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http://chicagosuburbangirl.wordpress.com/

Product Reviews...

PREM. STRAIGHT LEG JEAN rinse wash
Available in 2 colors $8.98



This weekend I had a chance to check out the Sarah Jessica Parker clothing line Bitten at my local Steve and Barry's. Let me say, I was impressed. The line is very basic, allowing you to layer several pieces to create a look. I was impressed with the variety of jeans, there were many different washes and style of jeans. All the pieces were priced at $8.98. Although, I didn't try on any clothes, I'm a bit skeptical about the quality. But what can you expect for $8.98?? I did like the fact there were many basics, of which I am a huge fan!!

DEEP V STRIPED TUNIC SWEATER purple and navy

Available in 4 colors $8.98

Steaming Brilliant???

So, a friend of mine went out last night to a bar. The state of Illinois is smoke-free, no smoking in any public places, that means restaurants and bars, people!! My friend, Meg (and no, her full name is NOT Meghan!!) encountered a man smoking in the bar she was patronizing. The owner was not happy, but allowed it to go on. So, Meg took it upon herself to investigate the matter further. The man was not smoking tobacco cigarette's, but he was smoking electric cigarette's.

WTF are electric cigarette's???

Apparently, these cig's are made up of a rechargeable battery, nicotene cartridge and a vaporizor. You inhale like a regular cigarette, it feels like a tobacco cigarette, but you exhale steam, no smoke!!! You don't ingest the harmful chemicals you get in regular tobacco cigarettes. I went to the web site for this product today and found some interesting information. One nicotene cartridge equals 2 packs of cigarettes. The battery life lasts through 2 or 3 nicotene cartridges and the initial charge of the battery takes 3 hours. Nicotene cartridge strength comes in Full, Medium, Light, None and Menthol and Non-menthol.

The starter kit is $130 which includes:

1 - Cigarette - styled Atomizing Device - Comes in Black, Burgundy and White
2 - 3.6V Rechargeable Lithium Batteries
1 - 3.6V Lithium Battery Charger
1 - Cartridge Pack (4 cartridges = 8 packs standard cigarettes)

Nicotene refill cartridges come in packs of 5 for a cost of $30.

So, my question to both my readers is, if you were a smoker, would you buy this product?? I wonder if this will catch on? Meg seems to think so!!

Silence of the Easter Lambs...Literally!

This evening I was grocery shopping and upon walking into the grocery store, I was greeted by a lovely Easter display. It contained, Easter Lily's, muffins and the standard cake in the shape of a Lamb. Totally in the norm right? WRONG!!

Upon closer inspection of said lamb cake display I noticed something odd. I couldn't quite put my "ear" on it. I scanned the display over and over. Then!! There it was!! I couldn't believe my ears...


Happy Easter, kiddies!!!

Is my friend and Athiest???

My best friend is getting married next spring. So, she's in the throws of planning the wedding! Her parents want an elaborate wedding reception, however, my friend wants a small, intimate reception. The costs are sky rocketing. She even suggested to her parents that she wouldn't mind getting married by some holy person in a garden somewhere. He father then called her an Athiest for not wanting to get married in the church. My poll for you, my readers...
Is my friend an Athiest???

Leave a comment with your vote! Thanks!

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LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT.....

Gotta Love Work!!!

For as much as I bitch about my job, some days I just have really really good days, and yesterday was one of them!! If you didn't know it by now, I work for a really huge company in the HR department. Yeah, yeah, I know, I don't have the persona for it, blah blah blah... Well, yesterday was one of the funnest days at work I had in a very very long time!! I went to a job fair at a local university and had the best time. I really love getting out there and talking to people, it was really fun! If you've never been to a job fair before let me paint the picture...

Imagine a gymnasium full of rows of tables, one table inches from the next. Like a big maze!! Prospective candidates go from one table to the next. Each table is assigned to a company and the company brings signage, and info packets and goodies to give away. We give away pens, notebooks and backpacks with our company logo on them. Other comapnies had candy, highlighters etc..You get the drift!

