So Kevin and I were visiting a local Petco this week to get a toy for Indy. I have to squeeze my little Cavalier into a spot because the huge SUV next to me had parked a good two feet over the line and attempt to get out.
When I open the driver's-side door, it just grazes the passenger door of the SUV. I hop out and, of course, come face-to-face with the irate SUV owner, freaking out that I dared to touch his car. He (with his wife and young children) is yelling, dropping f-bombs left and right, and just generally flipping out that I dared touch his precious car. I scurry into the store thinking, "If you're so bent out of shape about your car, don't park three spots from the door and try parking between the lines for a change, chief."
We were in the store not more than five minutes when, upon exiting, we find that the pissed-off guy had hocked a GIANT loogie on my window. Say it with me now: Ewwwwwwwwwww. It was huge, and seriously gross. I guess I'm just lucky he didn't a.) spit INTO the car, b.) key my car or c.) confront me physically in the parking lot (it would be a shame if Kevin had to get beat up defending my honor in a pet store parking lot).
But still. I hope he chokes on his horrible gas mileage.
As some of you may know this past weekend was the Indy 500 and as the girlfriend of a pit crew mechanic I was able to tag along for one of the most popular races in the world.
I drove down on Friday with a co-worker who is a by far a professional Indy 500 fan. He came fully equipped with radio equipment to listen to the drivers, coolers - yes it is plural, a rain coat and sunscreen. He even reserved parking for race day at one of the houses neighboring the track.
The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry periodically sends out business highlights in the county. Here is the latest. It's a great idea for people like me who kill plants without even trying!
Name of Business: The Artificial Tree House Inc.
Address & Phone Number: 417 E. Illinois Avenue, Morris, IL 60450
1-866-623-7801 Toll Free Number
This week's cover story is about the Downers Grove Sportsmen's Club, a place for skeet- and track-shooting enthusiasts to gather and shoot the breeze (and some clay targets) out in Morris. People come from all over the suburbs to shoot here, since the club used to be located in Downers Grove (hence the name).
Growing up, my family belonged to a beach club in Braidwood that did skeet shooting, and I remember going around with my cousins and collecting skeet shards to reassemble afterwards because we....liked puzzles? I don't know; we were special children. Regardless, club members regard the site as a place to enjoy an afternoon's shootiing with other enthusiasts from all over.
Photos by Corey R. Minkanic/Special to SW
Downers Grove Sportsman's Club members enjoy a cup of coffee in the lodge before taking to the shooting range Sunday.
Downers Grove Sportsman's Club member Paul McGee shoots at the voice-operated skeet range Sunday.
Photo by Jeanne Millsap
Debbie Fredrick of Bolingbrook finishes a round of trap shooting. The club has lighting to allow for night shooting.
Photo by Jeanne Milllsap
Club President Larry Chinski shoots some trap.
Living in America is great. I love cold beer, football and democracy as much as the next girl, but I'd like to think the Founding Fathers might have thought twice about flipping the proverbial bird to old King George if they knew what we were giving up in order for our independence.
Imagine that once a week, President Bush got up in front of Congress and all 535 members got to shout questions at him, both serious and ridiculous, and could cut off each other and yell a lot, and you would get the jist of Prime Minister's Questions. Wouldn't that be sweet? You can actually watch the sessions on C-SPAN on Sunday nights and I admit that I've watched a few times for a laugh.
Every May, the European TV network Eurovision hosts an "American Idol"-type singing contest with an entry from every European nation (with varying degrees of talent). ESC is serious business across the pond and the performances are even more over-the-top than the featheriest Las Vegas revue you can think of. Each country votes among itself and the winner goes on to represent their nation at the contest, held in a different European city each year. Celine Dion and ABBA have been contestants in previous years. This year's contest is in Belgrade.
Lordi, a Finnish rock band, won the 2006 contest with their anthem, "Hard Rock Hallelujah," from their album "The Arockalypse." Lordi is a band of grotesquely costumed rockers who look like a cross between zombies and Hell's Angels. Click on the link for a grainy YouTube video of their winning performance.
Marija Sestic of Bosnia and Herzegovina won last year's contest with "Rijeka bez imena."
The semifinals for this year's contest are tonight, with the finals on Saturday.
You can catch most of each country's winning music videos on YouTube, but I DESPERATELY want to watch this program live someday. Doesn't this sound like something FOX would air during the summer hiatus?
Ireland's entry was a turkey puppet named Dustin who sang an insanely catchy terrible song about how much their previously entries sucked, that unsurprisingly did not make it to the finals ("Give us another chance! We're sorry about Riverdance!").
As I was covering last night's Morris City Council meeting I was reminded once again why I so desperately want to become a Morris resident.
A couple months ago Herb Wyeth, who many of you know as the man in charge of Morris Cruise Nights, approached the village about upgrading its downtown speaker system. Wyeth said the cruise night committee would donate $2,500 toward the project along with all the time and work needed to get the project done.
The city of course was appreciative and paid for the remaining $3,485. Home for the Holidays also contributed $2,500.
