October 2011
1 post
Snow.
I’ve never been a big fan of rain. I don’t like getting wet and having to walk around in nasty soaked clothes. Especially when it’s warm out and you’re wearing a sweater. And then you walk into an air conditioned place. Gross. Snow is my precipitation of choice. Not only can snow be shaped into men or caves, but you can make snow angels and spell your name in it and make...
May 2011
2 posts
Yelp.
Yelp, aside from Time Out Chicago, is what gave me the idea to start Diana’s Thumb. I love seeing “People love us on Yelp” stickers at local businesses and going on Yelp only to find that people actually HATE them!
I very often go on Yelp to see what people think of the restaurant I’ve been meaning to try or what kind of funny comments my friends are making. I...
Libraries
I’ve had a Chicago Public Library card since kindergarten (acquired at the old Archer Heights branch - a small storefront). Before that, my mom used to take me to story time at the Brighton Park branch. Before we had an internet connection at home, I used to go to the library to use the computers. When I had a research paper to write in high school, I buckled down at the Harold...
March 2011
1 post
Pizza.
This post has been a long time comin’. What can I say about pizza? I don’t know if any words can equal the joy that is pizza. How often have people of different races, religions, classes, sexual preferences come together to eat a pizza? How many times have you been hungry at 3am without a scrap of food and not wanted to get out of your pajamas? Pizza was there. Pizza was there when a...
January 2011
2 posts
Helpful Neighbors.
I think I’ve always had helpful neighbors, at least as long as I can remember. There has always been a neighbor ready to babysit me or to lend my mom an egg. Now that I’m on my own, I’ve still had a very pleasant neighbor experience. (My whole family is friends with my cousin Danny’s neighbors). In the DePaul dorms last year, I lived in the very last room of the hallway,...
Tina Fey.
I’m not sure it’s really necessary to explain this thumb. I can sit here and talk about the 20 awards Tina has won, or I can talk about how she wrote Mean Girls. I could, but I won’t. All I will say about Tina Fey is that she is beautiful, smart and hilarious. There are few things I can count on to make me laugh regularly, but 30 Rock is definitely one of them. She’s...
December 2010
1 post
L.L. Bean
My obsession with L.L. Bean started last winter when I first laid eyes upon the Bean Boots of my friend, Mary. She’s from D.C. where the L.L. Bean brand is incredibly popular. They’re beautiful boots and I fell in love with them at first sight. Long story short, I purchased a pair for myself and love them. They’re the boots that started the company, and have been around for...
October 2010
1 post
5 tags
Commercials.
First off, I want to say sorry for not posting in so long. Second, I’d like to point out that perhaps it was just a really long commercial break (ahahahahahaaaa). Hopefully you used the time the same way you would use the time during a television “word from our sponsors;” did you use the bathroom? grab a snack? refill your drink? go fetch your blanket from the other room? check...
September 2010
1 post
6 tags
CDs (you can listen to all the way through).
Call me outdated, but I like my CDs. There is something very nice about owning a CD by your favorite band and getting to see all the album art, getting to read the lyrics and reading the thank yous (hoping to see a thank you to the fans). Now, I don’t “own” all the music on my computer…no…not all music has that privilege…but the music that I do own is special....
July 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Netflix.
I am extremely late to jump into Netflix, but let me tell you…AWESOME. I have received various offers for a free trial in the mail, and always meant to do one, but never did. Today, I really wanted to watch the movie Factory Girl as I was looking up information about the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. I didn’t feel like going through the trouble of looking for a working link to a...
4 tags
Tim Burton.
A lot of people will probably disagree with my thumb for Tim Burton, but whatever. Many of my favorite movies have been directed or produced by this guy. (It all goes back to when I was four and chose The Nightmare Before Christmas VHS over Alice in Wonderland (which has now been re-done by Burton, lol).) Most recently, I have been watching Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and, let me tell you,...
May 2010
4 posts
11 tags
Airports & Plane Rides.
I very much enjoy airports. Part of the reason I am posting this is because of a text I received (a quote from Love Actually). The truth is there really aren’t that many places in the world where you can see as much love as in the airport (and probably not anywhere with as much prejudice either….but anyway). I love almost everything about airports. I like getting there early. I like...
5 tags
Lists.
In order to appropriately make a post about lists, I think it must be done in list form.
Lists can help you stay organized.
Lists help you figure out what you need to do.
Grocery lists make sure you don’t forget what you need to buy.
It’s fun to try and list all 50 states when you’re bored in class (without looking at a map).
When you have something to do, you can make a...
10 tags
Member (rewards) Cards.
If there is one word I like, it’s “free.” Free just happens to be the core of rewards cards! It’s free to join. And then they get you DISCOUNTS (or more free things!)! I myself am a member of quite a few rewards programs. Sure, rewards are never as easy as one would like to earn, but you’re still getting something back for doing nothing more than what you would...
Huck's (formally, Huck Finn's Restaurant).
This is Huck Finn’s Restaurant, known to be tried and true by southside Chicago natives. Whether it’s post-prom gatherings, a place to have a heart to heart, somewhere to go after a long night out or celebrating a birthday, Huck’s is ALWAYS there. 24 hours a day. There’s a tragic shortage of restaurants open 24 hours a day in this city, for real. The sign says it all:...