So we got there and set up our table, we were situated between the 2 rudest companies! The company to our right, was some financial company and they had 1 lady there. This woman could not have been more disinterested in what was going on. She was on her Blackberry the whole time and when people would come up and talk to her, she wouldn't even put the phone down. Don't take my word for it, I TOOK PICTURES!!!! ah ha!! The job fair ended at 3pm, she left at 1pm. I should send these pictures to her company!! What a disgrace!!

The company to our left, well I don't know how to describe them. They had 2 representatives there, a man and a woman. All they did was talk to each other, they barely talked to anyone else. They guy was snippy to me and I had to put him in his place real quick. I don't know if the pair of them are screwing, but if they weren't before yesterday, I can pretty much guarantee they are now!! The girl was wearing a suit, but the skirt was on the short side. To make matters worse, the skirt had a slit in front a good 3 inches long. Don't believe me? Well, HA! I have more pics taken from my handy dandy phone!! Good thing we sat by the window and had plenty of natural light!!

Feedback...2.0..

Here is the email I sent to the recruiter....

Hi XXX,

I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview me. Although, I was not a match for what you are looking for, I was wondering if you could provide me with any feedback. I am always looking to improve myself and any information you provide will be extremely helpful.

Thanks and have a great day!

Here is her response...

Thank you for the follow up. There are a lot of factors that are taken into consideration, unfortunately I am unable to provide specifics regarding your process.

I wish you luck with your future endeavors.

Here is the automated email I received this morning provoking my blog...

Thank you for taking time to interview with us. We have given careful consideration to your experience and skills with regard to the position. We regret to inform you that we have decided to pursue other candidates.

Thank you for considering CDW as a prospective employer. We wish you success in your job search.


Best regards,
Recruiting Team

All I have to say is... FUCK YOU!!!! I am really pissed about this recruiter not being able to provide me with any specific feedback. I really went out of my way to go and interview for this job.

Seriously....WTF???

I think I'm in serious need of a paradigm shift! I have been on the hunt for a new job for quite some time now, I won't tell you exactly how many months because the number depresses me, I think I'm just about out of steam! I just need to write and get this weight off my chest.

I have been on many interviews in the last months, most recently as yesterday. Each rejection notice is even more painful than the last. I don't know why, most of the jobs I interview for I KNOW aren't right for me, but I go on the interview anyway, for the practice. But at this point, I am just bewildered, I think I need a mental healh day from work. Here are the reasons I need a new job...

1. More Pay

That's the only real reason I am trying to move on, it's the only reason people move on to new jobs. Money is the motivating factor, plain and simple!!! Why is my quest proving to be so difficult? What can't I catch a break? Am I "blowing" my interviews because I don't really want to leave my low-paying position? Am I sub-consctiously afraid to leave my comfy little job? I'll admit it, I have a very comfy job. I'm good at what I do, I can do the work in my sleep. My boss works out of another location, so I never see her, although, she does seem to find a way to annoy me on a daily basis. So that becomes another motivating factor for me to scidaddle, but the rejection is starting to get to me.

So, the latest interview I had, yesterday, is what really prompted to write this blog for you, my faithful reader. I had what I thought was a good interview. I met with 2 ladies, we talked about what I do and about what they do. blah blah blah The interview last like 45 minutes, not too long. When I got home that eveing, I had an email in my inbox from the recruiter leting me know that she enjoyed meeting me and that she would be in touch later this week to discuss "the next step." Then, this morning, I got an automated email stating that they wanted to pursue other candidates...humpf... :(

I've emailed the recruiter and asked for feedback, but at this point I am too discouraged to care or even go on looking for another job!! I'll follow up with the feedback...

5 reasons to visit Greece...

Seriously??

So, this past week, several inches of snow fell in parts of Greece. Athens got quite a bit, for Athens standards. They rarely get snow and when they do, they put chains on their tires. Anyways, this pic was posted on another web site, http://www.dailyfrappe.com/, and I saw it there and had to post on my site, for shits and giggles!! What are your thoughts????

Mini-Birthday-Break...

The past few weeks have been very busy for this (sub)urban girl. I celebrated a birthday a little over a week ago and I went to Las Vegas with my significant other. Here's the run down on both...

