My brother-in-law showed up with two gorgeous chocolate labs this weekend. They were in good shape, had wonderful dispositions, played nice with the kids, listened to commands, and were housebroken. They jumped around a bit, but at less than a year old, that’s to be expected. They have all their shots, and their AKC paperwork [...]
Posts under ‘General’
Under the Hot Lamps
I’d never seen a full-on video production before, much less been the subject of one.
On Sunday afternoon I sat down on a stool in front of a large, green chroma key backdrop, surrounded by lamps and with a camera aimed at my face. A mic clipped to my shirt recorded my responses to off-camera questions [...]
Vertucci’s Chicago Style Eats
Vertucci’s Italian Combo
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
After last night’s disappointing Italian beef outing, I decided I had to try again. This evening, the Midget and I dropped by Vertucci’s Chicago Style Eats in East Peoria to see what they’ve got.
They definitely play up the Chicago angle: they’ve got signage along the road announcing things like pizza, [...]
The Quest for Italian Beef
Spotted Cow Italian Beef
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
Why is it so hard to find a good Italian Beef sandwich around here?
The first person I asked where I could get one thought I was looking for an Arby’s. Talk about a bad omen! Three years later I’m no closer to finding anyone in the Peoria area who [...]
Plumbing 2.0
Yes, plumbing. Bear with me.
Our local utility sends out a pamphlet with every bill, and this month the pamphlet included an advisory to turn water heaters down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent scalds and save energy. Most water heaters, apparently, are dialed up to 140F by consumers.
Someone already resolved the energy issue by inventing [...]
Shiny New Message Board
Either I’m a glutton for punishment or Brian Keene is right for once and there are legions of fans just waiting to communicate with me. Either way, I once again have a message board, which you can visit right here.
Bored? Drop on by for a chat. I’ll be popping in frequently to either answer all [...]
Geek Forensics
I had to run out to our second campus at work today, so I jumped on the country road out of town. It’s probably the first time I’ve been on that road in over two weeks, as the few times I’ve had to head out in that direction I was concerned the Great Arctic Death [...]
Thus Endeth the Holiday
It’s a UFC Christmas!
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
The parents on both sides and my brother showed up today, and I’ve gotta say, we had a pretty good day. Ham and lasagna for lunch, a mix of snacks and brownies later in the day, and lots of opening presents, watching the kids play, lounging, and chatting.
Now we’re [...]
Deck the Halls with Streams of Vomit
Our house looks something like this today:
I don’t know what this bug is, but it’s taking us down one family member at a time. I thought I was going to dodge the bullet until 3:30am last night when I woke up and launched last night’s home-made sliders into the crapper at about 90 miles per [...]
Goodbye, Sunny
Sunny
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
His papers carry the name “Sunshine Patch” as chosen by my sister-in-law when she bought him as a puppy, but we all called him Sunny. He lived with her for a time, then with my in-laws, and finally he moved in with my family.
It would be tough to find a better dog. [...]
