagement for a group of parents with pre-schoolers about the effects of domestic violence on children

Wednesday - Speaking engagement with a group of delinquent teens about dating violence

Thursday - St. Patty's Day! I promised the kids staying in shelter a party complete with "Leprechaun O'lympics!" Heh.

Friday - Other than being the eve of my 28th birthday, I'll also be practically the only one at work covering all of my co-workers who will be taking the day off due to their hangovers. That evening I'll be having a dinner/movie date with my mom.

Saturday - They say it's my BIRTHDAY! My birthday usually isn't just a one day event. I'm not really sure how this came to be. It's either because I am an only child or because I don't like to combine friends and family for one party. Dunno... Anyway, hoping to attend the St. Patty's Day parade here in town (it's a tradition...), spend a majority of the day at the spa, and then play trivia with friends in the evening followed by fun out on the town. The Oohs are playing, but I think that I won't be able to see them live again without having to apologize repeatedly...sorry again Frank....

Sunday - Sleep? Of course not! I'm draggin' my ass out of bed to continue the birthday celebration...with Winter! You say it's my birthday, well it's his birthday too now! He's going to be in St. Louis playing in a Scrabble tourney. Our plans are for me to talk to the filmmaker who is doing a documentary about his project and then meet up with Winter for dinner and music.

Monday - I think that I'm going to stop by Union Station before I head home, they have a great Beatles souvenir shop...and fudge! Yay!

Tuesday - Sleep! Sleep! Sleep! Hoorah!

We'll see how functional I am the next time that you hear from me. No worries, the camera is in the car and ready to go...Pics to follow!

Hey, also wanted to add that I'm trying to get a movement started by incorporating the words "shimmy" and "ta da" into daily language. Use them as often as possible...heh...that's my challenge for the week.

Oh yeah, another challenge...Avoid seeing "Be Cool" at all costs...because, well, it just isn't.

Awwww.....

Ya know...sometimes it just doesn't get a lot cuter than this...

(thanks to Andrea for posting this cat nap)

unless, of course, it's my Pomeranian, Shelby!

I AM A WARRIOR !!

It finally happened on Saturday night...after weeks of waiting. Myself, along with 3 other amazing women from our community, became "Vagina Warriors." (please see the entry from February 22 for full details of what it means to be a "Vagina Warrior"...it's not an easy job but somebody's gotta do it!) We were honored following an outstanding performance of "The Vagina Monologues." What an evening!

The 2005 Vagina Warriors: from left, Susy Woods, Candi Clouse, Mary Ratliffe, and Me

Mary and I - Mary was honored for her work at the local rape crisis center.


Candi and I

Candi is the coordinator of the Women's Issues Caucus at the Univerity of Illinois at Springfield. She also coordinated the entire event. Congrats to her for a successful evening!

Dennis and I

Dennis is a co-worker, an attorney, and friend, advocating for victims of domestic violence.

Heather and Claire are other Vagina Warriors that I know, both working to advocate for victims of violence. I was surrounded by warriors last night and I share my honors with all of them. Eliminating violence against women certainly involves teamwork.

There's absolutely no way that I can ignore those Vagina Warriors who have come before me...My Aunt Sue and My Mom...both advocates working to help those children who have been affected by violence in their homes.

In honor of my recognition, my Aunt Sue taught me the "warrior" pose she learned in Yoga class.


And of course we can't forget those who make us laugh hysterically about the good things while we are taking breaks from dealing with the bad. Joe braved the sea of feminists and came to celebrate with me at last night's post-show reception.

PLEASE...Someone Give Jenny A Salami Sandwich So She Will SOBER UP!!

100 Things About Me

I will jump on the bandwagon and add 100 things about myself. I will share because I care. Enjoy!

1. My name is Jodi Lee Morgan.

2. I am going to be 28 years old in 16 days.

3. I was born in Springfield, Illinois.

4. I am a Pisces.

5. I have my AA in Business, my BA in Mass Media Communication, and my MA in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Illinois.

