Tired of counting money when playing Monopoly? "Oh wait, i don't have enough singles, can you trade me a $10 for ten singles?"

Don't worry about that anymore! Now with Electronic Banking Monopoly each player gets their own credit card. Anytime someone buys are sells something, you just swipe their card through the machine and it keeps track of your money! Just like real life!

Yeah, this sounds kinda crazy. There is something about using good ol' Monopoly money, but you have to admit, it does sound rather interesting. I'm tempted to buy one when they come out in January. You can get it at amazon.com for $70 or from entertainmentearth.com for $40! Let me know if you ever get to play with this new electronic banking edition.

I hereby declare the day after Christmas to be called "Christmas Adam." Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas, so it only makes sense to declare Christmas Adam for December 26.

It's really cool how Christmas is such an important day, that it's the only holiday to have a
holiday dedicated to the day before it. Oh wait! I just thought of another holiday with an eve. New Years Eve!

But wait! New Year's Eve is also tied to Christ's birth, because our year calendar system is based around Christ's birth. Wow!

Almighty powerful God. The one who can move mountains. Who formed the planet with His hands. That same God. He was funneled into a baby. All that glorious power squeeezed into a baby.

Christmas is an amazing day. You've heard that Jesus paid for your sins. And the sins of the world. One person pays for the sins of the world? Something so glorious can only be done by someone who is just as glorious.

Here's a few lyrics from some Christmas songs:

Come and behold him, born the King of angels
--Come and behold him

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing
--O Come All Ye Faithful

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
--Joy to the World

Glorious now behold him arise, King and God
--We Three Kings

This season we sing about the glories of this child born, because this child is truly the ultimate of glory and amazement. God squeezed into a baby would die thirty years later, to be the ultimate payment for our sins. Only someone with such glory can take on the punishment for our sins.

We can have a hard time understanding how our sins are paid for. But just think about how incredible Jesus is. He created our planet. He created our universe. That's one incredible person!!! And 2,000 years ago he came down to earth on this day in the form of a baby. Eventually the one held the world in his hands, would bear the weight of the sins of the world on his shoulders.

Christmas shopping. ta la la. ta la la. Christmas shoooooping. That should be a song. Why is there no song about Christmas shopping? All the stores could play it!

Are there any songs about Christmas shopping?

Tribune Company with new CEO Sam Zell is now owned by the Tribune employees and nobody else. This morning the Tribune Tower features a new banner in the lobby stating, "YOU Own This Place Now!" What a great sign! Everyone is walking around the tower stating that he or she owns the company.

Later in the morning I go back down to the Tribune Tower lobby to photograph the new sign. There is a group of fifteen to twenty Tribune employees who are also down there taking a photo of their group in front of the sign. Once they see me with a camera, they jump over to me to take a photo with their camera.

As soon as I'm setting up to shoot, some of the girls exclaimed, "oh my God! Look who's walking through the door!" Then Sam Zell walks into the Tribune lobby complete with a orange ball cap on and jeans. One of his associates is with him and points out the sign to him. Zell finds the sign quite humorous and had a good Zell-a-riffic laugh. The group of Tribune employees rushes over to meet him.

Sam Zell is one nice guy. It was 10:47am and he just arrived at the Tower for a 11:00am Q&A and with the Chicago Tribune and LA Times press. Yet he still took the time to shake everybody's hand, and didn't rush through it at all. I didn't to waste Mr. Zell's time (and I know how he hates butt-kissers), so I just stood off to the side. And yet he still turned over to me and waved at me. Very nice.

Note in the literal English translation it says, "Blessed boy in curly hair."

(photo courtesy Chicago Tribune)

Would you rather meet your great great grandparents or your great great grandchildren? This is an excellent question from Table Topics.

Meeting your great great grandparents is a solid choice, because it's nice to know where you came from and your lineage. Who's in your blood that helped made you who you are today.

Meeting your great great grandchildren is a very interesting option, because we normally don't think of meeting them. It's usually our ancestors that one is curious about. It would be great to see what sort of legacy you left.

Another thing to consider is do you look forward to the future or do you look back to the past? If you are a past anaylzer, then meeting your g-g-grandparents would be wonderful. And if you like wondering about the future, then meeting your g-g-grandkids would be most insightful. I tend to do both things.

Looking to the past:
Whenever a chapter in my life is over, I like to make a little book or something. Funny thing is that is just kinda happens. At the end of college I made a cd-rom presentation of all my artwork and designwork (yes, cd-roms were all the rage back then). When I left Sales Solutions after three years, I revamped my portfolio. And when the Tribune laid me off after 6 years, I made several portfolios of my work. And for the past couple months at the end of every day I write one line summarizing the day (this will be a blog post for later).

Looking to the future:
But I don't like to get trapped in the past, which I think is why I would rather meet my g-g-grandkids. I do have plans for the future, but for the most part I tend to leave those up to God. I know the path I'm on now, but the future is only known by Him, so I know my--MY plans will change as time goes on. We have no control over that. I just try to walk and live my life in a way that would please God (and yes, we all tend to get sidetracked with other things that aren't always pleasing to God, but I'll leave that topic to another theological discussion, because I'm getting off track here--pun intended).

