Peoria Illinoisan

I deleted my last post because it was just too damn stupid and I couldn’t stand to look at it anymore.  Don’t worry, this won’t become habit- if I deleted every stupid post I wrote, there wouldn’t be a whole lot left!

Forecast for Thursday: Heavy snow is expected overnight… into Friday morning… with accumulations of 6 to 12 inches likely and locally higher amounts possible.

If you’re going to be driving, please take it slow and enjoy the weather. Turn on some relaxing music, a good talk show, or whatever it is that floats your boat. If you’re going to drive like a jackass, please don’t do it around me. I would prefer not to be part of the cover story about the massive number of wrecks on the first snowfall of the year. A big snowfall is just about the only thing that I like about this time of year- don’t ruin it for me.

One extra piece of advice (at no additional charge) : stay off the cell phone until after you drive your car into a ditch.

My brother hasn’t put up a real post since Mustard Days, so the last place I would expect him to start blogging again would be while he’s sitting at the Tokyo Narita Airport.  You know, you can do this stuff from home too, it’s not nescessary to leave the country.

WEEK reports that because funding was not found, today begins the symbolic destruction of the Arbor District with the official tearing down of the Arbors.

Trust me, they’re not coming back. Out of site, out of mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

See related post: NTPL # 106 

PjStar: “The man told police he left the Smoker’s Outlet Shop at 921 N. Western Ave. about 2:30 p.m. and was walking on Main Street when four men pushed him down and punched and kicked him before taking his money and fleeing.”

 
The location of the beating is at the curve of Main Street and Western, near Farmington Road.  What get’s me is that it took place at 2:30 in the afternoon.  This is no empty neighborhood street or dark alley, it’s a major traffic area in the middle of the afternoon!

If you recall, just a few weeks ago an elderly woman was bruised and beaten during a robbery after having dinner at One World.  Main and University.  I would never think to be robbed in broad daylight or even early evening on the sidewalk of a major intersection.

What’s going on around here?

I must stop and question myself- is crime really getting worse, or am I just paying more attention?  I’ve always been a news junkie, but I can say with 100% certainty that I pay even more attention since I started Blogging.  Which is why I ask again- is crime really getting worse, or am I just paying more attention?

Journal Star:

BELLEVUE - An alert shopper thwarted a man’s attempt to steal more than $70 worth of meat from a supermarket Friday.

The shopper at Kroger, 3103 W. Harman Highway, told a store manager that a man had taken meat and left without paying shortly before 12:30 p.m.

The manager followed the man outside and found him climbing into the window of a pickup truck, police said.

The manager confronted the man and tried to detain him, but he broke free and ran off, dropping $71 worth of meat from under his coat before running across Madison Golf Course. He was still being sought Saturday.

UPDATE: See, I was right.  After alot of discussion as to where exactly Bellevue is, Emtronics confirms that this crime did not take place in Bellevue.  It’s a small and somewhat accidental victory, but I’ll take it.

“Bellevue’s line ends at that bar @3611 W. Harmon Hwy no called Mom’s Restaurant but includes parts of Hillside St. behind the bar up to Barnewolt. Madison Park Golf Course is in the City of Peoria.

I asked the owner of Madison park Shopping Center to make sure I had this correct.”

In the battle of the politically incorrect mascots.

Predictions, anyone?

If this season continues the way it has started, Bradley may have to reconsider it’s expansion plans when the money starts pouring in.

When Black Friday
comes I’m gonna dig myself a hole
Gonna lay down in
it till I satisfy my soul
-Steely Dan

I don’t understand Black Friday. Wake up entirely too early for the pleasure of fighting angry mobs and check-out lines that stretch to the back of the store? No Thanks!

I was awoken early in the morning by my wife: “Hey - I know this is really harsh, but can you help me carry some stuff in the house?”

Me, looking at the clock that says 5:30am: “Huh? You’re joking, right?”

Wife: “Nope.”