April 2010
2 posts
Hugh Hefner.
He’s in his eighties and is surrounded by young, beautiful women. Look at how classy he is, even in his dark haired days. Aside from being a Chicago native and starting Playboy, he’s also a gay rights activist and …well, have you seen the Playboy mansion? He wears a pajama and smoking jacket ALL DAY (and is finally at an age where it’s reasonable to do so). He was in an...
10 tags
Summer Music Festivals.
Summer is almost here (in a couple of months, anyway), and the Lollapalooza line-up has finally been released. People everywhere are on ticketmaster buying tickets for Coachella, Bonnaroo, Warped Tour, Bamboozle. South by Southwest is already done with and the music festival season is officially here! It’s time to break out the short shorts and tank tops (or bikinis for those fearless...
March 2010
1 post
Girl Scout Cookies.
I finally got my girl scout cookies for 2010. A box of Tagalongs, Trefoils, Samoas and a box of Thin Mints (for Samantha). I’m no stranger to the cookies, having been a girl scout for seven years. I know the whole process. I know about the terrible waiting period between ordering the cookies and receiving the cookies, and I know the hard work and determination it takes to get that 100+...
February 2010
1 post
Naps.
As a college student (but, mostly as a high school student), I have had the pleasure of experiencing the power of naps. Though sometimes naps lead me to waking up later than planned and thinking, “WHAT? I wasn’t supposed to sleep that long” either because I missed my show or because I know I won’t be able to return to sleep until later because I have homework to...
January 2010
2 posts
7 tags
Conan Christopher O'Brien
Everyone has a little Conan in them. That part of you that wants to be a jackass and do really stupid, silly things/jokes. We all want to be that. You want that pompadour, admit it. Aside from being a writer on my all-time favorite TV show, The Simpsons, Conan has worked on SNL and, obviously, moved on to host his Late Night show and - for a short while - The Tonight Show. Aside from being an...
Strangers.
So, we’ve all seen Barney telling us how dangerous strangers are, and we’ve seen Demetri Martin reminding us that this is only a good idea if we never want to meet anyone. Working with the general public means lots of strangers. Also, living in a large city means meeting new people almost daily. Going to college and living in a dorm. Strangers. Strangers are a part of everyday life....
December 2009
1 post
5 tags
Free Water Cups!
You know when you want Jimmy John’s and all your friends want Panera? so then you buy your Jimmy John’s and take it to Panera and eat your sandwich. You then realize you do not have a drink, and you mozy on over to the fountain drinks, grab a water cup and fill it up with whatever you like from the beverage island (no one’s watching!). This is probably one of the best systems...
November 2009
3 posts
8 tags
Grubhub.
When you’re “working” on a math project, while really talking with an Asian and doing laundry at 2am, you sometimes get hungry. Then you might try to call the nearest delivery sandwich joint, and discover that they’re closed. Then you might feel like killing yourself, but don’t! Instead, go to grubhub.com. You can check out places that deliver, read reviews and pay...
Coffee-flavored. Not coffee.
Those who know me know that I have never been big on coffee. In fact, I’ve never been little on coffee. I’ve never really been into coffee. Sure, I’ve had a few coffee beverages in my day, and I’ve tried to like it, but I just haven’t ever liked it. The other afternoon, as I was looking for something to replace the October Pumpkin Smoothie, I decided to try an iced...
6 tags
Popeye's
Have you ever had a craving for a Popeye’s biscuit? Man, that craving hits so hard. I get it from time to time (usually when I’m at work…usually when I’m closing and there is basically no chance of me getting a biscuit). The point is Popeye’s always delivers on awesomeness. I have never once in my life been let down by a meal at Popeye’s. The skin is so...
October 2009
4 posts
5 tags
Playstation Jingles
WARNING: This is quite loud. If you’re wearing earphones, I’d advise you to take them off if you are at all attached to your eardrums/sense of hearing.
Though I have always loved this sound, I have recently heard it more often than usual (what with working at Best Buy and purchasing a PS2 and all). This is one of my favorite “jingles” of all time! It’s...
Cheering People on at the Chicago Marathon
So, obviously, we were all there for Danny, but -while we waited to watch him pass- we cheered on everyone else. It was such a great time! Lots of people write their name on their shirt, so it’s cool to cheer them on by name. I enjoyed myself a lot; cheering people on is about as close to being part of the marathon as possible (aside from volunteering and stuff).
I held a sign that said...
4 tags
The Heterosexual Questionnaire
I’m not trying to be some crazy activist or anything, I swear (well, maybe a little); my Women’s Studies instructor read this off to us in class the other day. I found it quite humorous/entertaining. I hope you do too. - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality? 2. When and where did you decide you were a heterosexual? 3. Is it possible this is just a...
3 tags
What is the Diana Thumb of Approval?
So, you know when you go eat at a restaurant and they have the ever popular TIME OUT CHICAGO in their window because they were featured in an issue, thus making them acceptable to hipsters? Well, I’m starting my own sort of similar, yet unrelated, campaign. It’s called the Diana Thumb of Approval (DThumb or Diana Thumb for short). This is the most prized of seals of approval, and is...