Without digressing into political discourse, we all know that our state government is a little loopy. It also should be very clear to most of us that our fine governnor has nothing but disdain for those of us south of I-80 (he famously rejected living in the Governor’s Springfield mansion, preferring to do his business long distance from his Chicago domicile or flying back and forth on taxpayer funds.)
Never was this better illustrated last week, when Blago announced that his proposed budget cuts would include obliterating subsidies for expanded Amtrak service across the state. This program, started less than two years ago, has been enormously popular.
Personally, this hits a major nerve. The additional trains added between Chicago and Carbondale have made it a lot easier for family and friends to make the trip Downstate and back. Not to mention that in the era of sky-high gasoline prices, the government should be doing more to help enable people to use mass transit.
There are some pundits who believe this is merely a publicity stunt, and of course, nothing has been signed or sealed yet. But if you feel passionate about his issue, let the governor know by sending a message to his office. It’s time for our voices to be heard. They may be fewer than those in Chicago, but they’re no less loud.
Last year a friend of mine suggested that we head south and check out the Tolono Fun Day parade. A family member had a house along the parade route and we would have prime seating. I love me a good parade, so we took our chairs and went along for the ride.
It was your typical small town parade, complete with fire engines, cheerleaders and the high school football team. There were bands playing on flat beds and in buses (no marching bands, I thought that was odd). And there was lots and lots and lots of candy flying around. At the time, Peanut was too little for candy and not yet really walking, but somehow she managed to collect a lot of sweet stuff for her parents.
If you want to get your Fourth of July celebrations started a little bit early, head down Route 45 and check it out this weekend. There is tons of family fun to be had — pony rides, a cow drop (what’s that?), a kiddie tractor pull, live music, even fireworks. Who doesn’t like those?
The other day my friend Leeanthro asked if Ralph’s World or something similar is coming to Krannert this coming season. The Krannert Youth Series is mostly geared toward school-age children, and I haven’t come across an indication of any show for the 5-and-under crowd in this year’s dance card.
But don’t fret. I recently noticed that Ralph’s World will be coming to Central Illinois this fall, if you count Peoria as Central Illinois. Ralph, who recently released a new album, will play the Sept. 13 Fogelberg Family Music Festival at Glen Oak Amphitheatre. For some reason this not on the Amphitheatre Web site, but is on the Ralph’s World site. Tickets are supposedly going on sale July 1. We are thinking of going, because as you know, we are Ralph’s World roadies.
I hope they add some lights out at the Curtis Road I-57 Interchange soon. It is so dark out there, there might be some dead bodies found there before we know it.
It is really annoying me that Krannert is advertising all over television about its new season but there is no catalog to be found on its Web site. Evidently, tickets go on sale July 9, but tickets to what I have little to no idea.
I’m sorry if I’m not excited about National Pollinator Week, but that’s only because I’m allergic to bees. The free guided nature walks in Meadowbrook Park sound like a good way to spend a beautiful morning.
I was happy to read in yesterday’s N-G (unfortunately, the story is not online) that the Champaign Park District, for once, actually listened to real-life citizens and their critiques of the Taste of Champaign. As a result, there will be no McDonald’s or some of the other ridiculous booths that they had last year, but rather a select group of 25 restaurants/organizations that were “reviewed by a committee to ensure the dishes they offer are the best of their kind.” Yeah, well I’m not sure about that … how did Papa John’s pass that test?
We’ll let that slide, since we also think it’s a great idea to sell one ticket for food that is also good for rides, inflatables etc. That makes this event that much more family friendly.
Someone else will have to review the Taste for me, since we will miss the annual extravaganza. Have a great weekend everyone … let me know if anyone has any Trader Joe’s orders.
I have it from a very closeted source, to be referred to as C-U’s very own deep throat (CUDT), that not only will a Super Target be coming to the future retail development at the Curtis Road Interchange, but that blog pet Trader Joe’s as well as everyone’s favorite furniture peddler Pottery Barn will be joining it. Seems like an odd combination to me, but we’ll go with it.