Me: “Well, at least find me a robe or I’m going outside naked.”

…after we unload, she gets our daughter and goes back out for round II.

I love you, Honey, but sometimes I think you’re a little crazy.

I wrote a long and pissed off post last night about Thanksgiving, which I later deleted. The basic story goes like this: when you promise to be somewhere at 3, be there at 3. When you reschedule it to between 5 and 6, be there between 5 and 6. I can be a little flexible. When you call me at 5:45, as dinner is almost ready and tell me that it will now be around 7:30, expect me to be a little irritated.

Not only does that really piss me off, but now you’re messing with my kid’s Thanksgiving.

As any parent will say- NEVER mess with my kids.

PjStar: “Weber, 33, of West Peoria stopped at MacDonald Shell, 1108 W. Main St., about 6:15 a.m. for a cup of coffee before heading to his carpentry job.

While he ran inside, Weber left his 1999 Mercury Villager van idling in the parking lot.

The few minutes it took to pour of cup of joe and pay the cashier was all the time a young black man needed to steal his car, said Peoria police, who viewed a surveillance tape of the crime.

When Weber came back outside, he found the van gone. In its place was a green bicycle.”

 
I have no sympathy for this guy.  Just a few nights earlier two kids were attacked by a “mob” at this gas station and had to break into Papa John’s next door to hide.  The dumbass lives in West Peoria- he should know better!  Did he ever wonder why they have bullet-proof glass at the counter?  I have no patience for blatent stupidity.

As someone who frequents this gas station often, here’s my advice:

1. Don’t go there after dark.

2. Park in front, never around the side by the payphone unless you like giving money to panhandlers.

3. Lock your doors. 

3. DON’T LEAVE THE KEYS IN THE CAR WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING NO MATTER HOW BADLY YOU WANT THE REST OF THE PARKING LOT TO HEAR YOUR ‘MUSIC’.

For additional reading see Campustown Fun.

(couldn’t decide which title I liked best, so I used them both) 

If you have a typing, spelling, or mental disability (or you’re just a freak and like viruses) type www.[yourfavoriteblog].blogpot.com

Note, that’s blogpot, not blogspot.

I stumbled across this as I went to check my old blogspot blog.  What I got was “A Mega site of Bible, Christian and religious information and studies.  By God’s mercy, one of the largest Bible-centered sites on the web (app. 6000pgs).  If it’s in the Bible it should be on this site.”

What I also got was a slow running computer and a minor virus that I will need to work on.  Knowing that the computer I am using is hardly virus proof and that I’m pretty much already screwed, I tried “www.peoriapundit.blogpot.com”: I got the same site.

It’s not all bad, though.  All I have to do is click on the flashing sidebar ad and I’ll receive a “Free Laptop”.

I wonder if it will come with the viruses pre-installed?

On the heels of O’Brien’s Briar Patch’s post Local Blog Awards I would like to add a few overlooked nominees:

Blogger who is jealous that he didn’t come up with this idea first: Peoria Illinoisan

Blogger with the best pet peeves: Angie’s Drama

Blogger with entirely too much free time: Music For Ants
Honorable Mentions: Peoria Pundit, Peoria Chronicle

Blogger most likely to show up at a park board meeting and demand the immediate resignation of Bonnie Noble: RALLY Peoria

Blogger with best hidden musical references: Midwest Confidential

Blogger most likely to visit Guantanamo Bay: O’Brien’s Briar Patch

Blogger most likely to report that justice was served: VONSTER

I picked up my copy of Pete Townshend’s new album, The Who’s new album entitled Endless Wire a few weeks back. I have to admit, I haven’t had time to fully digest it just yet, but I thought I throw out my two cents-

There is no mistaking that this is Pete Townshend’s album with most vocals by Roger Daltrey. I don’t give Roger enough credit, nor have I ever. When I saw them multiple times in concert during the “Who’s Last” tour I just wanted Pete to do his solo stuff.

