Martini madness

Last weekend I checked out the Chicago hotspot Martini Park. Or maybe I should call it ‘warmspot’, since I don’t usually hit a new spot when Paris does. Anyway I liked the place: It has a 30-something crowd (finally!), a cool space (different levels, round bar), an acceptable drink list, no cover, a central location, music that’s live and good (they played stuff from the 80s – even ‘Like a Virgin’). Of course, it helped that I had great company and a few martinis – the Pomegranate (health reasons) and the Pineapple Navan (peer pressure).

Aren’t martinis spectacular? Interestingly these days what makes a martini isn’t the vermouth but the glass. You could pour urine in there, and it would still be a martini as long as it’s a martini glass, the glass is frosted and the concoction is garnished with a lychee. Call it a urinetini and voila… yum! Personally I only LIKE drinking martinis but LOVE making them (strong and pretty), shaking them (vigorously) and serving them (and getting friends drunk). So next time you’d like to take the edge off with a mango martini, remember that you’ve got a friend in me.

You go, Beyonce!

"They" say it's not how often you fall off a horse but how often you get back on that counts. Is that how it goes? Anyway I can't recall it being taken as literally as Beyonce took it on Tuesday night in Orlando. Wearing a trench coat and probably five-inch stillettos, she tripped and fell head-first down a dozen steps. She then got up and continued singing. Impressive. Apparently she asked the audience not to post the footage on YouTube. They did of course, but the videos weren't on there today. Jay-Z and good lawyers too... some girls have it all! http://www.local6.com/entertainment/13750502/detail.html#

Multitasking sucks… long live the comma!

Remember the good, old comma your English teacher talked too much about? Well it's disappearing, and that says a lot about the world we live in. That’s according to a column in this week's 'Newsweek'. The author opines that "the comma's fading popularity is also social commentary". The comma says to pause, but these days who has time to do that? He also questions the merits of multitasking, which I often wonder about too. Are we doing a little of a lot or just a lot of nothing? Not that it stops me from trying. I bought a shower radio recently so I can listen to NPR (ok, celeb nonsense and Eddie & Jobo too) while I shower. These days I learn more about the indigenous people of Australia as I lather up. (TMI?) For some reason though I don't love showers the way I used to.

Where to spot a supermodel?

What do you do if you're sitting around and, tired of watching 'Sex and the City' reruns as you eat bonbons, you decide you want to head out and bump into a supermodel? Well you head to some hipster lounge/restaurant in New York, Paris, London or Miami, according to Forbes.com. When you get there check out the drink list. If they don't serve pomegranate martinis, head for the door. You see... that's what pretty, young things drink these days. If they are serving them and/or you're at a Nobu anywhere, you have a good chance of catching Giselle boozing it up or chowing down two tables over.

But what if you want to spot a supermodel in Chicago? My vote goes to Japonais, Gibsons Steakhouse or Le Passage. (If I don't list new-school places, that's because I'm just not a new-school kind of gal.) Although the only supermodel I've heard of being in Chicago recently is Cindy Crawford (I know, former supermodel). She was here with her hot hubby a few weeks ago at the Whiskey Bar I hear.

Asking docs about death data

I conducted a survey of 15 doctors. It was unscientific and if you must know one of the respondents was drunk. (It’s only b/c he drank in the sun at a BBQ and not b/c he probably drank a dozen drinks.) My “research” focused on a much-publicized event that took place last month – the government published data on the Internet about hospital death rates to educate patients and “invigorate competition”. (Check out the site.) The methodology they’re using is apparently sophisticated, and they have tons of data at their disposal. So is this a good thing that’s empowering consumers and making healthcare more transparent? Or is this data being used in a way that’s not appropriate? Maybe we’re not supposed to research hospitals they way we research bars on Metromix? Of the five doctors who responded to my survey, three were strongly opposed to publishing the data, calling it “ill-advised”, “stupid” and “bullshit” (that would be the BBQ doc). They felt the data wouldn’t account for how sick patients were when they went in and that it would be too tough for most people to properly interpret. One doc was undecided. One doc – the only Canadian in my “study” – was for it: “Transparency is important and this will result in greater responsibility being taken by doctors and hospitals and inevitably help patients and their choices in the long run.” What do you think?

http://www.bcbs.com/news/national/patient-survival-data-now-public.html

Blabbing in the bathroom

This weekend I took a break from a brief stint of Mag Mile shopping this weekend to head to the loo. In the next stall a young woman carried on a casual convo with her mother. It went something like this:

Mom: “What are you doing?”
Daughter: “I’m at work.” (In annoyed tone.)
Mom: “You got home late last night.”
Daughter: “No, I didn’t. I was sleeping when I heard the noise you made when YOU got home.”

First I wondered what party-hearty mommy must look like then got to thinking about the call. What’s up with the bathroom blabbing? I’ve heard of nature calling, but the cell? Apparently 40 percent of us Americans think it’s ok to chat on the cell in the loo. But that’s not all the bathroom is good for. It seems nearly 20 percent of small business managers check work email in the bathroom. As for reading in the bathroom, well there’s a whole institute (Bathroom Readers' Institute) to support that odd habit. And blogging? Yes, people blog in the bathroom too – even while vacationing with a spouse. In case you’re wondering I wrote this little pearl of wisdom in a coffeeshop.
http://www.bathroomreader.com/