Officially, this news will be taken with a grain of kosher salt. Unofficially, we will take out our kiddie trampoline and jump for joy until we remember that this is just a rumor.
I don’t really have much inspiration today, so I thought I would share with you the song that has taken my household hostage in the past several months. It’s lasted a lot longer than I thought it would … and has morphed into our own personal official song of summer 2008.
Diane McPheeters is a woman of many talents and skills. Not only is she an amazing baker (one of these days I will post a pic of Peanut’s birthday cake) but she is a friend to animals everywhere. In case you missed this story in the N-G earlier this week, the Monticello resident has taken in dozens of wild animals who were orphaned in recent weeks after the storms/floods. She is also active in the movement to build an animal shelter for Piatt County at Pontious Farm in White Heath.
On June 24, a benefit will be held for the shelter at the Best Western Hotel in Monticello. “Ladies Nite Out” will feature appetizers, a wine tasting, and more. Admission is free; check it out.
Over the weekend Mr. lbotp and I enjoyed an adult dinner on the town. I wanted to go to the new Cafe Luna since I had not yet had an opportunity to visit the new location. Mr. lbotp had never been to the old Cafe Luna so he had no idea what he was in for whatsoever.
I won’t try to top Lisa’s recent post about the restaurant’s newest incarnation, but I will say that the place is beautiful and everything we ate was scrumptious. We sat at the bar as every table was filled or spoken for, but our service did not suffer. We even were offered a free taste of some yummy sparkling rose since we were gawking at it.
Well while I was oohing and ahhing and gooing and gahing over the place Mr. lbotp came up with an idea. He was willing to bet me that if both of us came up with five favorite restaurants in Champaign-Urbana, that none of them would match. I thought there was the potential for one, but when it came down to it, he was right. These places are our *favorite* restaurants in C-U, the places we go back to again and again — often for the same dish — not necessarily the places we might say are the “best” for this and that. The poor thing couldn’t even come up with five, while for me it was a struggle to limit it.
His List (in no particular order):
Mezzaluna — A newbie. His vote for best pizza in C-U. Alexander’s — A classic. He’s a meat and potatoes guy. Farren’s — A downtown treasure. Burgers and fries for everyone. The Beef House — OK, this isn’t in C-U, or even in our state, but I allowed it. See Alexander’s.
My List (in no particular order):
Milo’s — I could eat that chicken salad everyday. Thara Thai — Pass the Panang Curry. And the spring rolls, is it lunch time yet?
Dos Reales — Loving the new black beans on the menu.
Cafe Luna — Best soups and quiches in town; see above. LePeep — All LePeeps are not created equally, and ours is unparalleled in quality.
The fact that our lists don’t match (although Farren’s was close up there on mine) is pretty emblematic of the divisions that exist in our marriage regarding food. He is a meat and potatoes guy who doesn’t care for ethnic food. I don’t eat red meat and was a longtime vegetarian who enjoys trying new things. Who knows where Peanut will fall in that spectrum.
Don’t be afraid to try this exercise with your significant other, and post the results.
One of the reasons we have been searching for a new house is because of my intense desire to have a basement. For some reason I harbor this fantasy that a basement will solve all my problems — storage! play area! a place to protect our family from tornados!
And then reality strikes. Basements flood (poor Cynthia), sometimes even with raw sewage (that happened to a friend of mine in Chicago). And when the power goes out, sump pumps can fail, as the N-G reports today (there are back-up systems you can get for this, however).
Then there was the woman who told me that her kids never played in their basement, preferring to be near the grown-ups, even as teen-agers (OK that’s just weird).
So here’s the problem — getting a basement in this town can be a very expensive proposition. It can also be a difficult thing to find, especially in certain areas (like the one we want to live in). So here I sit, wondering in grand Carrie Bradshaw fashion, is a basement all it’s cracked up to be?