As with the best of The Who, the 2nd half of the album is an integrated song cycle called “Wire & Glass: A Mini Opera”. The first half is traditionally non-related (again, I haven’t had time to really study the relationship of the songs, so it wouldn’t surprise me if these are somehow also related to eachother.)

For those who don’t know the history, Pete’s infactuation with related songs and “rock operas” began back in ‘67 with a song called “A Quick One While He’s Away”. They needed filler and his mind went blank. Their manager suggested that he write several short songs that tie together, resulting in a groundbreaking 10 minute opus. Soon after came the double album Tommy, to be followed up with the futuristic Lifehouse which morphed into the classic album Who’s Next.

Began by The Who, concept albums soon became the rage; Their highlight in this medium was arguably Quadrophenia, reflecting back to their “Mod” fans and the tension with the “Rockers”. (aside- check out the movie starring Sting.)

Skip forward to the 80’s for Pete’s solo concept album “White City”. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Back to The Who’s new album… there is no insane drumming or driving bass, but it is good to hear Roger’s voice again, and it is also good/great to hear Pete’s powercords reborn.

No offense to Pino Palladino (bass) or Zak Starkey (drums); The Who would have nothing but the best, but it’s not the same as John and Keith.

From the liner notes:

Pete Townshend: “I played everything else on this record, and had fun doing so”

Roger Daltrey: “I am a singer, an actor, and interpreter, an alchemist who turns words into emotions. Just like Oliver and Giegud strove to connect to an audience with Shakespeare, I strive to connect the listener with the soul of Pete Townshend’s music.”

I’m not going link crazy on this post, because if you have any interest, you already know the links.

This award could go to the guy who stole M&M’s from Aldi, or the the guy who broke into the offices near OSF and stole $13, but my vote goes to this unpublished stupid burglar from earlier in the week:

Where: A volunteer organization’s HQ in the Randolph Roanoke historic district.

What: A man breaks a rear window and climbs through. He eventually finds the offices and a locked file cabinet. Knowing that a file cabinet wouldn’t be locked for nothing, he works them open to find a bunch of old documents, records and receipts.

What he took: Nothing

What he missed: Obviously he didn’t feel that a server, laptop, or desktop computer were worth anything, nor did he think that the countless antiques had any value, and he passed on the greymetal box labeled “CASH BOX”. (I have no idea if there was any actual cash in there, but you think he’d check!)

What Happened: Apparently he also broke into the nextdoor neighbors truck who happens to have an outside video surveillance system with whole thing on film… Ooops.

End result: Nothing was stolen, but a $10 bill, which is presumed to have fallen out of the burgler’s pocket, was lying near the broken window.

Now that’s a stupid burgler. No word yet if the $10 came from the neighbor’s truck.

I finally got around to upgradeding my Firefox to v2.0.  There are a few minor changes noticable, but nothing that got me really excited.

With that being said, I thought I’d check out what plugins were available and looked through “recommended add-ons“.  On a whim, I downloaded and installed “StumbleUpon“.

StumbleUpon is the internet version of channel surfing.  After choosing some of your interests, hit the “Stumble!” button and a web page is brought up based upon your likes and the ratings of other users of similar interests.  You can tweak what you “stumble upon” by clicking the thumbs up or thumbs down button.

A quick few stumbles resulted in this:

A listing of the 100 oldest registered .com names (dating back to ‘85)

A really odd photo. 

A map based name the country quiz of North Africa and the Middle East.  (I didn’t do too well) 

A Jimi Hendrix video of The Wind Cries Mary from 1967. 

Images of the world’s largest manmade hole (an open pit diamond mine in Eastern Siberia approx 1/3 mile deep) 

200 sign generators for those times that you want to create a custom message on the Wrigley sign or a Jack Daniels bottle.
 

Ok, those aren’t spectacular, but good enough for this example.  But here’s why I really dig the stumbler…

I found this: http://thefairest.info/.  If you bore of your computer’s wallpaper and change it as often as I do, you’ll love this site.