TREATMENT OF IRAQI SOLDIERS

Peggy Noonan has written one of the best editorials I've read on the recent treatment of some of the captured Iraqi soldiers. Check it out here.

JOHN MAYER



So yesterday was around 110 degrees (ok, maybe more like 80 degrees), today is 25 degrees (ok, more like 55 degrees), I'm sitting in my office working on some graphic stuff for the weekend and listening to John Mayer. His CD, "Heavier Things", has really grown on me big time. What I like about him is his originality. So much of today's music (don't I sound old?) sounds the same. Mayer's music is creative and original, yet there are certainly influences ranging from U2 to 80's rock. Good stuff...

Take a listen.

FRIENDS



Well, it's over. Ten years and many, many Thursday nights later the final episode of Friends aired tonight. Amanda, Elise & I went to Ted & Kathryn Egly's house to watch it along with some other friends.

It was a good ten years and it still amazes me how well so many of us continually identified with the humor of the show. Lots of laughs over the years...

Funny too how it almost seems like the cast of Friends and my friends all grew up and matured together over the last ten years.

Thanks Friends for a great ten years!


P.S. Good luck Joey - you might need it!

EMERGING CHURCHES

The Chicago Tribune recently published a short article on the trend of new emerging churches. Good article w/ quotes from Leonard Sweet and Dan Kimball.

You have to be a registered Chicago Tribune user to read the article, so I pasted it into a Word document that you can view here. (Is this illegal???)

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN



Yes - another food one...

Saturday morning we found a new breakfast spot in downtown Naperville called Heaven on Seven. It's the suburban location of a great downtown restaurant that I've heard much about but had never eaten at. They specialize in Cajun cuisine and let me tell you....they do it right!

The brunch menu is fantastic - so good in fact, that I went back on Sunday with my mom and dad to introduce them to it.

On Saturday, I ordered "Jimmy's Big Ass Breakfast" which included two eggs any style, chicken fried steak, biscuit and andouille gravy. The name fits the breakfast well and certainly contributed toward my fat.... Amanda ordered the Bananas Foster French Toast which was unbelievable. We also couldn't resist trying out the Parmesan-Reggiano Cheese Grits and the Fried Green Tomatoes in a remoulade sauce.

The highlight of my morning was a certain appetizer that was screaming my name - called "Hot as a Mutha" (see picture above). It's a whole habernero pepper (very hot pepper - way hotter than a jalepeno) stuffed with jalepeno cheese and served with peach salsa. The first bite wasn't too bad. It was the second and third bite that just about made me fall on the floor. Those were the bites that contained the seeds. Oh, the seeds... My eyes are watering right now just thinking about it (no lie).

When I went back on Sunday, I ordered the Poached Eggs on Crabcakes with Creole Sauce. My, oh my, oh my. The crabcakes were delicious.

One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that on each table they have about 15 different hot sauces you can try with your meal. I looked around and noticed that there weren't too many people taking advantage of these, but I did and man, were they great! Each hot sauce made my meal taste a little bit different with each bite.

So - if you live around here and want to abuse yourself, try the Hot as a Mutha. If you just want a great and unique breakfast, give Heaven on Seven a try. There are four or five locations around Chicagoland.

And don't forget the cheese grits.

MY NAME IS GEEK I'M MORE THAN A HIP-HOPPER

I didn't even know they still make them. I guess I don't watch enough late night television. I'm talking about BluBlocker Sunglasses. You know - the ones that have the commercials where the dude (Dr. Geek) is rapping about BluBlocker sunglasses? (My name is Geek I put 'em on as a shocker; Man, I love these BluBlockers!)

Well, their latest advertising campaign still involves the rapper, but in addition (in an updated attempt) now they show images of US soldiers in Afghanistan wearing the sunglasses too. I guess they saw that as a giant marketing opportunity. Afghanistan = sun = the need for sunglasses = BluBlockers!

And don't forget:
Remember what I said "now I'm a hip hopper"
Yeah go get you some BluBlockers.
Um, now yep its sweet
I'll see you later I gotta make some money on the beach.