My husband has been a motorcycle enthusiast ever since he was a teenager. Though he usually rides motocross and trails, he has pretty much decided on purchasing a street bike as well. So he’s shopping around now in the hopes of finding a used motorcycle in good condition for when the weather breaks.

Before he even gets on a street bike, however, I’m going to make sure that he has the proper safety equipment on hand, especially since he’s not used to that kind of riding. He prefers those half-shell helmets, so that means he will have to purchase protective eyewear too, and after spending some time browsing around the adseyewear.com site, I think these Wiley X sunglasses would be perfect. They look cool, they offer solid protection against wind and debris, and they’re affordable. Plus, some of the Wiley X frames can even be used with prescription lenses, which is a feature I know my husband will be interested in.

There are many other different kinds of sunglasses on adseyewear.com as well. All of the products are geared towards those who participate in rigorous activities and sports, so if that’s the way you roll, you’re going to want to check out that site!

Well, for all the talk of cronyism and corruption in the Daley administration, the voters just love him. Richard M. Daley won a sixth term as mayor of Chicago, and if he stays in office for the entire four years, he’ll surpass his father (Richard J. Daley) as the longest-serving mayor in Chicago history. According to the Chicago Tribune, Daley won with about 71 percent of the vote against challengers Dorothy Brown and William Walls.

I wasn’t really interested in this race, so I don’t care one way or the other that Daley won. I guess this just means we’ll get treated to four more years of corruption talks….

If you’re interested in cultivating your spiritual side or taking an introspective journey to discover yourself, then you’ve got to check out a website called The Lotus Path. This site gives you a lot of information about the various workshops they offer that are designed to help you turn your thoughts inward and gain self-awareness from this introspection.

There are several different types of workshops for you to choose from, and your guide Betty Malicoat will be with you every step of the way to ensure your comfort and ease. These workshops take place in a secluded location in the Sierra foothills between Yosemite and Fresno, CA, and can really help you achieve inner peace or even turn your life around. If you can’t make it to California anytime soon, then you can request a telephone session for a reduced fee.

I’ve recently become more interested in my spiritual well-being, so I’m very intrigued by The Lotus Path Workshops that I read about today. I like the fact that the guide takes it upon herself to make sure that all participants get as much as they can out of the workshops by not letting any one personality dominate the sessions. That’s always a concern for me because I’m a quiet type who doesn’t like to draw attention to myself in workshops or classes. Furthermore, I like the way that Betty is upfront with all her information and qualifications. There are so many shams and fakes out there that it’s refreshing to come across this type of honesty.

If you think you’re ready for this type of spiritual journey, then you should check out The Lotus Path for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised at where your journey will take you!

The Oscars has been a total snorefest so far. The’ve done a bunch of technical/minor (to me, anyway) awards, have had a couple of musical numbers, and have just now handed out Best Supporting Actor (nearly one hour in). I’ll wait to see supporting actress, then I’m turning it off.

Edit: It’s been an hour and a half now, and there have still just been two “major” awards handed out. So. Boring.

P.S. I’ve never been a Leonardo DiCaprio fan, but he looks hot tonight!! I think he’s getting much better with age:

The Oscars broadcast is about to start in a few minutes. I’m going to watch the opening skit and then the first couple of awards (they always lead off with the Supporting Actor/Actress awards, don’t they?) before deciding whether to continue with it or not. Ellen Degeneres is not one of my favorite hosts (I prefer Billy Crystal and Chris Rock), but we’ll see how she does this year.

For the first time in ages, I have absolutely no preferences as to who wins Best Picture, Director, or Lead Actor/Actress. That makes things kind of boring to begin with, doesn’t it?

I have to admit that I don’t pay as much attention to what’s going on in the art world as I’d like to. I definitely want to develop my cultural side a bit more, so I’m going to make it a point to go to museums and art galleries a couple times per year. In the meantime, I’m going to start keeping up with the latest news and happenings online so that I can be more informed and carry on decent conversations with my friends when the topic of art comes up.