6. I am right-handed.

7. Am I single?

8. I don't have any children.

9. I prefer instant messaging to e-mail.

10. I wear size 3/4 shoes...yes, kids shoes...

11. My birthmark is on my neck. It looks like a small spot of dirt.

12. My favorite bands are The Beatles and Barenaked Ladies.

13. Reality television is my guilty pleasure.

14. I have a toy Pomeranian named Shelby.

15. I'm addicted to stupid trivia about anything.

16. I work in the social services field.

17. I am being honored on 3-5-05 as a "Vagina Warrior" for my contributions in the community to preventing violence against women and girls.

18. I'm close to the Starbucks guy.

19. I used to play the piano and the oboe.

20. I love listening to acoustic guitars.

21. I also love the sound of people clapping outside.

22. A big nose on a guy is a total turn-on.

23. I love making out.

24. I am a liberal.

25. I have met Jared the Subway guy and Susan from "Sesame Street."

26. I am very picky about water pressure when I take a shower.

27. I am an only child.

28. I am a non-practicing Catholic.

29. I have naturally red hair.

30. I have blue eyes and wear glasses.

31. I lost over 60 pounds last year.

32. I sunburn easily and then it just goes away.

33. My first concert ever was Julian Lennon.

34. My friend Becks is really good at helping me get my shit together.

35. My favorite song is "Break Your Heart" by Barenaked Ladies.

36. My favorite movie is "Life is Beautiful."

37. Will Ferell can make me laugh until I cry.

38. I don't have any tattoos but would like to get the word "peace" on my back in typewriter font.

39. My ears are double-pierced.

40. I prefer silver jewelry to gold.

41. I have a scar on my left eye that looks like a dimple from when I fell onto a picket fence when I was 6.

42. I broke my little toe on my right foot last year when I fell down stairs in my house.

43. I worked at Bath and Body Works for 2 years until I got put on probation for "not smiling enough."

44. I would die without music.

45. I could eat pasta with meat sauce every single day.

46. My favorite cocktail is a Malibu and Coke.

47. I drive a 1999 Dodge Neon.

48. My favorite bar is the Brewhaus.

49. My favorite TV show ever was "Sex and the City."

50. I am a morning person.

51. I am also a night owl.

52. I love watching Strong Man competitions on TV.

53. The ringtone on my cell phone is currently set to "Fraggle Rock."

54. I prefer Pepsi to Coke, but Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi.

55. I can drink water by the gallons.

56. I think that rain is sexy.

57. I was blessed by the Pope.

58. I love to use ellipses... ... ... ... ... ...

59. I love everything about the 80's.

60. I love the Internet.

61. I hate olives and red peppers.

62. Sometimes people tell me that I look like Velma from Scooby Doo.

63. I'm allergic to Penicillin and Depakote.

64. I have never been on a ferris wheel or a rollercoaster.

65. I'm emetophobic.

66. Autumn is my favorite season.

67. I have to visit www.toothpastefordinner.com everyday.

68. I am 4'11" tall.

69. I used to be a Girl Scout.

70. I love sleeping with a fan blowing on me.

71. I like to spoon.

72. I am always late for everything.

73. I also procrastinate.

74. I would love to own a children's bookstore someday.

75. If possible, I would go back to high school.

76. I think jokes about lepers are funny.

77. I can rollerskate backwards.

78. I believe in fate.

79. Nerds turn me on.

80. Ebay is also a guilty pleasure.

81. I have to be early for movies because I love previews.

82. I think I may have ADHD.

83. When I was young, I wanted to marry Mr. Rogers.

84. I hate science fiction.

85. Vanilla ice cream is much better than chocolate.

86. Salty stuff is much better than sweet stuff.

87. I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials.

88. I keep a "grateful journal."

89. I am a constant ice chewer but I don't think that it has anything to do with low iron levels or sexual frustration...I just like to chew on ice.

90. I could play Scattergories for hours at a time.

91. I want someone to sing "Wonderful Tonight" to me before I die.

92. "Napoleon Dynamite" was the best movie that I saw last year.

