Yes, please.

This photo - sent to me by Equation Boy/Man and spotted on the Illinois Loyalty Forums - sure makes it seem like the days of the ILLINOIS helmets are gone.  The entire thread has discussion of the alleged changes including the incorporation of the "zig-zag" trim elements that are already in place on the hoops jerseys.  I welcome these new changes including what appears to be a Pro-Combat matte Navy Blue helmet.

The arched "Illini" is the same font/look that's currently on the hoops jerseys, which makes me think that this is a done deal.   And brings the program back to something close to what we had on our helmets from 1971 - 1987.  Check out the Helmet Project (scroll down to Illinois since there is no permalink) to see the Illinois helmet changes.


The changes will be endless...  The endzones.  The letterhead for the department.  The logo on the floor of the locker room.  (or is it the "Lockerroom"?)

Can't wait to see what else Coach Tim Beckman can do to improve the program.  Here we go!

The photo above is courtesy of IllinoisLoyalty.com - which it sounds like someone posted from a Facebook page somewhere?

Even my favorite grocery store has fallen prey to the lure of labeling their goods "homemade".

I sure hope these weren't made in some dude who works in the deli's home.  I'd much rather enjoy them knowing they were created in the clean, bright, food-service-approved in-house kitchen on premises.

Housemade Bocconcini, please.

On a trip to Menards this morning, we came across this softball mitt and between the Babe's delight and the rock-bottom price, we couldn't leave the store without it in hand.

Sure, I'd prefer a less gender-specific color, but the upside is that we're now one step closer to the day when the Babe asks me to take her out in the backyard and have a catch.  Now, that'll be the day.  Can't wait!

A few months back Cottage Hill Diamonds moved across York Street to a new location leaving their old spot open.  And...we got Gold Max!  Yippee!  Huh.....I'm guessing I'm not the only one who didn't envision a 'Cash-for-Gold' joint moving in as the best retail tenant we could get in Downtown Elmhurst.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a free market guy most of the time, but when it comes to economic development, I'm open to some government involvement.  With space so precious and the environment teetering on success/failure, getting prime tenants into the open storefronts is critical.  The question of whether having this space vacant is better than this GoldMax place is - in my mind a valid one worthy of discussion.   As of now, I'm of the opinion that I'd rather have vacant spots than more salons, consignment shops, and new-fangled pawnshops.  The hit we take for having vacancies is better than the hit we take on our reputation.

With all those new floors in the basement, it was time to upgrade the collection bin for our Roomba.  We have a 500-series model that allows for programable use.  That means that we can tell it to go out and work at a set time each day and then come back to it's base to recharge.  The only issue is that with the normal-sized bin, the robot would fill up in a week(ish).  Cheerios, goldfish crackers, dust, dog hair and the like all add up fast.

With this new "AeroVac Upgrade Kit", not only do we get a much larger bin, I've seen some improvement in performance.  The rollers are new and there's (apparently) better air-flow due to the new shaped/sized filters.  I haven't figured out exactly how long the new bin can go (because I check it too often and thus empty it before it gets full), but in time we'll know the full results.

We finally finished installing all of the trim in the basement - including these baseboards in the bathroom.  Still plenty of work to do including most of the caulking and painting, but at least the construction phase of the space has concluded.

There are (obviously) a few more touches like shower doors to finalize, so we'll get those things sorted soon.  Funny how projects like this go like nuts for weeks/months, but as soon as it is "good enough" to occupy, everything slows down.  Once we moved in and unpacked the toys it seems like I forgot that I had all this extra work to do.  At least with caulk and paint, I can do it in batches with one section at a time.   With Spring right around the corner, I have just a few months to get this done or else my attention will wander to the garden and backyard.  Time to focus.

After the big Illini win over the Ohio State Buckeyes a few weeks ago, I sent Coach Bruce Weber a congratulatory note in the mail.  I've been a big Weber supporter since day one and was pleased that with the win, he had the team headed in the right direction.  And some of the "Fire Weber" folks would calm down.

He sent me back an email note that includes his photo - which was kinda weird.  Guessing that this is what they must use to send out notes to recruits and the like?  He (or...at least his secretary) actually read my note because he referenced it in his response, which I suppose is nice.

Unfortunately, the last 2 games since the note arrived (both losses) didn't turn out as Coach Weber had hoped.   There's been just as many 'downs' as there have been 'ups' this season.  If not more.

Such is the life of an Illini fan.