Seeing into the future or the past:
Meeting your g-g-grandkids would also enable you to know what the future is like! Granted, I don't think the question is meant to touch on that topic, but one could also argue that a benefit of meeting your g-g-grandparents is knowing what the past was really like. While I'm very curious what it's like to live in the past without warm showers. I like available running water too much. And looking to the past tends to make me more thankful for what we have now. Oh snap. I just realized if you looked to the future, and saw what they have and what we don't have, that might kinda make you jealous. Hmmm, maybe looking to the past is a better thing after all.

Would you rather meet your great great grandparents or your great great grandchildren? Please leave your answers in the comments. Thank you.

Mars is a pretty cool planet, because Marvin Martian lives on it. Can you name any other planets that have a cartoon character that was either born or lives there? There's the Great Gazoo (from the Flintstones), but he's from the planet Zetox. How about planets in our solar system?

(image courtesy northwestern.edu)


(image courtesy aerospaceweb.org)

What is your favorite planet?
What is your favorite dinosaur?

My answer is in the comments. Please leave your answers in the comments.

How high is the river near you? The U.S. Geological Survey has real-time water data! You can look up the past 31 days of water activity. Pictured above is a graph for the Chicago River at Columbus Drive (that's right in downtown Chicago). Look! It changes, by as much as a foot in one month!

Does the moon effect the height of rivers? Or is that only with lakes and oceans?

I bought a winter jacket at the Water Tower Macy's and had to carry it back to work down Michigan Avenue. I have to admit I felt pretty self-conscious about it, since most Chicagoans hate Macy's for killing off Marshall Field's. (and yeah, this is an old photo from October. Since then I have returned the jacket back to Macy's, and bought another jacket, only to return that one too. Oh the guilt just kills me!)

Chicago water is so popular that people bring it back home by the gallon. One of my friends at work told me about how an out-of-state relative of his requested that he bottle up a few gallons of Chicago water to bring back home. "They just love the Chicago water."

People buy water from fresh mountain springs. How about people buying water fresh from Chicago's Lake Michigan? I do have to agree that we have some fine water here. What should be the slogan for Chicago water? Here's a few brainstorm farts:
• The water that works
• Water for the working person
• City of big water
• Second city, first-class water
• Windy city, pure water
• The official water of the Chicago Cubs

Last week, the historical landmark Wrigley Building was testing out some new lights in their courtyard. One of the workers told me that he was concerned that they were too big. I thought they looked just fine and told him that they match the decorative terra cotta very nicely.

The plan is to take down those ugly box lights seen in these photos. They kinda look like security cameras. It's nice to see that some buildings still take the time and effort to find little details to fix and improve the historical look of their buildings. Hooray Wrigley Building!

The newest fashion accessory. Crocheted kneepads. Totally. For when women wear a dress with boots and her knees are exposed. Gotta keep those knees warm in the winter. I can even see a guy wearing them over pants.

There should be one location every year where Chicago has good old fashioned snowball fight. Probably in Grant Park somewhere. Whaddya think?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That's my snowball fort. Just try to break through it!
muhahahahaha!

Many of the Reps in the Illinois House have Metra stations in their district. However, many of these Reps did not vote to pass funding for Metra. $400 billion is needed a year for Metra, CTA and Pace.

Here's a list of the north and northwestern suburban Metra stations with a corresponding list of who their rep is, and if he/she voted for the funding.

There's a couple problems that are happening right now with the funding issue:
1) Everyone in Chicago complains about the lack of support. They are right. But emailing your rep who actually voted FOR the funding isn't gonna do much. It's the suburban reps that need to be emailed.
2) How do you get the suburban commuters to email their reps? Let them know that their rep didn't vote for the funding. Many commuters are shocked to hear this.
3) Right now there isn't an easy way of communicating to people if their rep supports the funding. People have to go to a website, enter in their address, find their rep, then somehow find out if their rep voted. TOO LONG.

SOLUTION:
Let people know via an easy method they can understand. The charts (view them here) are designed to look like the Metra schedules they are familiar with. A commuter can look up his/her stop, and then easily see if their rep voted. And an email is listed right there!

I'm going to be designing these into flyers to hand out and post on the trains. I'm convinced this is a major way of changing this around. As Americans we have to voice our opinion to our reps and let them know we need funding for mass transit. Anyone that is willing to help me with this, please let me know. You can help distribute flyers, or even help proof the flyer (I have a rough draft right now that is not posted online if you'd like to see).

Thank you.

Chicago is still in great need of funding for public transit. The Illinois House of Representatives voted on bill SB307 on 11/28/2007, but didn't pass it. This bill would have used primarily gas tax to fund the needed four billion dollars needed per year.

The news reports that it's an issue with the downstate Reps who won't pass bill, because they want a comprehensive plan for all of Illinois. (Hello, get it done then, we are in crisis mode having missed two deadlines with doomsday plans, and now we face HALF THE BUS LINES BEING ELIMINATED THIS JANUARY). Now it's true that the downstate people don't care about Chicago, apparently neither does the northwestern suburbs of Chicago.

You'd think with the Metra going providing thousands of suburban commuters with a clean environmentally friendly ride every day, you'd have the reps in those areas be more than glad to help public transit.

No. Check out this map and see how the reps who have train stops in their district voted. More details on who the reps are will come in tomorrow's blog post.