93. My favorite thing about the summer is going to concerts.

94. I want to see Paul McCartney in concert before either of us dies.

95. I won't let the kids that I work with use Play-Doh because I hate the way it smells.

96. I need to get my wisdom teeth pulled but I'm too scared to do it so I've been avoiding the dentist.

97. When I was little I used to love the Transformers cartoon because I thought that the theme song stated "Morgan meets the eye" rather than "More than meets the eye."

98. My favorite pair of shoes are my Birkenstock clogs with a red piece of string tied to the left one.

99. I am more confident when I wear black.

100. Coming up with 100 things about myself was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

As if this list wasn't enough, check out my list of things I would like to do before I die at www.43things.com. Just look up "beatls8" and then make your own list. I dare ya...

Hello Winter!

Not only did Winter return this past weekend in the form of big, white flakes, Winter, the crazy Starbucks guy, made a return trip to Illinois.

I received an e-mail from him stating that he was going to be competing in a Scrabble tournament in Michigan and wanted to get together in Chicago for the weekend. I checked out my calendar and not only was it the last free one until April, but I also discovered that Ani Difranco was going to be playing at the Auditorium Theatre on Saturday night. Winter and I had discussed going to see her together before if the timing was right and this attempt seemed like it would fall together...or would it? I talked to "Amber the Intern" who said that a couple of friends went the an Ani concert last Thursday night in Missouri and the show ended up being cancelled. Would we face the same disappointment? We wouldn't know. It was determined that Winter wouldn't be able to get from Michigan to Chicago in time for the show. It didn't help matters that I have a major fear of driving into the city of Chicago itself. I'm not the most cautious driver, but mix that with a city full of non-attentive drivers and there is bound to be some loud screeching followed by some crashing noises...

I have a cousin who lives in Tinley Park so I decided that I would go see her place and spend the day shopping with her until Winter arrived. Her sister went with me, often clenching her teeth and grabbing the dashboard, as I drove. What is usually a 3 hour drive turned out to only take a little over 2 hours in my Neon. We arrived to Gale's safely. After the color returned to Amy's face, we decided to get to the shopping right away. If there is one thing that we learned from our mothers, it was how to shop. Orland Park was great! Shopping everywhere! We hit the mall for a while and then stopped at a fantastic restaurant/brewery, Harrison's. The wait was certainly worth it. It was profound to go to a brewery and not sample their wares. Not being a beer drinker and after asking the waitress 8 million questions about their brews, I decided on a cherry beer. It was amazing! Besides the fact that it had actual cherries floating in the bottom of the glass, it was sweet and tasted just like...well, cherries.

I met up with Winter later that night. His original intentions of coming to the Chicago area weren't actually to visit me at all. There was a filmmaker who was making a documentary of his journeys and they both desperately wanted me to be a part of it. Bill, the filmmaker, was going to meet Winter in Chicago and then follow him around to get some footage. I was, and still am, having hesitations about the documentary. I was/am nervous about how I was going to be portrayed and, more importantly, how Winter was going to be portrayed. Not everyone has necessarily been fascinated or intrigued by his project. I think that it's hard for people to understand that this isn't just a "project" for Winter anymore, it's a lifestyle. His jobs, his relationships, his purchases, all revolve around his goal of visiting all of the Starbucks in the world. I'm certain that he'd get press from the film, but at the same time, I knew that he would also receive a lot of criticism. He is used to being razzed in the past by people challenging him, but I was not. I'm used to living my simple, semi-private life in Illinois. I'm not so sure that I would be able to brush everything off as easily as Winter and I am always thinking about long term effects. What Winter calls "stubborn", I call "safe." Stay tuned for more documentary info later...for now you can watch a trailer for the film, which is to be released sometime next year.

On Sunday morning, I quickly learned, and I should have known from past experience, that I wasn't about to hang out in my PJs when Winter is around. When Winter needs Starbucks, he needs Starbucks. We met Gale and Amy at Wheatfield's. They had been building it up as home of the "double yolk egg" so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Let it now be said though that I would gladly take a Cracker Barrel over a Wheatfield's any day. When Winter and I sat down at our table, the waitress asked us if we wanted coffee and we both replied that we didn't. She then asked Winter, "You don't like coffee?" Heh...I laughed at her...and then apologized. If she only knew... The waitress obviously thought that the water I was drinking wasn't going to be enough for me so she pressured me into getting the fresh-squeezed OJ...not the best at all, even if they did serve it in a small martini glass. I decided to go with the stuffed french toast, also not the best. I left Wheatfield's disappointed...and a little hungry.