Towards that end, I spend some time reading about Russian Artist Victor Lysakov today and came away very much intrigued by both his personal story and his work. Lysakov was born in Siberia, and unlike most modern artists, never received any formal training in that discipline. Instead, he followed a more traditional path of getting an education (he has a Ph.D in Technical Sciences) and establishing a career before finding it impossible to ignore his true calling any longer. So Lysakov read books, studied techniques, and spent hours in museums to hone his skills and develop his talents.

Today, Lysakov is one of the most respected and renowned modern expressionist painters in the world, and he is now setting his sights on North America. He recently opened his own gallery in Pacific Grove, CA and has inked deals with 20 other galleries across the country, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to view some of his work in person in the near future. In the meantime, be sure to check out Lysakov’s official website to keep abreast of press releases, upcoming events, and exhibitions.

My blog has been offline for more than 12 hours due to problems at Dreamhost. I had hoped to get a bunch of posts done today because I see that this blog has been somewhat neglected of late, but obviously I couldn’t do that. At any rate, it’s good to be back, and I promise that I’m going to keep my post count up over here as well as on my Reviews and More blog!

Today is my son’s 4th birthday. I can’t believe how quickly he’s growing up — all those clichés are absolutely true! It’s been such a joy watching him develop his personality over these years. He’s just the sweetest kid around and I hope he stays that way for a long, long time.

We’re planning a family celebration tonight. I don’t want to do a full-on kids party with his friends just yet — maybe next year ;). I’ve got to pick up the cake, buy another present, and clean the house so people can come over, so it’s going to be a busy day. In fact, I better get started right now.

Happy birthday, buddy!

My husband has been wearing contacts for the past eight years or so. He uses the disposable variety, and goes through his supplies very quickly. Since I’m always looking for ways to save money on our household expenses, I’ve been paying close attention to how much we spend on contact lenses and solution. I learned that we often spend more than we have to because my husband lets his supplies run all the way down before buying new products, at which point he’s forced to go to the local optical store and pay full retail price for his favorite brand.

Well, I’m trying to put a stop to that practice, so I’m going to start ordering contact lenses online. I found a site called Eye Contact Guide that not only offers huge discounts on the most popular brands out there, but also provides informative articles that help shoppers compare different products to see how they stack up against each other. As a result, I can see if there’s a comparable product that’s even cheaper, which of course allows us to save even more money. When times are tight like they are now, then every little bit of savings helps!

If you wear contacts, then the Eye Contact Guide is a site you’ll want to visit. They have fantastic deals on hard, soft, daily, disposable, extended wear, colored, bifocal, and even theatrical contact lenses, so I’m sure you’ll be able to find precisely what you need. Check it out!

My tastes in furniture usually runs towards modern pieces, but recently I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at antiques. I’m trying to redo my whole house to make it feel more like a grownup’s place than the fresh-out-of-college look that I’ve had for about 10 years now. I’ve always liked grandfather clocks, and have the perfect spot for one in the foyer. I spotted a couple of clocks that look very elegant, so the only thing left to do is get my husband to agree to the purchase. Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done.

I just read an article in the Chicago Tribune that says the Carson Pirie Scott store on State St. will close for good at the end of business today. That location has been open for more than 100 years, but isn’t profitable anymore. There will be a Treasure Island (grocery store) and Whole Foods Market opening up in that space in 2008, and the upper floors will be used for offices.

What a bummer, especially since we lost Marshall Field’s recently too. These were true Chicago icons and were such a big part of my childhood shopping experiences. I’m all for change and progress, but I’m nevertheless saddened by this kind of thing.

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of witnessing a close friend or family member throw their lives away over drugs or alcohol, then you know how critical it is to choose the right treatment program in order to get everything back on track. I was always under the impression that all drug treatment centers operate in more or less the same way, but that’s not the case at all. So before selecting a program for your loved one, it’s important to find out which approach that particular facility advocates.