My birthday and my trip to Vegas were on the same weekend. Coincidence? I think not!! I had a great weekend with my maytag man. It is very difficult to find a good travelling partner, for the longest time it was my friend Jodi, we have a great time when we travel!! I've traveled with other friends and it's been semi-disasterous. So, now I'm blessed to have 2 excellent travelling partners!! My Maytag Man was such a trooper!! Any man that can put up with me (when I mean me, I mean my cranky ass) when I loose my money gambling is a man worth keeping!!

We got to Vegas Thursday, Feb 7. I had us booked at Bally's Las Vegas. Bally's is a nice unassuming hotel centrally located on the strip. For me, a hotel in Vegas is all about location, location, location!!! Plus, this was Maytag Man's first visit to "The Holy Land" so we had to be centrally located. Also, thanks to my brother's solid poker play, we had an excellent deal on the room. We were there for 4 nights, Thursday night we were charged $65 for the room, we were comp'd Friday and Saturday night, and we were charged $65 for Sunday night. So, for about $140 (taxes included) we had excellent accomodations!!

After we checked in and went to our room to freshen up, we went down to the casino to play a few hands of blackjack before we went to bed. I lost $60 right off the bat. I had a feeling right then and there that I might not have great luck on this trip. We went up to bed and got up bright and early Friday, Feb 8, my birthday.

One of the first things we had on the agenda was to go Downtown Vegas that day to get it out of the way. We visited may of the old greats on that day...The Plaza, Golden Nugget, Binions Horseshoe, Fitzgeralds etc... We played very well that day, as the odds are better downtown than on The Strip. For example, downtown when you hit a blackjack the odds are 3 to 2, whereas, on The Strip the odds are 6 to 5. So, you win more money downtown Vegas. As seedy as downtown vegas is, we had a good time just farting around. After we were done downtown, we decided to do some shopping at the Fashion Show Mall on The Strip. At the mall, we did a little bit of shopping and we grabbed a light lunch while we watched a Marc Ecko fashion show.

We then headed back to our hotel where we got ready for our dinner reservations at Sushi Roku. Dinner was wonderful! The atmosphere of the restaurant was really relaxing and the maki and nigiri rolls were wonderful. I should have taken a picture of the darned food!!! DRAT!!

On Saturday, we started ou the day with breakfast and hotel gazing at The Bellagio. Ok, let me just say this, 2 coffees and 2 bagel, egg, cheese & bacon sandwiches at a snack bar should not cost $31.25. All I have to say about that is, "What the eff?"!!!!!! Anyway, we took some time to marvel at the Bellagio, it's a beautiful hotel, but they especially beautified it for Chinese New Year, here are some pics...

After The Bellagio, we went over Caesars Palace to meet up with my brother for lunch at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Lunch was excellent, I had one of the best burgers I have ever had. My brother had a rental car, so we decided to take a drive around Vegas. We drove out to Red Rock casino to see how the locals play. Red Rock is about 15 miles from the strip, so this is a casino geared toward Vegas locals. Beautifully decorated, no Strip tackiness in sight. It was a nice retreat from The Strips craziness.

After the Red Rock, my brother drove us over to The Palms casino. This casino was a lot smaller than I thought it was. We hung out here for a while and then headed over to The Rio. Here we saw the Masquerade Show in the Sky, then we went up to the 51st floor, the Voodoo Lounge. We got some great pics of the strip and enjoy the wonderful evening weather.

We then headed back to our hotel for a short nap and to freshen up. That night we headed over to the Hard Rock casino for dinner. We ate at Mr. Lucky's 24-7 Cafe where we both had the off-the-menu Steak and Shrimp Special. You get a steak and 3 grilled shrimp with mashed potatoes and a salad for $7.77. We both ate for $20 including tip. Dinner was excellent, it was by far the best deal of the weekend!! After dinner and a little gambling we headed back to the strip for more gambling excitement.

