Friday night Dance Party - English Beat

English Beat - Save it For Later

Friday night Dance Party - XTC

XTC - Senses Working Overtime

Friday night Dance Party - The Housemartins!

The Housemartins LIVE with Drop Down Dead...

Better than anything you've ever seen on MTV.

Readers, this is OK Go. Best.video.ever.

Vegetarians, please avert your eyes.... NOW

It's called the Bacon Explosion. Two pounds of bacon woven and wrapped in sausage and more bacon then slathered in barbecue sauce and smoked in a smoker. The creators blogged about it. And now their website has had 390,000 visitors since Christmas Eve.

I think just reading the article from the NY Times will harden your arteries. Read at your own risk.

Maybe crime could wait until Spring...

Sometimes solving a crime is elementary. Three brain-trust youths who didn't have to attend school on MLK, Jr Day were bored and decided to spice up their night by sneaking out of the house in the wee hours and "car-hopping" - going through the neighborhood looking for cars and SUVs that have been left unlocked and rifling through the contents. One car owner discovered the break-in in the morning and called police who followed tracks left in the snow by the three dumbasses, er, teenagers which led them directly to a home on Conan Doyle Drive where the boys had been having a sleepover. The Naperville Sun reports the wayward youth pocketed some chewing gum and less than $20 in loose change in their rampage. Not to mention being grounded until they turn 18. The youths have been turned over to the Naperville Police Department juvenile division.

Why do these guys hate Sports?

The Naperville Sun reports a reward is being offered for information about a break-in at Total Sports Bar & Grill at Fairway Dr and North Aurora in Naperville. The restaurant, formerly Jimmy's Charhouse, has been under renovation. The perpetrator(s) entered the establishment some time on Sunday by smashing the front door and went on to remove several televisions and other electronic equipment.

Those with information about the incident are encouraged to call Naperville Crime Stoppers at 630-420-6006.

Trolling the Chicago PD

A young police officer reported to a station on Saturday and told the officers there he had been transferred from another precinct. The officers were unaware he was to be there but being the accommodating cops they are, they assigned the young man a partner and sent him on patrol.

Turns out the young police officer was a 14-year-old boy posing as a police officer, complete with uniform. No one noticed the boy was not wearing a shield nor was he carrying a gun.

The teenager went out on patrol and worked with the other officer for FIVE hours before being discovered.

The boy has not been identified due to his age. The incident remains under investigation and the boy is to receive a psychiatric evaluation.

Blogging Miss America 9

4th runner-up FLORIDA

3rd runner-up - NEW YORK

2nd runner-up - IOWA

1st runner-up - GEORGIA

MISS AMERICA - Miss INDIANA Katie Stam - go MIDWEST!!!!

Blogging Miss America 8

question comp - they have 20 seconds to answer questions the people of Las Vegas have posed.

NY - she did ok

California - she did ok

Georgia - not so great

Tennessee - stumbled over her words and didn't answer the question

Indiana - she did ok

Iowa - UGLY dress - but she did ok on her question

Florida (Michigan's out, damn it) - and she flubbed her question.

Blogging Miss America 7

TALENT comp continued

Florida - dancer - very Broadway-esque and she can dance with props, in this case a frying pan. I'm not making that up.

Tennessee - singer - opera singer. BLEH. Hideous dress, bad hair.

California - ballerina - I'm guessing something from Swan Lake.

Iowa - tap-dancer - she's tap-dancing to 'Fever' And she's good but she's tap-dancing to 'Fever' which is kind of goofy.

and final performance:

MICHIGAN!!!! - jazz dancer - performing to 'Big Time' - she tumbles! And uses the whole stage and spots herself well.

Blogging Miss America 6

TALENT Comp

DC - ballerina - danced to something kind of Latin. Sorta looked like she was making it up as she went along

Georgia - singer - 'Home' from 'The Wiz' She can sing but too theatrical. But she does look good in the lavender dress.

NY - singer - not a strong singer - and off-pitch - I had to mute the TV. And what's with that dress?

Hawaii - polynesian dancer!! Hey, it worked for Kaye Lani Rae Rafko 20 years ago. Her costume is CRAZY but you can really see the movement of the hips. Totally celebrates her culture. But pieces of her costume are falling all over the stage.

Indiana - singer Another theatrical singer. OFF-PITCH. Bleh.

