DIne Out For Life at Citizen Bar with Me Tomorrow!

Hi Everyone,

I am inviting you to come join me in a really great cause tomorrow on April 24th. I will be a host volunteer at Citizen Bar from 6- 10 p.m. A portion of the proceeds made from Citizen will be donated to AIDSCare and you have the chance to donate a little extra money to be entered to win some fantastic prizes. Citizen Bar is located at 364 W. Erie. Come join me and a great cause! Hope you can stop by for a drink or five! Send to your friends and lets get a big group to support at Citizen!

Some more information about the event is below!

-Amanda



Dining Out for Life is on April 24, 2008 and we are inviting you to dine out with us!

Our participating restaurants will graciously donate a portion of their proceeds to further AIDSCare's mission to assist those living with advanced HIV/AIDS achieve a higher quality of life. By dining out on April 24, 2008, you help create hope and strengthen lives.

At the restaurant of your choice, a host Volunteer will greet you at your table, talk to you about AIDSCare's programs and services and answer any questions you may have about the event. You will also have the chance to enter your name in a raffle for fabulous prizes or even make a personal donation to AIDSCare.

Together, we can support the HIV/AIDS Community in the Chicago area!

Dine Out, Fight AIDS!

This was totally my idea like 5 years ago!!!!

Well, now that someone else is banking off my idea that I had 5 years ago.. I'm back to thinking about how I can make my first million. Well, I guess I will promote their site now, because its cool.

www.parkinganytime.com

Parking Anytime
Type in a zip/address/point of interest, and this beta site'll kick back garage availability, free parking, metered spots, and permit restrictions.

Soon, they will have sensors to tell you what spots are "available"...

Chicago Earth Day Events

Chicago Earth Day Events

Green Apple Festival
April 20th, 2008
Lincoln Park Zoo
Free Admission
10:30 am,

Event MC – Kyle Orton from the Chicago Bears. Derek Trucks Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band,
Meshell Ndegeocello, Bassnectar, Chicago Afrobeat Project, Miss Lori Holton Nash (PBS Kids),
The Gwalla Gwallas.
Smaller Venues and Shows:

Sunday April 20th

Schuba’s – Trever Keith, Say Vinyl
Beat Kitchen – The Epochs, District Somnium, Little Miss Ann
Abbey Pub – Beatnik, Catsplash, Blackout 101, Gidgets Ga Ga, Mac Lethal, Grieves, Verbal
Kent, Soulcrate
The House of Blues – Asia
The Kinetic Playground – Dirty Dozen Brass Band
The Riviera Theatre – The New Pornographers, Okkervil River
The Tonic Room – The Pod
Martyrs’ – Tributosaurus for Kids
The Metro – Flowers For Dorian, Walrus, TeamOne, Fishing With Spoons
Sonotheque –Hot Reggae Sundays Featuring DJ Slacky J
Smart Bar – Mazi, Mike Brankis, James Lauer
Empty Bottle – Birthday Suits, The Smith Westerns, Thomas Function

Other Events
Sunday April 20th

Skokie Lagoons Cleanup Beautify by boat or on foot; gloves, pick sticks, and garbage bags
provided. 9 AM-noon, Tower Road boat launch, Winnetka, chicagokayak.org
Eckhart Park Earth Week Sponsored by the Eckhart Park Gardeners Club. 9-11 AM, park
cleanup and tree identification walk; 11 AM-1 PM, bike workshop; 1:30 PM, kickball; Eckhart
Park, 1330 W. Chicago, 312-746-5553
Brookfield Zoo Party for the Planet Dozens of events, including storytelling, crafts, a
scavenger hunt, a make-believe camp, and a performance by Environmental Elvis. 10 AM-5 PM,
Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Gold Rd., Brookfield, 708-485-0263, $6-$10 (Earth Day activities free
with regular admission), brookfieldzoo.org
Hubbard Street Mural Project Ricardo Alonzo, one of the project's founding artists, returns to
Chicago after 35 years to repaint the mural panel titled "Picasso's Girlfriend." The public's
invited to watch. 10 AM-4 PM, 1000 W. Hubbard (between Morgan and Sangamon),
hubbardstreetmurals.org
Earth Day Cleanup Bring "gloves, shovels, and gardening tools." 10 AM-noon, Unity Playlot
Park, 2636 N. Kimball, 773-478-1410, chicagoparkdistrict.org
Green Apple Music & Arts Festival Deep Fried Pickle Project (followed by an instrumentbuilding
workshop), 10 AM; Ella Jenkins, 10:30 AM; the Blisters, 11:15 AM; the Paul Green
School of Rock, noon; Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon, 312-742-2000. See
greenapplemusicfestival.com for complete schedule
Film Screening: An Inconvenient Truth Free screening sponsored by the city. 1 PM, Chicago
Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington, 312-744-6630

Monday April 21st

Used Cell Phone Collection For this city-sponsored program, phones collected through Sun
4/29 will be reprogrammed and given to seniors and victims of domestic violence for use as
emergency phones. Any Chicago Police Department station, earthmonthchicago.com
Eckhart Park Earth Week At "Ask Me! Butterfly Gardening" experts will answer questions.
5-7 PM, Eckhart Park, 1330 W. Chicago, 312-746-5553
Lecture: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World Paul Stamets, president of Fungi
Perfecti, an environmentally friendly company specializing in health-improving mushrooms,
gives a talk. (He also speaks at Green Festival, Sat 3 PM.) 7-9 PM, North Park Village Nature
Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, 312-744-5472

