Chicago Vacations – Things to Do in Chicago

What are some cheap and fun things to do during family vacations to Chicago? Anyone who has been to Chicago during the winter months knows that taking a Chicago vacation requires bundling up with warm winter clothes to offset the cold, blustery, freezing temperatures and winds from the Windy City. There are a lot of fun and cheap things to do in and outside of Chicago, indoors and outdoors, including things to do in the suburbs for families, kids and adults of all ages.

Looking for fun things to do in Chicago during the summer or winter? Chicago has a lot to offer tourists and vacationers throughout the year with favorite places including museums, parks, indoor and outdoor swimming, golf courses and mini-golf courses, family entertainment centers, live theater, ice skating, comedy clubs, festivals, art galleries, restaurants, working farms and orchards, amongst thousands of other Chicago attractions.

Whether you take a vacation to Chicago in the spring, summer, fall or winter months, make sure you plan your itinerary to include the popular places in downtown Chicago and in the suburbs north, west, east and south of the city. Coupons, discount tickets and pass cards like the Go Card help a lot to reduce the overall costs of a vacation trip and tours around Chicago, or anywhere else you want to go.
Read the rest of this entry »

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Book Review and Video

This is a book review guest post of Hush, Hush: The New York Times bestselling book by Becca Fitzpatrick. The “Hush Hush” novel is a very popular book among teens and young adults, including a Hush Hush fansite “Fallen Archangel” at fallenarchangel.com and a Youtube video trailer.

In Hush, Hush, Nora Grey meets Patch Cipriano. Patch is mysterious, attractive, a bad boy, and the school’s newest transfer. Nora is brown-haired, smokey-eyed, an only child, and a columnist for the school’s eZine.

In the biology class they share together, Patch seems to know way too much about Nora; things not even her best friend, Vee Sky, knows. But when the tables are turned, and the biology assignment requires him to talk about himself, he refuses to budge. Patch’s nonchalant attitude leaves Nora frustrated with mixed feelings. While her teen hormones cause her to be attracted to Patch, something else, deep down, tells her she needs to be afraid.

When a mysterious shadow appears in Nora’s room, and a man wearing all black and a ski mask shreds her friend’s car, she looks to Vee for comfort, and winds up meeting Elliot Saunders and his best friend Jules at a local diner. While Jules seems to act strange around Nora and Vee, Elliot warms right up; confessing he just transferred from Kinghorn Prep to Coldwater High.
Read the rest of this entry »

Reality Steve Bachelor Spoilers vs ABC The Bachelor Mike Fleiss

Our favorite snarky and sarcastic reality tv blog-master Reality Steve has Bachelor producers in a dither because of Steve’s bachelor spoilers. Reality Steve, aka Steve Carbone, just might need to watch out for the Israeli secret service to come knocking on his door, according to an interview executive producer Mike Fleiss had with EW. Really ABC? I just bet that Reality Steve is shaking in his Texas boots right about now. Not likely.

While Bachelor producers are going about their business of preparing for the upcoming wedding of Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, to be aired on March 8, producers of The Bachelor aren’t too happy with Steve Carbone and the oh-so-fabulous spoilers on Reality Steve’s blog.

Reality Steve’s blog updates comes complete with some of the best, if not THE best, Bachelor episode recaps and spoilers on the web. Sarcasm, wit and snarkiness flows freely on Steve’s blog and his fans love it! ABC knows it too and Hollywood Insider interviewed Bachelor producer Mike Fleiss about the impact Reality Steve and his blog is having on the hit reality show.

Part of ABC’s problem with Reality Steve is that he accurately revealed the shocking details of how Jason Mesnick would propose to Melissa Rycroft and then dump her for Molly on national television before the After the Final Rose special aired. The fact that Steve has revealed on his blog a number of great spoilers, who the Final 4 would be and who would “win” Jake Pavelka’s heart at the final rose ceremony, should give viewers and fans reason to believe Reality Steve is right. Again.
Read the rest of this entry »

Apple iPad Reviews – Is the Price of the iPad Worth the Hype?

