:: Ray's Periodic Rantings ::

:: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 ::

Doing my part...

A diary on today's DailyKos talks about a right wing effort to sully Illinois Senator Dick Durbin's name on the net. Toward the end of thwarting this effort, I present a few amusing links:

lying, partisan hack
miserable failure
worst president ever
unabashed partisan zealot
republican surrogate
Fox News

On slightly different note, I decided to support the Danes against Islamo-fascism and the Muslim boycott of Danish goods, in part by buying a six pack of Carlsberg beer, after getting the idea here (note: of all the links on this page, I guarantee this last one to be the funniest). Turns out I still like Belgian Stella Artois better (I guess there is something to be said for neutrality) but I will still keep my eyes open for opportunities to buy Danish.
:: Ray 10:01 PM [+] ::
...

News from the Coat Hanger State

Now that South Dakota has passed a law banning abortions starting in July, opposition to it is advancing on several fronts. My favorite story is this one, from the Rapid City Journal: Tribal leader rallies for abortion clinic on reservation. The gist of it is that Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecelia Fire Thunder has announced that she would work to open an abortion clinic on tribal land, and hence not bound by South Dakota law, if the ban actually takes effect. She is also part of a statewide effort to gather signatures to get a referendum on the ballot to overturn the ban. Perhaps sanity may yet prevail.
:: Ray 12:08 AM [+] ::
...

Hydrangeas

Today I performed what will likely one of the last maintenance tasks I ever do at the house in Des Plaines that we just sold: I trimmed the hydrangeas in the front beds to make way for the new growth of Spring. This is the same house that I lived in and inherited from Mary Clevidence, my late wife. Mary loved those hydrangeas, and I can't look at them or work on them without thinking of her. She has been gone long enough now that my memories of her are more sweet than sad. While there are a few things about the old house that I won't miss, there are plenty that I will. The hydrangeas, and the memories they provoke, are among them.

Betty the Airstream (1974-2004) photographed by Mary Clevidence, (1968-2001):


:: Ray 5:29 PM [+] ::
...

My first crosspost! (I think)

In which I consciously crosspost my answer to a question on Gaper's Block to my own blog. If you are a Chicagoan and familiar with some of the city's restaurant scene, the answers that precede mine are worth reading for laughs alone: Which restaurant is the most overrated in the city?

Ray answers:

This answers this question has elicited have certainly made me laugh a few times...I have never eaten at Frontera, but when I finally do, all I will be able to think about is Kate saying, "Everything tasted like poo." That, and what Rick Bayless's reaction to that statement might look like.

At any rate, I think that some of you didn't read the question very closely. It was what is the most overrated restaurant, not just what is the most mediocre. Take Leona's, for example. Other than Roni, I have never heard anyone say with enthusiasm, "Hey, let's go to Leona's!" To me it has always been the home of offensively bland food, a place you go when you happen to be near one and you don't have the energy to go anywhere else. Who overrates it?

Another example is the Heartland Cafe. Personally, I like the place. Who else has a bar where the bartender looks at you funny when you ask for a Bud Light, then points to the beer list and says, "we don't have it." (at least they didn't used to...haven't been there for a while). And by carefully ordering items from the menu that don't seem overly ambitious for a bunch of granola eaters to prepare (try the chicken with brown rice), I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal there. The patio rocks in nice weather (I love dining with a view of the el), and some of the servers are cute, to boot. But I have never heard anyone rave about it.

And I have never heard anyone rave about Silver Cloud, but when I lived in Bucktown, that was the place I went when I wanted some comfort food, a good beer, and a place to read and/or look at people for a while. Don't order the fish. Get the meatloaf, or the grilled cheese with Campbell's tomato soup.

Every time I eat at Penny's, I miss Hi Ricky, which had the best Vietnamese spring rolls in the city. At Penny's, I recommend the red curry chicken, and add lots of chili sauce, if you don't want bland.

Finally, nobody, nobody ever went to Billy Goat because they heard the place had great food. The burgers are there to go with the beer while you soak in the atmosphere. I refer to the original location, because the others don't make any sense to me at all. As for the atmosphere, it certainly isn't what it must have been in the days of Royko and Belushi, but it wasn't a bad place to watch the last half hour of the World Series last year. Alright Sox!

PS No argument from me on Moody's, which is the very essence of an overrated place.
:: Ray 12:11 AM [+] ::
...

Pix are up!

If you would care to, please peruse our pictures from Costa Rica.
:: Ray 5:46 PM [+] ::
...

Vote early, vote often!

Today is election day in Illinois. We vote in primaries for state candidates for November, and in judicial elections. No matter how hard I wrack my brain, I can't think of a way to make this sound exciting. Still, I did my research and picked my candidates, and I can only hope that some of the more doofus, unqualified judges (and there are a few) are not retained. I'm not holding my breath.
:: Ray 12:49 AM [+] ::
...

Now it can be told again

Tuesday night, Mary and I flew home after 12 relaxing days of vacation in Costa Rica. More about this soon (with pictures!), but right now I am too engrossed in a History Channel show about how Star Trek inspired a lot of the technology we use today, hilariously titled How William Shatner Changed the World.

I will, however, mention that we managed quite a coup while we were gone: we sold our house. It went on the market the day we left, was shown several times in the next couple of days, and then a bid came in. I have to say that this is absolutely the way to go in selling your house. Preparing it for sale completely before leaving for our vacation was murderous (I never went to bed that night, and only started to pack for the trip an hour before we left), but not having to live on eggshells, keeping the house clean and never knowing when we will need to leave for a showing, was well worth the effort.
:: Ray 12:53 AM [+] ::
...