The speaker upgrade will play music during cruise nights and everyday of the week louder and clearer.
This past weekend Wyeth and some friends spent not only Saturday, but Sunday too installing the new speakers.
Salah: Please, what does this mean, this...this "Junior"? Dr. Henry Jones: It's his name...Henry Jones, Junior. Indiana Jones: I *iike* Indiana. Dr. Henry Jones: We named the *dog* Indiana. Marcus Brody: Can we go home now please? Salah: The dog? You are named after the dog?! Ha ha ha. Indiana Jones: I have very fond memories of that dog.
Soooo, I got my wedding dress on Saturday afternoon and headed into our room to try it on.
I hung the dress on the back of our bedroom door to try it on and promptly smeared the WD40 my fiance used to oil the creaky hinges all over it. Damn.
After about five minutes of flailing and freaking out, I consulted the Internet to see if I could find either a.) a way to get the stuff out, b.) a good bridal dry cleaner or c.) a support group for brides who can't keep their dresses clean for more than five minutes after getting it in the house.
Surprisingly enough, Google tells me that WD40 is recommended for getting stains OUT of clothes, which was somewhat comforting, but how the hell were you supposed to get it out after that?
Liquid dish soap, apparently. With a wet paper towel and a little Dawn dish soap, I carefully scrubbed at the stains. About 90% of the stain came out, thankfully, since after the initial freakout, I stashed the dress in the closet for the night, apparently in hopes that I could wish it away.
You can barely see it now, but I'm still looking for a dry cleaner that specializes in ultra-fancy/bridal dresses, preferably in the southwest suburbs. Anyone have any good ideas?
From now on June 1st will forever be a day to think of Shirely Kiss, one of the founders of We Care of Grundy County.
The Grundy County board has designated it as Shirley Kiss Day, but rather than take the day to relax and be celebrated, Shirley will be doing what she does best...finding a way to help those in need in Grundy County.
She may have retired from We Care last month, but as We Care executive director Denise Gaska said then "she is We Care," and won't go too far.
On June 1 Shirley will celebrate her 80th birthday (May 29) by holding a special radio show on WCSJ 103.1 in Morris. Her, disc jockey Dick Steele and well known fund raiser Joe Schmitz will be on live from 9 a.m. to noon raising money so that We Care can purchase its current location.
My tax rebate came the other day. Now I know that it's not really "free" money, that most of the things we can buy at stores simply send the money back to China, Korea and Japan (the hazards of living in a global market), that it's going to hurt the economy in the long run, but......six hundred bucks is six hundred bucks.
Since buying a house in Plainfield last October and preparing for my wedding this October, I'm getting a hard lesson in the realities of being all grown up. So $600 is not an unwelcome windfall. I'm spending my rebate on this.
I'm picking it up this weekend.
What are you spending your rebate on? Paying bills or something fun?
Today we're launching Mouth by Southwest, a blog devoted to the news in and around the Southwest Weekly coverage area.
From Gardner to Shorewood, Morris to Minooka and all points in-between, this is your chance to catch up on what's going on in your hometown.
We'll post news, updates and other interesting items in addition to the content you already love about Southwest Weekly on a regular basis. We invite you to comment, ask questions or just let us know you're out there. We'll also chat about our lives, our workplace and what's going on in the world today. Come join us!
Mallory Medved is an assistant managing editor of weekly publications for
the Sun-Times News Group. She helps cover the Lincoln-Way area and towns
southwest of Joliet. Being naturally nosy has led her to a career in
journalism and fulfilled her dream of getting paid to read. Being a new
homeowner and a future bride, she's also perpetually broke, but enjoys
hearing about other people in the same situation. She lives in Plainfield
but is a native of New Lenox.
Christina Chapman
Christina Chapman is a Will County resident who desperately wants to live in Grundy County. But since she lost that battle with her boyfriend when they bought a house, she makes due covering Grundy County news for The Herald News in Joliet. When not covering municipal meetings, school events and finding the truth behind the latest coffee talk, she is trying to balance life as a young home owner who is fighting the stereotype that she is living in sin because she is not yet married. She hopes to share with you her perspective on life and the news in hopes that you’ll share yours.
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About this Archive
This page is an archive of entries from May 2008 listed from newest to oldest.
Mallory Medved is an assistant managing editor of weekly publications for
the Sun-Times News Group. She helps cover the Lincoln-Way area and towns
southwest of Joliet. Being naturally nosy has led her to a career in
journalism and fulfilled her dream of getting paid to read. Being a new
homeowner and a future bride, she's also perpetually broke, but enjoys
hearing about other people in the same situation. She lives in Plainfield
but is a native of New Lenox.
Christina Chapman is a Will County resident who desperately wants to live in Grundy County. But since she lost that battle with her boyfriend when they bought a house, she makes due covering Grundy County news for The Herald News in Joliet. When not covering municipal meetings, school events and finding the truth behind the latest coffee talk, she is trying to balance life as a young home owner who is fighting the stereotype that she is living in sin because she is not yet married. She hopes to share with you her perspective on life and the news in hopes that you’ll share yours.