When the Apple iPad was unveiled last week by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, gadget geeks were anxious to learn what all the hype was about. Who will want to buy the iPad and what all does it do? Is the iPad application device worth the hype that has been built up? Whether or not the iPad will crush or slay netbooks and e-readers like the Kindle remains to be seen. The iPad is an application device and not a computer or a laptop, so why there is talk about the iPad crushing netbooks sounds like nothing more than hype and geek jargon to me.

After reading a ton of pro and con reviews about the Apple iPad and watching video presentations, plus finding out from FOXNews that my already overloaded smartphone carrier AT&T will be providing services for the iPad, I’m underwhelmed. Some thought the iPad would be named the iTablet or the iSlate instead of something that conjures up thoughts of feminine hygiene products for women.

Oh, the iPad jokes took the net by storm, and hilarious they were for sure. Admittedly, the iPad is a good looking gadget, but who is the moron that came up with the goofy name? The cost of the iPad, a giant iPhone kind of gadget, is too rich for my blood. Unless Apple lowers the price. Yeah, right.
Read the rest of this entry »

How to Talk to Teenage Girls – Things NOT to Say to a Girl You Like

What is the best way to flirt with a teenage girl you like, without coming on too strong, if you are a teenage boy? Sometimes teenage guys say stupid things to girls and end up regretting it, especially if the dumb thing said leads the girl to slap the guy in the face.

Young guys in the process of becoming a man sometimes learn valuable lessons the hard way, and learning what things not to say to a girl they like or have a crush should rank very high on the list of learning “how to talk to girls”.

A young, 17-year-old teenage guy contacted me the other day, telling me the story of meeting a teenage girl at a dance that he took a liking to. Unfortunately for him, this young lady didn’t appreciate his attempts to make conversation because of his comments about her “healthy body”.

In other words, this girl was “hot”. Classic hourglass figure, big bust, narrow waist and nice, shapely hips and legs. Get the full picture? He liked her body and wanted this girl to know he liked her (and her body). A lot.
Read the rest of this entry »

American Idol Season 9 Dallas Fort Worth Texas Top 24 Contestants Spoilers

Since my husband and I are both American Idol fans and live in Texas, north of Dallas, it seems only fair to reveal which contestants made it through to the Top 24. The Dallas American Idol auditions were shown on American Idol already last week, but inquiring minds are curious to know which Texas contestants made it through the Hollywood round in hopes of becoming the next American Idol mega star. American Idol spoiler alert!

Ever since Paula Abdul left Idol, and now Simon Cowell is leaving after season nine, whether or not AI will last much longer remains to be seen. Personally, I don’t enjoy watching the audition phase, with all the singer-wannabe’s and moron’s acting like fools, but at least we’ve got a few contestants from Texas that made it to the list of Top 24 according to the leaked spoilers. Some of the auditions are funny and others are just stupid.

Then again, nearly everyone has heard about the song Pants On The Ground, fanned the page on Facebook and had the song stuck in their head for days.

As with previous seasons of American Idol, spoilers and lists of contestant names have been right and this season is no different. JoesPlaceBlog (www.joesplaceblog.com) has the complete list of American Idol’s Season 9 Top 24, including links to contestant MySpace pages, Facebook, audition videos and performance videos for those who are interested.
Read the rest of this entry »

Do Women Want Sex? Reasons Why Women Don’t Want to Have Sex

Ever since I published the 30 Day Sex Challenge, I’ve heard from quite a few women who say they don’t want to have sex with their husbands, while offering a large number of reasons why they don’t want to have sex. I’ve also heard from a number of men who want more sex with their wife but can’t seem to figure out why the sex isn’t happening as frequently as these guys would like. “Is having sex once every 3-9 months normal?”, one husband asked.

“I don’t want to have sex” and “she doesn’t want to have sex” were the common subject titles from women and men who are reporting sexual dysfunction and low libido in their marriages. Most, if not all, were asking “is it normal” to not want to have sex very often (or at all), and what possible reasons there might be for their wives to not be interested in having sex. They also wanted to know how often married couples are “supposed to have sex” to keep the fire alive in their marriage, and some wives reported their husbands “weren’t doing it right”. Ouch.

