Downtown

Well it's Friday so I'm broadcasting live from the downtown studio again. It's cool being in the heart of the city. One problem, the parking meters! I know they need them for revenue and to make sure people who work here don't park in one place all day, but it's always a balancing act...finding a 2 hour meter, making sure I have enough change, etc. Not to mention when there's a special event and many of them are bagged! Ooops, gotta go, here comes the meter lady!

Horrors

It's been sooo hot, but relief is coming. 85 for Friday sounds really nice. This weekend Little Shop of Horrors is at New Salem's Theatre in the Park. Now, I've never been to a show there but New Salem is beautiful and a nice place to camp. I'll be busy this weekend, but would love to see a show there before the season's over. We've got our truckload sale at the Warehouse Friday and Saturday too. Come on out and see what bargains you can find!
I've got vacation coming up and it's going to be great to have some time off. I think I've got what we called "senioritis" in high school. You know, your mind is already on vacation!

Taste of Downtown

Well, I'm ready for taste on Saturday. I'll be live at our downtown studio on 5th from 10 to 2. I plan on trying the blackened salmon from Bentoh's, homemade chips from Maldaners, saffron ice cream from Garden of Eat'n and perhaps a Sebastian's vodka lemon shake up. Lots of other good stuff, check out the menu here.

Watch closely!

Went to the dentist today...no cavities! Afterwards, on the way to work, I stopped at a particular store. One of the items was a buy one get one free, but sure enough, it didn't ring up that way. After alerting the clerk (good thing I was watching) she had to go check and the line was held up. This has happened before at this establishment. Are certain stores that careless or are they trying to make extra money? It certainly makes me think twice about giving them any more business. Have you experienced similar problems?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I like this one more than the original! Of course the visuals are better, including a boat ride down a chocolate river that at times resembles a Disney theme ride (I'm sure it will be if they think of a way to build it.) The basic theme of the bratty kids getting what they deserve is the same. (One of the best lines: Augustus Gloop to Charlie: want a piece of chocolate? Charlie: Sure. AG: You should have bought one!) Another improvement is the story of Wonka's childhood. I don't remember this at all in the original, although it may have been in the book, I've never read it.
The Oompa-loompas are hipper with more contemporary music, although I don't know that any of the songs has the staying power of "Candy Man" or "Pure Imagination."

Kids will love it, but as an adult, I enjoyed re-living my childhood and also appreciated the film-making. Two interesting facts: the oompas were played by one guy with digital editing and, yes those were real squirrels. Johnny Depp playes a weirdo really well too. I think I mean that as a compliment! Overall, I give it an A, and it's one you can take the kids to without worrying about cussing, etc. Ragamuffin, you've gotta admit those are pretty good points!

Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka...

That song gets in your head! I'm going to see the movie this weekend. Will have a review for you next week. I read that Johnny Depp puts a lot of Michael Jackson's mannerisms into the film...the white makeup and high pitched voice. That could be a little creepy. Hope you have a great weekend!

Weekend

Hope you had a good weekend. I went to the Rooftop Roots Festival on Saturday night on the roof of the Hilton parking garage. Some good bands, beer and BBQ. One band, Southern Culture on the Skids, actually throws pieces of fried chicken to the audience at one point! I didn't catch any.
Then yesterday, I helped a friend move. It's said you can tell a true friend by whether they're willing to help you move...well he helped me and it was time to return the favor. Got a little exercise out of it! Looking forward to getting back to afternoons tomorrow. See you then!

Terrible news out of Britian this morning. In London, several explosions in the subway and on buses. Hundreds injured, I don't know how many killed. No one claiming responsibility yet. Whatever these people's problem, killing innocent people isn't the answer.
On a more positive note, it looks like a good weekend coming up, so whether it's the Women's Distance Festival or the FOP Summerfest of just hanging out at home, hope you have a good one.

New pic

I need a new picture. The one on the front page now was taken with a digital camera. It just doesn't look as clear as I'd like. Gotta talk to Ed Clark about having him do some for me. Hope you had a great 4th. I'll be doing mornings this week and trying to come up with good morning mind exercise questions. Today's related to 70's mood rings. Did you have one? Did it really work? I think someone told me they respond to body temperature basically.

4th of July

Wow, I've really neglected the blog. I want to try out the new photo upload thing, but I'm at the downtown studio and not at my home computer. Lots of people waking by and looking in. Occasionally, a wave or smile is nice! Big weekend coming up. I don't know if I'm going to see fireworks this weekend, but I'll be checking out Asia tomorrow night. Wonder if Heat of the Moment will be the encore? Have a happy and safe 4th!