Whose daughter is she?

I came across some interesting info on the daughter of Indian Prime Manmohan Singh. She’s an ACLU staff attorney working in New York City! Apparently she’s “fighting both the Pentagon on Abu Ghraib and airlines on anti-brown discrimination while flying”. Go figure. I don’t know much about the Indian PM, but I have heard he’s very smart. I’ve also heard he’s not your usual corrupt politician. I know he has three daughters but didn’t realize one of them worked for the ACLU. Apparently Amrit's smart -- she graduated from Cambridge, Oxford and Yale. Incidentally it seems like politicians have to have a daughter or two to get up high in politics. (I have a theory on why, but I'll save that for later.) Think Bush (2) and Clinton (1) among others.

How old is too old?

Waiting at my Lincoln Park bus stand last weekend, I chat with a random guy about about a random celebrity – Kirsten Dunst. How do you pronounce her first name? And was she a “skanky bitch” and a “slut” as the stickers on the newspaper stand proclaimed? We then talk about our buildings. They're next door to each other, but he's planning to move. Most of the residents are of a different age group – they’re older, he says. Apparently they don’t approve of the loudness of the fun he and his friends sometimes have. The guy has on a baseball cap, but it’s covering a head full of gray hair, so I assume he’s a fellow thirtysomething talking about Medicare-age neighbors. I’m wrong. He says, “Yeah, I mean they’re older than 35.” Unsure whether to laugh, cry or strangle, I finally opt for a neutral smile.

Go, Bobby... and go, Louisiana!

Bobby Jindal was elected governor of Louisiana last night. At 36 (yes, 36!), he's the youngest governor in the country. He's also the first governor of Indian-American descent. I don't know as much about him as I probably should. While I understand he may lean a little too much to the right sometimes, I also hear this Rhodes scholar is a rising star. Hopefully his election means great things are in store for Louisiana.

My friends are donkeys

Going by the "official" presidential poll I conducted on this blog last month, my readers are mostly Democrats. The biggest shocker? That eight people voted! (So what if one of them was me, right?) Anyway here are the results:
* 50% will vote for Barack
* 25% will vote for Hillary
* 25% will vote for someone other than Barack, Hillary, Mitt & Rudy

Waiting for a special guy

I’m usually the inquisitive one, but last weekend it was my four-year-old niece who had all the questions. She asked if I was married. When I told her I wasn’t, she asked why. I considered launching into a lengthy diatribe about the dating world but held off for her sake and my sanity. Seeing as how we were in question/answer mode, I decided to inquire about her marital status. She was quite open: She let me know that she wasn’t married, that she was waiting for “a special guy”. You probably think I made that up for this blog, but nothing I cook up could be that delicious. I also heard her utter the word “boyfriend” for the very first time. I suspect there’s years of interesting conversations where that came from. Incidentally she and I spent much of the weekend taking pictures together. She was, as I told her, my partner in crime and picture-taking. And anyone who thinks I take a lot of pictures… well, they haven’t seen this little girl. Here you have a picture from her and a picture from me.

Great Darfur Exhibit @ The Field Museum

The Field Museum currently has a temporary exhibit on Darfur that looks very interesting. It’s based primarily on pictures by eight photographers. Among other things the images will be projected on the outside of the Field Museum every night until October 12. Last night the museum hosted a program called ‘DARFUR: Imagery and Reality’. A Chitown thirtysomething friend, PG, attended and loved it. Read on for her thoughts in her words.

“It was really great. The speakers were excellent; they included 28 year-old photographer Ryan Spencer Reed, who spoke so eloquently about the situation there. I am just blown away by him. His photographs of the strife in Chad and Sudan are beautiful, moving and powerful and really capture the resilience of the human spirit. Until his second year of college, he had wanted to be a doctor. (Part of this drive stemmed from the fact that there are 40 million uninsured Americans in this country.) Then during his second year of college, he picked up a camera and found his calling. Another one of the speakers was a Chad refugee who managed to escape the torture and who goes back to help other refugees. It’s inspiring to hear about people’s experiences and to feel that you can make a difference… this group of five people that comprised this panel has managed to lend a voice and raise awareness about the issue.”

The Terrace at the Conrad Chicago Hotel

This has to be one of the best places I've been for drinks all summer. The Terrace at the Conrad Chicago Hotel is one of those places you check out then immediately wonder how you didn't know about it before. It's outdoors (terrace), conveniently located (521 N. Rush), has a pretty good drink list and a nice view (only on the 5th floor but surrounded by well-known buildings above and the din of Michigan Avenue shoppers below). If you're looking to go somewhere with tons of people, it's not ideal. If you're looking for somewhere you can chat with a few friends, it's perfect. I'm pretty behind on such topics... so chances are, you've already been. If you haven't, you have to check it out while the weather's still nice.

Why I love the Chicago Marathon

I love the Chicago Marathon. Of course I mean watching, not actually running. Heck, just watching can be exhausting what with all the cheering and getting up before 8 am on a Sunday. Anyway I watched the marathon this morning, and I mean all of it. I saw all 36,000 runners. It’s my fifth year watching but my first as a world-renowned blogger; so this year I’m jotting down some thoughts on the experience for you, my loyal readers:

• The highlights: Made a friend, lost my voice, had a blast.

• Where I watched: Mile 6 & Mile 9.

• How this year was different: It was hot! I didn’t wear gloves or a coat.

• Number of friends I tried to wake up at 8 am to go watch: 1.

• Number of runners crying: 1.

• Number of runners juggling: 1. (See picture above.)

• Number of runners on cell phone: 3. (I bet they answer their phones during sex too.)

• Number or runners taking notes on a notepad: 1. (Poet? Journalist?)

• Number of runners who resumed running after hearing me cheer: 3.

• Best outfits: Elvis, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Yoda, Balls (and I don’t mean the type you play tennis with; it was a little gross).

• Runner responses to my cheering: Waves, peace signs, smiles, “Thank you, Baby”.

• Best message on shirt front: ‘Go Hot Runner’ & ‘Go Bitches Go’.

• Best message on shirt back: ‘My 2007 To-Do List: Buy condo (check), Run marathon (check)’ & ‘41 years, 5 kids, 1 marathon’.

• My favorite parts: Seeing the elite runners (see picture below) but also runners of all sizes and ages, cheering, getting inspired to be healthier (keep reading).

• What I ate right after the marathon: A donut.

• What I was told: The most spirited spectators are in Chinatown.

• Plans for next year: Watch in Chinatown with a megaphone.

Best of all words?

What word did the most people look up in 2004? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it was 'blog'. Yes, the very word you just read on the very thing you're reading now. How is it defined? "A place online where bored people write random crap read by no one, not even their own moms." OK, so that's my definition. Here's theirs: "A Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer." As you may know, the word was derived from the phrase 'web log'. So what do you think of blogs? Do you read them? Or do you wonder... what's the point?