It came as somewhat of a surprise to me that some women said their husbands don’t know how to please a woman in bed and can’t bring her to orgasm, but these same women admit to never (ever) telling or showing their husbands what they want or need in bed to be completely satisfied sexually. Really? Come on, ladies, it works both ways. Men aren’t mind readers and most men DO want to please their wives in bed, but if you have never talked with your husband about your personal desires or sexual needs, communication in your marriage is a problem to work on. Today.
Read the rest of this entry »

Reality Steve Bachelor Spoilers, Season 14 Final Four and Winner Revealed

Fans of The Bachelor reality television show on ABC are likely familiar with Reality Steve and his blog. Reality Steve, AKA Steve Carbone of Dallas, has revealed the final 4 Bachelor contestants and who Jake Pavelka picks as winner at the final rose ceremony, due to having a very reliable inside source.

There are many Bachelorette and Bachelor blogs, forums and message boards for fans to read recaps, spoilers and speculations about what happens before the show even airs on ABC, but if you really want to know the reality of what has been going on behind the scenes on The Bachelor, you have to read Reality Steve’s blog at realitysteve.com.

I’ve been a fan of a few “reality television” shows over the years, but the recent so-called sex scandal involving Bachelor contestant Rozlyn Papa and former producer Ryan Callahan has created a negative but well-deserved buzz about the show’s integrity and host, Chris Harrison. Rozlyn has said in interviews on National Television that there was no “inappropriate relationship” between her and Callahan whatsoever, no kissing, no sex, nothing “physical” as Chris Harrison has claimed.
Read the rest of this entry »

Chicago Family Vacation For Cheap – Things to Do in Chicago

Taking a vacation in Chicago is one of the best places for travel, with so many things to do during the summer and winter months, there is no chance of ever running out of fun things to do in Chicago for cheap. Chicago is by far one of my favorite vacation hot spots since my kids and grandkids live there, and since I used to live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago years ago, visiting my old stomping grounds will be a treat.

We’ve had a good time during our inexpensive Staycation vacations, but this year we decided we really needed a getaway vacation where we can fly to Chicago and enjoy the Windy City and its many attractions. Planning a cheap vacation trip to Chicago includes finding good deals on hotels, car rentals, air fare, discount event tickets and finding as many free activities as possible. When it comes to planning a vacation to Chicago or anywhere else, cheap is good, but free is better.

Deciding where to stay in Chicago, where to eat, where to park if you’re going to spend time in downtown Chicago or surrounding cities, and where all the hot spots are in or outside of the city are things that must be decided. Picking what hotels or motels we would consider for our visit to Chicago was easy with Hotels.com, and since I used to live there I know what neighborhoods are good or bad, and what areas to avoid at all cost.
Read the rest of this entry »

Cell Phone Problems, Smart Phones and Replacement Cell Phones

Having cell phone problems of one kind or another is frustrating to say the least, especially when the problems affect business calls that should never be missed or lost. Problems like missed calls, dropped calls and battery problems have caused us to start looking into the possibility of buying a new smart phone, buying a replacement cell phone and/or changing our service provider. We have used Cingular/AT&T as our service provider for a few years and to say that the coverage is spotty and unreliable is putting it mildly, but is Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint any better?

Calls drop when going from a 2G tower to a 3G tower and vice versa, and there are local areas we refer to as “dead zones” where we have no cell phone coverage at all. There are times when someone calls our cell phones but the phone doesn’t ring at all, where the call is immediately sent to voicemail and there is no message indicating we missed a call or have a new voicemail. Is that a AT&T coverage problem, a cell phone problem, or both?

Even though the contract for our cell phone plan doesn’t expire for a few more months, we’ve been told we can get an upgrade and new cell phone/smart phone now rather than waiting until our contract comes up for renewal, as long as we sign a new contract with AT&T. We don’t want or plan to sign a new one-year or two-year contract with AT&T because we’re seriously considering switching to another cell phone provider like Verizon, who reportedly has the best coverage in the U.S.
Read the rest of this entry »