Blogging Miss America 5

Evening wear -
Miss Michigan - your dress doesn't know what it wants to be but white worked last year.
Miss Tennesse - too much
Miss Hawaii - BLEH - violently yellow
Miss Cali - snore
Miss Georgia - red is good but too much ruching
Miss Florida - jungle dress with sparkles
Miss Kentucky - black and boring
Miss DC - looks like tinfoil
Miss Indiana - kind of a knock-off of Miss Michigan's dress LAST year
Miss Iowa - BAD draping - wtf?
Miss Arkansas - liquid silver - prolly weigh 35 pounds
Miss NY - bodice is most interesting of all the dresses

Blogging Miss America 4

Cut to 12 - they go to evening wear

Miss MICHIGAN
Miss Tennessee (Big Hair)
Miss Hawaii
Miss California
Miss Georgia
Miss Florida
Miss Kentucky (adjusted her swimsuit top in national TV)
Miss DC
Miss Indiana
Miss Iowa
Miss Arkansas
Miss New York

Blogging Miss America 3

Miss Tennessee has 'southern hair.' I have to say the ones with shorter styles look fresher.

Blogging Miss America 2

So the 2008 Miss America is Kirsten Haglund, Miss MICHIGAN. And the present Miss Michigan, Ashley Baracy has made the final 15. I learned today that Miss America 1988 (Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, Miss MICHIGAN) was the first Miss America to promote a social cause platform. Rafko was a nurse and between her Miss America duties she would talk about the need for hospices in health care and was encouraged to keep talking about it in public. And she put her money where her mouth is - the Monroe, MI native returned to the state and opened and runs a hospice. Leave it to a Michigan native to blaze a trail.

Blogging Miss America

So every year I watch the Miss America pageant. I have loved the pageant since I was a little girl and used to watch it with my mom and I had a Miss America lunchbox when I was seven. To those who pooh-pooh the pageant I say: this is a scholarship program. Is it really so different than burly young men strapping on pads and helmets and hitting the gridiron every weekend? Well, yes, because these young women actually GO to their classes.

Have to say I didn't love the wardrobe for the opening - the stage is black and the girls are wearing black tops and dark jeans. I've have liked to see some color in the tops.

Fifteen finalists time:
Miss Indiana
Miss Georgia
Miss South Dakota
Miss Alabama
Miss MICHIGAN
Miss D. C.
Miss Iowa
Miss New York
Miss California
Miss Florida (why are her jeans shiny???)
Miss Kentucky
Miss Tennessee
Miss Delaware
Miss Arkansas
And Miss someone else - I missed one. (eta: It was Miss Hawaii!)

Friday night Dance Party - Hayes Carll

One of the best songs of 2008: She Left Me For Jesus. Bar none. 'If I ever find Jesus - I'm kicking his ass.'

Friday night Dance Party - Lucinda Williams

Tragically the only decent version of the song 'Steal Your Love' I could find is over a montage of House and Cuddy scenes from the show "House." Too bad the show is in the toilet now - 13 MUST GO AWAY. Anyhoo, Lucinda is still very cool...

Friday night Dance Party - Johnny Cash

One of the BEST SONGS EVER. I have a friend who says the first time he heard it he was in his car and he had to pull over, he was so blown away. The song is so good I don't even question that claim - I'd have done the same.

Maid hasn't been here in days...

Much to do - cooking, laundry, tidying. Too much to do, not enough time to blog. For your entertainment this evening please enjoy this Sifl & Olly video featuring the best one, Chester.

This whole damn situation could have been avoided if I'd only shut the window...

Besides being a line from an Old 97's song, it seems it also applies to a city boss who has been demoted for leaving a window open during subzero temperatures, causing several hundred thousand dollars in damage after pipes froze and then burst.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports the superintendent with the Streets and Sanitation Department was suspended without pay for 15 days and reassigned due to the incident.

The city boss claims the wind must have blown the window open.

10 years of the Powerpuff Girls!

The Powerpuff Girls have been around for 10 years. Their debut in 1998 was the highest-rated premiere in Cartoon Network's history.

Who was your favorite villain? Mine was Mojo Jojo, of course.

Grammar bitch is IN, five cents please

Trixie tries to be charitable but some things cannot go without mentioning. People, if you wish to say you viewed something yesterday, the proper way to do this is to say:
"I saw it yesterday." NOT "I seen it yesterday." Using the word 'seen' is only proper if you say "I HAD SEEN it yesterday."

Clean it up.

No-show worker bilks cancer patient

A state contract worker has been charged with theft after she allegedly pocketed over $20,000 for home health-care services she didn't provide, according to the Chicago Tribune. The woman, Geans Johnson, 57, forged the cancer victim's name on Department of Human Services time sheets between September 2006 and May 2008 to carry out the scheme. Johnson was to have provided service for 5 hours a day, five days a week but did not perform any of the work.

