sugarcrook

My neighbor has recently started playing Madden 2005 online, using a wifi connection and his Playstation 2. He’s easily excited, so most of his games are pretty vocal. The standard set of responses are basic shouts and swearing, with the occassional dropped or tossed controller when he’s losing. If he’s winning a game, the response is quite a bit different.

I’m not really sure what it’s called. Maybe projection. Basically, he imagines what the other guy is thinking and feeling in response to a significant reception or great defensive play. “This guy’s pissing himself right now.” Of course, there’s never any discussion about what the other player is thinking when my neighbor is getting his ass handed to him.

I play Madden, but not online. I’m still getting the hang of this great, but remarkably complex game.

As a side note, the XBox is much better than the PS2 in terms of graphics. If you’re on the fence, as I was, go for the XBox.

I’ve found that if the clear plastic of your ipod is scratched up, Swatch stores will buff it for free, which should remove the scratches and improve readability.

Get it here

Anyone that owns a bike in a metropolitan area probably owns a Kryptonite U-Lock. Kryptonite is the standard for securing your bike, and is recommended by bike shops around the country. Unfortunately, the U-Lock has a serious security flaw.

It’s possible to pick the U-Lock with a Bic pen and elbow greese. I’m not quite sure which models of the lock are vulnerable to this attack, but make sure to upgrade your locks as soon as a replacement becomes available. Kryptonite has said that they will provide replacements for locks purchased after Sept 2004. You can visit their website for details on the exchange.

Of course, Bush could just declare Bic pens to be a terrorist device.

It’s long past time for a vacation. I’ve been trying to get away since May and the chance has finally presented itself. Of course, my vacations are always working vacations; I think I just enjoy working someplace else.

So from Sept 30 - Oct 10 I’ll be in Bar Harbor, Maine. Taking the bike and hoping to get some climbing in. And eating. Lots of eating.

Unlike my previous aborted attempt to go on vacation, I’m actually going to drive. I don’t mind flying, but I hate airports. I would rather spend some time on the road, listening to books. Besides, it’s hard to take my bike on the plane.

The Babaluci, at 2152 N. Damen, claims to have the number 1 pasta in Chicago. This is clearly a lie. The Babaluci is possibly the worst place I’ve eaten in in the city, with poor service and worse food. The seafood alfredo wasn’t very exciting, with the sauce probably from a can and the seafood (mussels, shrimp and scallops) was sparse.

The waitress was horrible. Anyone that screws up a drink order shouldn’t be allowed to work in a restaurant. The place wasn’t even busy, with a handful of couples and table full of fat women on cell phones.

Next time, I’ll happily wait 45 minutes for a table at Coast.

Rating: 3 out of 10

The Babaluci
2152 N. Damen Ave map

Two blog posts in one day! I’ve been way busy trying to finish up my book and get the next one lined up, in addition to lots of work on the condo and projects coming out of my ears.

Since I got a few emails about my Powerbook post, I figured I’d give an update about how things are going: I’m a convert. I’ll never go back to using a Windows machine or Linux on a laptop again. I still have a few kinks to work out, like getting my bank to let me use the Mac version of Quickbooks. Office:Mac is great, much better than on Windows. I tried to use OpenOffice, but it’s not quite ready yet.

I’m a fan of the Mozilla project, so I’m using Firefox and Thunderbird for browsing and email, respectively. (Both are quite excellent on all platforms and even better - they’re free.)

Hopefully the honeymoon will last. If not, I have a very expensive paperweight.

Floyd’s, a new Bucktown pub, replaces Cloud 9 at Armitage and Oakley. I never had the pleasure to visit Cloud 9, but since the place was always empty, I don’t think I was missing much. Floyd’s seems to attract a moderate crowds for weekend lunch and evening drinks, with a number of attractive people from the surrounding area joining the fray.

The food is pretty good. I’ve had the steak salad, the burger, and a few of their sandwiches. Always a solid turnout. The service was also prompt and friendly. And, as the closest bar with food, I’m just happy to have them around.

Even if you don’t stick around for drinks after dinner, you can also visit the Map Room or Green Eye. The crowd at Map Room consists of people from the surrounding area, so it’s pretty dull. Green Eye, on the other hand, attracts an eclectic mix of people from the nearby Blue Line stop and the from points West.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Floyd’s
1944 N. Oakley map