On Sunday, we had no plan. We decided it would be the day where we took the monorail. We decided to head over to the Wynn first and have Sunday Brunch. What a disaster that turned out to be. There was an hour wait to get into the buffet. We tried to get a line pass from the casino host, pit boss and slot attendant they were all being Nazi's with the line passes. So we ended up dining in the casual restaurant. After the Wynn, we walked over to The Palazzo and then into The Venetian. The we walked to the Casino Royale, which was a hoot to gamble in! We just loved the seedy casino joints!!!

We then walked next door to Harrah's where we caught the monorail to the MGM. On that end of the strip we visited, The Tropicana, New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay. I already exhausted just thinking about all that we did that day!!

Our last day, we tried to watch the fountains at Bellagio, we waited about 45 minutes, but it was just too early in the day I guess, because we never did see a show!!! :( We walked over to Planet Hollywood, and boy, did they remodel that casino. Last time I was there it was The Aladdin. Now, it's totally beautiful in there!! After we were done there, my brother picked us up and we went back to the Wynn for the buffet. My review of the buffet is was that it was just ok for the money. Although, the next time we go there I have enough points on my Wynn gaming card for 2 free buffets. So I will make sure to put them to good use!! After that we drove to where the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign is and took a couple of pics, then my brother drove us to the airport for the journey back to reality. We are already planning our next trip!

New TV for me to watch...great(sigh)!!!

Great...just what I need! A couple of new TV shows to watch, as if my DVR isn't busy enough!! I have 3 new addictions... Celebrity Apprentice, Cashmere Mafia and Celebrity Rehab!!

First up, Celebrity Apprentice, just when I thought that show was dead "The Donald" comes up with something that catches my attention. But I have a few issues with a couple of the "celebrities." One of the contestants on the show is Omarosa. Is she a celebrity? I don't think so, she's a reality show has been! I don't know how she wound up back on the show? She must be really good for ratings and in-fighting!!

Next, Cashmere Mafia. What a terrific guilty pleasure. It's a show about the lives of 4 powerful New York women. It's a tad bit lacking on the drama, but it has enough to keep me interested. Let's talk about the women for a minute. First, there's Mia Mason (Lucy Liu) she was just promoted to publisher of a magazine chain, upon her promotion he fiancee breaks up with her because he can't handle her success.

Then there's Zoe Burden (Frances O'Connor), she's a successful financial banker, wife and mother. She is constantly at battle to be everything to everyone all the time. Her plot line interests me most right now because her secretary was having an affair with one of her peer's and her peer promoted her secretary to Associate and now she is trying to get her fired. Very juicy!!!!

Next is Juliet Draper (Miranda Otto), she is the COO of a major hotel chain, soon to be ex-wife of a philanderer and mother. Juliet just kicked her husband out of the house for consistently cheating on her. She is in the middle of a major hotel deal with a very handsome french-man. I see an affair in the works.

Finally, there is Caitlin Dowd (Bonnie Somerville), she is a top marketing executive for a cosmetics company. Caitlin is an extremely confused little girl. The series starts off with her breaking up with a man then she starts thinking about her choice of men she dates and decides she might be a lesbian after meeting/interviewing and hiring a woman she finds attractive. They begin to date, but after a few episodes she is starting to question her lebian-ess.

Last, but not least let me re-cap Celebrity Rehab. This show is a god-damn train wreck!! I can't keep my eyes off of it!!! It's wonderful. There is a terrific cast of quasy celeb's...they are....

Jaimee Foxworth - from Family Matters
Seth "Shifty" Binzer - from the band Crazy Town
Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez - need I say more??
Daniel Baldwin - again, need I say more??
Brigitte Nielson - dated Sylvester Stallone and Flava Flav...uggg
Chyna (Joan Marie Laurer) - former WWF wrestler
Mary Carey - Porn Star also ran for governor of California
Jeff Conaway - played Kenickie in the 1978 motion picture musical Grease. He is my favorite on this show. He's addicted to almost everything, the best!!!!
Jessica Sierra - American Idol finalist

Dear Abby...Part Whore, I mean 2!!!

Ok, this is just freaking funny!!!