Trixie wonders why there was no mention of the victim in this piece - did he or she receive health-care service from someone else during this time? Journalism 101 says present all sides, Trib.

Viva la revolucion!

I spent a very long afternoon today taking in the Steven Soderbergh movie 'Che' starring Benicio Del Toro. The movie clocks in at 263 minutes - thank jeebus there was an intermission. But I learned a lot about Che Guevara I didn't know and now have more perspective on him than just asshat college kids wearing his image on a t-shirt. I must say, whether you agree with his politics or not his conviction was inspiring.

Early Saturday post

Remember when Saturday morning was the BEST morning of the week - cartoons were on! Kids today have NO IDEA. But at least we didn't have to endure Hannah Montana.

Friday night Dance Party - Violent Femmes

Continuing the "V" theme!

Friday night Dance Party - The V-Roys

Knoxville's own V-Roys - video is not so great but the audio is. I never did run into Scott Miller at the Preservation Pub when I was down there on Market Square.

Friday night Dance Party - The Volebeats

One of Trixie's favorite bands. I heard one song and went out and bought everything they had recorded.

Hot dog or hot car?

This just in from a stringer at the Joliet City Desk:

JOLIET -- Frankfurter fans may argue, but it's not a crime to put ketchup on a hot dog.

Squirting mustard on somebody else's car will get you charged with disorderly conduct, though. On Jan. 8, a police officer was called to the 5200 block of Ashwood Drive after a woman looked outside and reportedly saw a 14-year-old boy covering the back window of her white Grand Prix with the condiment. The victim was able to provide police with the teen's identity and he was given a misdemeanor citation.

Sleep aid blamed in death

A sleep aid is being blamed in the death of a Hayward, Wisconsin man after he was found frozen to death outside on Tuesday morning, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. They go on to report the man was an insomniac who took Ambien to aid his sleep and he had had more than one sleepwalking incident before while taking the drug. A previous time he had gotten into his truck and driven it while sleepwalking, eventually crashing it into the side of his own garage. The following morning he had no recollection of the incident. On Tuesday the man was found barefoot near his home, wearing only underpants and a fleece shirt.

Ambien is the most-prescribed sleep aid in the United States and has been linked to hundreds of cases of sleepwalking, sleep-driving and even sleep-shoplifting. Sanofi-Aventis, which makes the drug, maintains it is safe when taken correctly and not mixed with alcohol or other drugs. It's reported the man sometimes mixed the drug with alcohol.

Security guard stalks co-worker

Who'd have thought you'd need to be afraid of the security guards at work? The Chicago Sun-Times reports a security guard at the University of Chicago Hospitals had been ignored by a woman he was into romantically so in order to woo her he donned a ski mask and went to her work area and physically threatened her, going so far as to say he'd kill her. When the woman inevitably phoned security for assistance, the stalker himself responded to the call, sans mask. Big surprise, the woman and co-workers who had witnessed the attack identified the guard as the perpetrator. The incident is still under investigation.

The Courage of Detroit

My boss, a bit of a sports nut, stopped by my desk this morning and asked me if I heard about the piece Mitch Albom wrote about the city of Detroit that appeared in Sports Illustrated. This is the same very cool boss who didn't laugh at me as I suffered and swooned and ached and stressed my way through last year's Stanley Cup playoff, eating, sleeping and breathing my beloved Red Wings' every step of the very difficult and rewarding road that is winning Lord Stanley's cup. He's from Cleveland which is a cool town but has no hockey culture and, no, you can't count the Columbus Blue Jackets. But still, he understood what I was going through and was very supportive, keeping track of the scores and stopping by to comment. He mentioned the Albom piece and said it's being discussed on all the sports shows; Albom defends the city of Detroit and sorta tells the rest of the country to back off. I said I hadn't seen it but I get it - there's been an unseemly piling on for a lot of reasons. I thanked him and told him I'd check it out tonight.