Tuesday April 22nd

Eckhart Park Earth Week Sun photography workshop (a darkroom will be available). 6-9
PM, Eckhart Park Field House, 1330 W. Chicago, 312-746-5553

Wednesday April 23rd

Earth Week Lecture "Ecological Justice/Environmental Racism," by Dr. Dwight Hopkins. 7
PM, Zygon Center for Religion and Science, 1100 E. 55th, 773-256-0670, zygoncenter.org
Eckhart Park Earth Week Experts provide answers at "Ask Me! Clouds." 6-9 PM, Eckhart
Park, 1330 W. Chicago, 312-746-5553

Thursday April 24th

Eckhart Park Earth Week Origami pigeon making. 5-7 PM, Eckhart Park, 1330 W. Chicago,
312-746-5553

Greening of Ravenswood 20th Annual Arbor Day Party This fund-raiser includes a buffet
dinner, live auction, raffle, and open bar; half of the proceeds go toward redevelopment of the
play lot in Welles Park. 5:30 PM, 42 Degrees North Latitude, 773-907-2226 or 773-549-5010,
$10-$75

Friday April 25th

Eckhart Park Earth Week Council Circle, a story hour for kids. 6-7 PM, Eckhart Park, 1330
W. Chicago, 312-746-5553
Saturday April 26th
Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Collection City-sponsored collection. 8 AM-3
PM, DeVry University parking lot, 3300 N. Campbell, 312-744-5721, earthmonthchicago.com


Green and Growing Fair This 15th annual edition features organizations and vendors with
handmade goods, gardening supplies, and plants as well as activities such as tree plantings, a
scavenger hunt for kids, and a silent auction of gardening tools; sponsored by GreenNet. 10
AM-4 PM, Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park, 312-863-6256, greennetchicago.org

Eckhart Park Earth Week Closing activities include a tomato plant sale, a tree walk and
naming, a sapling giveaway, a "Hug-a-Tree" booth, and a "Blueberry Madness" pie contest
cosponsored by the West Town Tavern (download entry form at westtowntavern.com/events or
pick one up at the field house); celebrity judges include pastry chef Christine McCabe and
others. Pies will be available for sale, along with blueberry tarts baked by West Town Tavern
chef Susan Goss. Proceeds benefit the park's gardening activities. 10 AM-2 PM, Eckhart Park,
1330 W. Chicago, 312-746-5553

Sunday April 27th

Eyeglasses Collection Donate used glasses to be recycled and shipped to developing countries.
Through Sun 5/6; sponsored by the city. Any LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sunglass Hut, Sears,
or Target Optical, 312-744-5721, earthmonthchicago.com
Morton Arboretum Plant Sale This annual Arbor Day weekend event offers approximately
25,000 trees and other plants across more than 300 types. 11 AM-4 PM (members can also shop
Fri-Sat 4/27-4/28, 9 AM-4 PM), Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, 630-968-
0074, mortonarb.org

Chicago Fashion Week

Monday kicks off Chicago Fashion Week, previewing the Fall 2008 collections of national and international designers in a series of shows, fashion seminars, and networking events. With the New Generation fashion show, local fashion students are also being given the chance to showcase their work. According to the event calendar, tickets are still available to the week’s receptions and shows, taking place at the River East Art Center.

Chicago Fashion Week will be launched this year at the NV Penthouse Lounge cocktail reception, a chance for designers, models, photographers, and fashion fans to network and strengthen the Chicago Fashion Industry.

Only in its second year, Chicago Fashion Week is a step in the right direction in helping Chicago to become a fashion presence in the world.

I got a bike to get my ass in shape!

So, finally picked up my bike thats been sitting in a box for almost 2 years yesterday.. It's time to get that thing in action!


Wow, I am so excited to ride this thing...

I didn't feel the earthquake

It's looking like people in Chicago DID feel the earthquake. Maybe because I'm on the 16th floor I didn't feel a thing.. but also it could be because I drank at least 3- champagne cans last night and more tequila later...



A 5.2 magnitude earthquake jostled the Midwest at 4:37 this morning. Even though it's one of the strongest ever in Illinois, it's technically not that big of an earthquake, and no injuries or severe damage have been reported. The quake was centered in West Salem, about 230 miles from here, and people felt the tremors as far as 900 miles away.

According to the US Geological Survey, "moderately damaging" earthquakes occur in the Illinois Basin/Ozark Dome region every 10-20 years, with smaller earthquakes happening as often as twice a year. Midwestern earthquakes are felt over much bigger areas than Western earthquakes.
As in most other areas east of the Rockies, the best guide to earthquake hazards in the Illinois basin – Ozark dome region is the earthquakes themselves.

Another Chicago Store Closes- Discount Heaven

Endo exo (2034 N Halsted St, 773-525-0500) is the latest casualty to join the list.

The Lincoln Park apothecary is closing up shop after nine years in business and a recent renovation project. I called the shop to get the scoop, and an employee told me that the owner, who also owns the building, has a lot of family obligations and could no longer keep up with the pace of running the store. The building is also for sale, but there’s no word on who’s moving in next.

Everything in the store (including high-end make-up, skin care goods and candles from the likes of Kevyn Aucoin, Shu Uemura and Tocca) is on sale with discounts of 40%–70% off. The sale lasts until everything is gone. According to the employee, stuff is going fast, so take advantage of the deals while you can.