You Are My Obsession

In June of 2001 I went to London for the first time with my friend Terina. We had a great time but I came back to the states thinking, it's NYC with an accent. Unimpressed, I didn't think I'd be going back to Jolly Old England anytime soon. Boy was I wrong.

I've since been there three additional times. You see, I've become addicted to all things British. If you asked me to pinpoint the exact time I became obsessed with our friends across the pond I wouldn't be able to tell you. My obsession just sort of happened. I find myself constantly wanting to go back, every day to be exact. Adam and I went this past June and I was very sad to be coming home when our week ended.

My obsession is somewhat strange. The furthest I've ventured out of London is to the seaside town of Brighton. My lack of visitation to other parts of Britain doesn't dampen my desire for the island. There are so many other parts of the country I want to see, The Cotswolds, York, Wales, Manchester. The next time I go I want to see all these places and try to avoid London. Now don't get the wrong idea, I don't think I'll ever tire of London, it's just that I feel I need to experience the rest of Britain. The people, lifestyle, culture, it all intrigues and excites me.

Geography is just one part of my obsession. I recently discovered the band Kaiser Chiefs. They're from the UK and have a huge following there. Since I purchased their album I've listened to it probably close to 100 times. British comedies are number one on my list of must watch T.V and just today I found out that the famed British comedy team of French and Saunders is developing a new show for BBC1. I've already started researching how I can watch this show from the states.

There have been a few times when I've wondered if it's healthy for a 29 year old to be obsessed with another country and it's culture. It probably is but I don't give a damn.

Hodgepodge

Karl Rove. I wish I had just five minutes to say what I really think of him face to face. I still have some anger that he used gay people to rally conservative Americans to vote and get Bush and the Republicans re-elected in 2004. I say, good bye Mr. Rove, you can't leave soon enough for me. Now, how many days till January 20, 2009?

Britney, Britney, Britney. Maybe K-Fed just needs to take the kids away to get her to see she's making a complete ass of herself. Who knows. Just goes to show that childhood fame isn't everything it's cracked up to be. I just want to tell Dakota Fanning, "Run, far far away from Hollywood. Save yourself!"

Today is the Anniversary of Elvis's death. I think the 30th but I'm too lazy to actually look it up. I did however watch Larry King last night (he usually puts me right to sleep) and he was live at Graceland with Priscilla, who by the way needs to lay off the plastic surgery. Anyway, I couldn't help but wonder, is she sick and tired of talking about Elvis over and over again? Or is she secretly thrilled by the attention she gets? Discuss amongst yourselves.

On a side note, Hurricane season is upon us and most of you know how much I am fascinated by this. I'm currently sitting in the middle of what's left of Tropical Storm Erin and am constantly watching weather.com for Hurricane Dean updates as it spins toward the Caribbean. I know, what a dork.

A Day At The Museum

Today Adam and I went to the Museum of Science And Industry here in Chicago. We've been saying we wanted to go for months and today we finally did it. I had a bit of apprehension because I've never been into Science and things of that nature but once inside, I was like a kid in a candy store.

I won't go into every single thing we saw, instead, will share some pics and thoughts with you on my favorite things.

The Great Train Story is an exhibit about trains and their varied uses across the U.S. They had replicas of cargo trains, Amtrak trains, commuter trains, and even Chicago L Trains. The model they had set up spanned the country from Chicago to Seattle, complete with replicas of each city. I've always been a fan of different types of transport so this was especially exciting for me.



I also enjoyed the Yesterday's Main Street exhibit. Adam and I both commented on how we loved that the museum tried to keep many of the exhibits relevant to Chicago. It was a replica of a Chicago street from long ago, complete with a Berghoff and Marshall Field Store. I also took a pic of an old fire hydrant, which is a little different from hydrant's of today.


We also went to the U-505 submarine and took a guided tour. It was amazing being in the actual German sub that was captured towards the end of WWII. Inside, there's barely enough room for 15 people (the size of our group) to stand, let alone a full crew of approx. 55 German Sailors to live for months on end.


All in all, it was a great experience. There are plenty of other great exhibits that we saw but I didn't get pics of or won't bore you with my commentary. If you live in Chicago or just visit our great city, I recommend that you visit the museum.

I'll leave you with one more photo. Draw your own conclusions.

Public Service Announcement

Here is today's public service announcement from Gary:

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT, USE RCN FOR YOUR CABLE/INTERNET/PHONE PROVIDER UNLESS YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS.

I will say, up front that I never had a problem with their service. I have however, had numerous problems with their customer service.

1. Their customer service hours are Monday-Friday from 8am to 5pm. That's it.
2. I have never waited less than ten minutes for a representative to answer my call.
3. Their employees at one of their local service centers here in Chicago are rude and could care less about any of your questions/concerns.
4. They only accept checks or online check for payment.
5. When you end service with them, they have an almost 2-3 month wait time to get any refund you are owed.
6. They refuse to help you when you question why they sit on your refund for months on end when they KNOW they owe you money.

I know that a lot of these things may seem trivial but they are important to me. So, while I can't tell you who to choose for your cable provider, I can try to sway your opinion.