I read Albom's piece this evening and I have to say he's spot-on. The piece is a bittersweet mixture of praise and mourning; praising the city that once was, the unequaled sports city that is and mourning the losses and acknowledging the foibles. A lot of people are dissing Detroit and the state of Michigan, as if we Michiganders don't know things have been difficult, as we've watched the Big 3 struggle, seen our economy flounder since 2000, seen friends and family leave seeking greener pastures. Hell, I left myself seeking same. But I return whenever I can and wasn't really happy until I was able to move back to the Midwest to be near enough to drive where my friends and family are and feel that familiar. The domestic automakers are hurting and a lot of people are counting Detroit out yet I feel a twinge of pride as I go out and get into my American-made car every day, a car with great gas mileage I've decided to hold on to for a while. No one knows how it's all going to play out but I have faith things will improve and the automakers will figure it out. I can't imagine a world where you can't buy a Chevy and I don't want to.

I highly recommend the piece and challenge any Michigander to keep a dry eye reading about the Red Wings' 1997 Stanley Cup run and the terrible accident that prematurely dampened the celebration. I lived that worrisome time and Albom describes it eloquently.

Eloquence. That's not something people usually associate with Detroit. But it's there, you just need a really talented writer to point it out.

Here's a link:

The Courage of Detroit

Tip to criminals

Don't do the crime then post photos of it on Myspace. The Tribune reports a spurned 21-year-old allegedly vandalized her ex-boyfriend's apartment because she was angry he'd begun seeing someone else. The St. Paul woman is said to have splattered paint throughout the apartment and to have strewn trash and even went so far as to impale a teddy bear with a knife. Not satisfied with just vandalizing the apartment (and ensuring he'll never get back his deposit), the brain trust went on to take photos of the damage then post them on her Myspace page. At press time the woman was still at large but will no doubt post pictures of herself at a bar or a party so police should just bide their time...

Sometimes sisters ARE telling the truth

Okay, so Trixie's little sister was headed to NYC last spring to take in a ball game at Yankee Stadium before they tore it down and teach a bunch of NYC virgins how to use the subway and she tells me she wants to take a few taxis, too, and hopes she gets the Cash Cab. She tells me it's a show and unsuspecting folk who hail this one taxi in NYC get the chance to earn money from the cabbie host by answering trivia questions. I thought it sounded like a BLAST but I had never seen the show and was beginning to doubt her veracity. Well, tonight, I wish to publicly apologize for ever doubting her - Cash Cab is REAL. I caught the tail end of an episode (dude, how could you NOT know it's the Philly Phanatic???) and now that I know it's real and where to look for it I'm all over it. Thanks, TLS (Trixie's Little Sister)!

Cash Cab on Discovery

Dance Party - E.L.O.

I came up on 70's radio and to this day simply love E. L. O. Here's 'Telephone Line.'

Dance Party continues with Old 97's

Okay readers, get used it. Old 97's are my most favoritest band IN.THE.FREAKING.WORLD. You're probably gonna see a lot of them in this blog and I guess that's the beauty of being the boss of your own blog! Rhett and Murry and Ken and Phil always kick ass - I have never seen a bad show. These guys never phone it in. Prepare to jump around!

Friday night Dance Party - SCOTS

A classic from Southern Culture on the Skids - Camel Walk! Get out your pointy boots!

Latest Chicago Public Schools scandal: Latte Gate

Chicago public school bureaucrats skirted competitive bidding rules to buy 30 cappuccino/espresso machines for $67,000, with most of the machines going unused because the schools they were ordered for had not asked for them, according to a report by the CPS Office of Inspector General. The Chicago Sun-Times reports in the case of the cappuccino machines, central office administrators split the order among 21 vocational schools to avoid competitive bidding required for purchases over $10,000. As a result CPS paid about $12,000 too much, according to Inspector General James Sullivan. "We were able to find the same machines cheaper online," he said.

NCD thinks the CPS employees with the latte monkey on their backs should just send temps out to purchase and bring back their $8 triple mocha, low-foam caffeine-shakes like everyone else does.

Peach cobbler, peach fizz, imPEACH

A state legislative committee unanimously voted today to recommend impeachment of B. Rod according to the Chicago Tribune. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn posted a recipe for peach melba.

Naperville student struck by semi-trailer

An unidentified Lincoln Junior High School student was struck by a semi-trailer as he attempted to cross the road at 75th Street and Olympus Drive. The driver of the semi-trailer was attempting to make a left-hand turn. The student suffered serious injuries and was taken to Edward Hospital in Naperville.

Trixie is not one to speak ill of someone who has been injured, but distinctly remembers being taught at a young age to 'look both ways before crossing the street.' I hope the young man learns his lesson or at least doesn't try to cross any four-lane roads for at least a couple years.