Gale and Amy are both teachers and they headed back to Gale's apartment to grade papers while I went into the city with Winter. He drove of course. However, the traffic in the city was non-existent. I could've easily handled it, but then again, it was a Sunday afternoon. Winter made a few stops for Starbucks. If you have checked out his site, you'll see that he doesn't like to travel with other people because they get tired and want to do "touristy" stuff. That's me. Starbucks is great and I love to see him get so excited and go through the rituals, but Starbucks is...well...Starbucks. After we've traveled for a while, we usually get to a certain point where Winter will let me choose what I want to do. I know that he absolutely hates every choice that I make, but appreciate the fact that he's willing to go along with it. Even though, he does tend to complain throughout. This day I decided that I wanted to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. I had been there a few months ago when I was in Chicago to see Xian's terracotta soldiers, but had run out of time when it came to Science and Industry. I had thought that parking at the museum had been free. When we descended into the parking lot, we saw a sign stating that it wasn't free at all. In fact, it was ridiculously expensive. We opted to find some free parking on the street. The closest we came was a few blocks away from the museum. It wasn't far, but a nice walk none-the-less. I had been hopeful for spring weather that weekend and decided to wear sandals. It was cold outside and a little windy, I wasn't nearly as chilly as Winter was. He practically ran from the car to the museum.

When we got inside, there was a line like I had never seen before. The museum had already been open for an hour and there had to have been a thousand people in line. We had limited time before I had to join up with Gale and Amy again so it was obvious that we weren't going to make it into the museum. As we began the trek back to the car, Winter just took off running. I was used to his erratic and spontaneous activities so I just went with it. As I walked alone, I passed an apartment building where I was asked by a couple of guys if I wanted to join them for lunch. I kept walking and saw Winter's car coming to pick me up.

We headed back to Tinley Park and had some time to kill so we decided to take a stab at a second breakfast at "The Egg & I", a title that was difficult to figure out from the street. The sign was like a little rebus, but Winter figured it out first. Winter is addicted to biscuits and I thought that those would certainly make up for the failed trip to the museum. I know that he hates to waste any amount of time so I'm sure that as we walked from the museum back to the car, he tallied in his head how many Starbucks he could've visited in that amount of time that we just wasted. I ordered an omelette because it seemed like the thing to do at a restaurant with the word "egg" in the title. Of course, the waitress came back to tell Winter that they were out of biscuits and he would have to settle for buttered wheat toast.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to swtich cars and say our good-byes, something that always makes me a little sad. While I go back to my boring repetitive work days, Winter is on to another exciting adventure. Winter and I usually have a good time together so I hate that we only had a few hours to spend together. There was talk of meeting up again for our birthdays in St. Louis...we'll see what happens.

I met back up with Amy and we headed for home. I had a date with my mom to watch the Academy Awards like we do every year...the Academy Awards aren't something that you can just Tivo... On our way back, Amy and I spotted a retro-candy shop that was going out of business so I stocked up on the sweet stuff and headed for Springfield, in the rain, without the Winter.

Happy March!

March is lovely for so many reasons...beginning with birthdays. MINE! But not today, March 19, you still have time to decide which pathetic Xmas present you're going to re-gift and send to me. Today, however, is the birthday of one Theodore Geisel, who you may also know as Dr. Seuss. If I were feeling a little bit more inspired today, I would've written a little rhyming ditty for the man, but alas I'm only able to give him a "Happy Birthday." Of course, I can't sing the song because that would be breaking copyright laws since I didn't obtain the permission ahead of time from Time Warner.

He didn't write the above book, but it would have been amusing if he had.

Since I'm on the topic of distributing Happy Birthdays, I may as well send one out to "Yahoo", who is celebrating its 10th birthday today! Yahoo! Thanks for the free ice cream!!

Today is their birthday, is it your birthday too (yeah)?? Lemme know.