Man cheats on wife and mistress

December 9, 2007

Dear Abby: I was the other woman for seven years, involved with a man I thought was perfect. His wife knew about me. It was never an issue until he fell in love with me. After that, things changed. He began making promises and told me as soon as his wife got herself together and found a job and a place to live, he'd divorce her and be with me forever.
Two years became three, three became five. Finally I realized he'd never do what he promised, so I ended it. The problem is, he's my boss. He was my best friend, and I still had some hope. We see each other every day because of work, although I am considered an independent contractor.
A year after I called it quits he finally filed for divorce. A few months later he met this new woman. He says he loves her, but I still hurt. Every day is another day of holding back my tears, another day to hide my pain.
Today I met a woman who is a member of a group I belong to. She mentioned she knows a man who would be "perfect" for me. She said they had dated a few times over the years. Abby, the number she gave me was his. While we were together he was seeing this other woman! I am devastated.
I am still in love with him. How can I make myself forget him when we still work together? Please advise. -- Weeping in Chico, Calif.

Dear Weeping: Forget him? People only learn from the mistakes they are willing to remember. Dry your tears and get out of that office NOW. As an "independent contractor" it's time to declare your independence. Finding a job with better benefits should be a breeze, considering that all you have to show for this one is heartache.

Now, here is what I would have written...
You're a stupid whore and you deserve what you get!! You were stupid enough to let him fool you for 7 years and how could you not think that he wouldn't cheat on you too?? Move on with your bad self. You know you deserve better, you just need to believe that!!

Now here's a blog with a lesson!!!

Dear Abby!!!

This "Dear Abby" was posted in the Herald News...I thought it was sooo funny that I felt I needed all 3 of my readers to have a laugh as well!!!

Teen's nudity perplexes neighbor

December 31, 2007

Dear Abby: I have lived next door to the "Smiths" for 18 years. They're nice people. When problems have arisen, they have helped me out, and I have done the same for them. We're good neighbors and friends.

I have known the Smiths' children their whole lives. Their daughter is now 17. Their son was born a year later.

My question: Is it normal for a 16-year-old boy to walk around the house naked, in plain view of family members? No one seems to notice or care. There are no looks or comments.

In the morning he gets up around 6:45. He walks into the kitchen and fixes a bowl of cereal. Then he stands at the counter, watching the morning sports shows while eating his breakfast in the nude. There is absolutely no evidence of arousal of any kind. When the bathroom becomes available, he goes in for a shower.

I have never seen any of the other family members naked. This boy has no compunctions about being seen by his father, mother, sister or next-door neighbor. He's been nude in my presence dozens of times. I know it's common for little boys to run around without clothes on sometimes, but, Abby, he's not a little boy anymore. -- Clothes-Minded in Wisconsin Dear Clothes-Minded: Standards regarding nudity vary from family to family, and obviously the Smiths are casual and open-minded on the subject. It's possible that you have been their neighbor so long that the young man considers you part of the family.

Because he has matured sufficiently that his nudity now makes you uncomfortable, you should hang curtains on your windows that face the Smiths' kitchen -- and before dropping over there, call to ask whether he's presentable. If he's not, then don't go over.

The next time you think you aren't being watched in your own home, you probably are!!!

2007 in Review

My end of year blog is a little late, but better late than never!!! Here is my 2007 year in review in pictures...enjoy!!

New Year's Eve 2006 - Good Friends, Good Times!

My Birthday - Christian and Christy

My Birthday - Jodi, Elaine, Natalie, Me, Zhaleh and Alisa

Trip to New York, May 2007 - Me and Jodi

The whole New York Gang: From Top Left: Pam and Myself - Bottom Left: Christy, Jessica, Jen and Jodi - Wonderful Shopping Trip!!!

Paul and I: Enjoying a rainy evening at Ravinia

Zhaleh and Yuriy - TheGypsy Kings are worth the rain

Greece Aug and Sept 2007

Halloween 2007: My man - Speed Racer!!

House Party with the friends...

Nick's Birthday Party at North Beach Club

TBOX 2007

Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch and Beer...mmmmmYummy!!

This has been short re-cap of the year that was 2007. I hope that all is great in '08!! The year is starting off wonderfully, looking forward to next year's re-cap!! In the meantime, stay tuned!!!