Parents Assocation treasurer charged with embezzling

The Chicago Tribune reports the former treasurer of a Naperville school parents association has been charged with stealing at least $8500 from the group. Lisa Landin, 39, of Naperville has been charged with three counts of theft and one count of forgery. The organization raised funds through a gift card sales program and it is alleged that Landin took cash from the fund and also altered cash receipts. If convicted Ms. Landin faces up to five years in jail. There are no charges pending for pushing children over or spitting on old people. Yet.

First child Sasha Obama's got the hook-up

The Chicago Sun-Times reports Sasha Obama attended her first day at her new school in Washington, DC sporting an Uglydoll. The dolls have been around since 2001 and are very popular with the kid-set. Trixie admits, she likes them, too, and wants one now...

The circus is in town tomorrow...

No, not Chicago, but Washington, DC. Seems wannabe-senator Roland 'Oblivious' Burris left for DC today and will kick up a ruckus at the Senate tomorrow demanding to be seated so he can start junior-senatoring. Before his departure, Mr. Burris, a three time political loser (okay, he's 1-for-4), attended a south side church Sunday where he declared his service in the Senate was 'ordained by the Lord.' I'm wondering if the lord is gonna provide him with a net for his trapeze act?

I'm going to post the most clown-free circus picture I can find.

Blackhawks players strike proper tone toward Wings

Blackhawks players were given Friday off to lick their wounds after two defeats to the Red Wings in three days. The Hawks had a 9-game winning streak going before Tuesday and perhaps it started to go to their heads a bit. Wings lagged against Chicago last year but what a difference a year (and a Stanley Cup residing in Hockeytown) makes. The Blackhawks are young and very talented but have a ways to go in terms of gaining the experience they need to contend with teams on the level of the Detroit organization. Players interviewed by the Sun-Times as a follow-up to the Winter Classic struck the right balance of positive determination and respect for a worthy opponent. It is this kind of class and self-awareness that show a team on the right track of maturing and gelling into a first-rate organization who can threaten come playoff time.

Another celeb busted for DUI in IL

Playwright Sam Shepard was busted in Normal.

Grammar bitch is in - politico speak that is just intolerable

Lynn Sweet of the Sun-Times reports on a perfectly insufferable conversation she had with Roland Burris where he talks about how he's gonna arrive in DC and be welcomed with open arms. The man is as oblivious to being a political pawn as he is to grammar rules.

Note to Roland Burris: You haven't been confirmed for ANYTHING yet and referring to yourself in the plural third person will endear you to NO ONE. Enjoy your trip to DC - don't get comfortable. I hear the Smithsonian is a great way to kill several hours. Take the extra time to learn how to work a cell phone.

Friday night Dance Party - Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson

I have been a huge fan of Kasey Chambers since her US debut 'The Captain' in 2000. Kasey's fogcutter voice is unforgettable and her songwriting is on a par with the very best singer-songwriters. Here's a live performance of the title cut from one of my favorite albums of 2008, 'Rattlin' Bones', her work with husband Shane Nicholson.

Friday night Dance Party - Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

I will admit to a high level of frustration with Mr. Adams in the early 2000s - no question, the guy has buckets of talent to spare but for a while he was putting out an album every 7 minutes (slightly exaggerated, yes) and seemed to have no problem sacrificing quality for quantity. It got so bad I'd ask a friend of mine to take the new albums, pick the best tracks and burn those onto a CD for me so I wouldn't have to wade through the throwaways. But the later 2000s have brought him rehab and sobriety and a consistency lacking in his prolific period and his tenure with the Cardinals has been very satisfying. Here's a video for 'Let It Ride' from 2005's 'Cold Roses.' RA and band are performing on Letterman, and except for an off-putting face-obscuring haircut this is topnotch work.

Friday night Dance Party - B-52's

Here's the B-52's title track from their 2008 release 'Funplex.' The band has been around since 1976 and are just as fresh today as back in the day. Fred is still the best call-and-answer man in the business, and Cindy and Kate are a little thicker but still hot. Here's wishing them many more years of loopy musical goodness.

Blackhawks DENIED

The defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings beat the 'Hawks 6-4 in the New Year's Day Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. Detroit got into some penalty trouble in the first period allowing the Blackhawks to skate to a 3-1 lead. But the Wings soon showed why they are such a storied franchise, taking control of the puck and the game in the final two periods scoring 5 unanswered goals. Blackhawks tallied one goal in the final period but it wasn't enough to lift them past the Wings. Blackhawks are young and talented but are still no match for the proven Red wings.

Attendance at the game was over 40,000, ample evidence that Midwesterners are some of the heartiest folks in the country.

Wings -Blackhawks!

SO EXCITED.