I recently heard about a drug treatment program in Battle Creek, MI called Stone Hawk. As I was reading through the information on their website, I found myself nodding in agreement with nearly everything I took in. The Stone Hawk approach is quite different from anything I’ve ever heard of before, and I can see how this method would be effective in treating addiction.

Stone Hawk does not use medication or drugs of any kind during treatment. Instead, students (as program participants are called) are treated for the effects of alcohol and drug addiction through a combination of proper nutrition and nutritional supplements. The Stone Hawk program is not medical or psychiatric; rather, the focus is on getting students to take back control of their lives by educating them on how to live without drugs or alcohol. Most graduates leave the program with an entirely new outlook, and the 75%+ rehab success rate shows that the Stone Hawk approach really does work.

Personally, I think this sounds like an excellent treatment program. I firmly believe that educating people about the causes, effects, and issues surrounding addiction is a much better long-term solution than using medications to cleanse the system. Yes, I do have firsthand experience with treatment programs so my opinion is based in part on what I’ve personally been through.

If the Stone Hawk approach sounds like it could help someone you care about, I encourage you to visit the site today for more information.

The Oscars are coming up this weekend, and while I may tune in to parts of the broadcast, there’s no way I can devote 3+ hours to the show. Anyway, I’ve been reading a bunch of different articles on the history of the award and things like that, and have come across some interesting ones in the process.

For example, there was one article that talked about how winning an Oscar can actually prove to be detrimental to an actor’s career. The author went on to cite numerous cases in which winning actors suffered serious declines in their career afterwards. Some of the more famous examples include: Kevin Coster, who, after winning everything for Dances With Wolves in 1991 (it beat out Goodfellas, for cryin’ out loud), went on to star in such gems as The Postman and Waterworld. Then there was Cuba Gooding, Jr. who won a supporting actor Oscar for Jerry Maguire in 1997. Since then, he’s made Boat Trip, Snow Dogs, and Radio among other things.

Other actors often cited in the “cursed” list are Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino, Roberto Benigni, Helen Hunt, and Richard Dreyfuss.

I spend approximately 10-12 hours per day sitting behind my desk at home. This might sound like a situation that would be easy on my legs and feet, but actually I’ve found that the opposite is true. I rarely have a chance to stand up and get my blood flowing, so I develop pretty severe aches, pains, and cramps on a daily basis.

That’s why I’m extremely interested in this new OSIM© iSqueez© calf and foot massager from Brookstone. It’s a personal massager with several different settings to choose from, and it works simultaneously on the calves, ankles, and feet. Moreover, the iSqueez© has pressure nodes specifically designed to hit the reflexology pressure points in your feet to further relieve tension and improve circulation.

I would love to get one of these iSqueez© units! I’d keep it right under my desk and run it every couple hours or so for a quick, invigorating massage. Hopefully my husband will buy me one for my birthday… I better start dropping hints now!

Edit: Though I didn’t buy one of these for myself, I did go ahead and get one for my mom for Mother’s Day. You can read a full review of how the product works by clicking the following link, which will take you to my shopping blog called The Chronic Consumer.

iSqueez© Review

Have you heard about the Norwich, Conn. teacher who faces jail time over pornography charges? This seems like such a miscarriage of justice that I just have to write about it. The case centers around Julie Amero, a 40-year-old substitute teacher who prosecutors claim deliberately exposed 11- and 12-year-old students to pornographic materials back in 2004.

Amero, however, swears that the computer in question was already infected with pop-ups and so forth, and she simply didn’t know how to get rid of the offending material without turning the machine off (which she was expressly forbidden to do). Amero tried to block the screen so her students wouldn’t be able to see what was happening, but at least four students claim that they saw objectionable images.

This woman was convicted and now faces up to 40 years in prison. If you want to help out with Amero’s appeal, spread the word and post a comment on DrumsnWhistles.com.