On June 18, we had a pretty fierce storm blow through Chicago, which brought rain and high winds to our neighborhood. When everything was calm, we assessed the area around our condo buildings and found that a large branch from one of our trees had broken off and fallen into the street.
Storm-damaged Tree (6/18/10)
If you are reading this page, you've caught SteveandAmySly.com in the middle of a server/blog upgrade! But don't worry, we'll have things back to normal soon, complete with new features and a stylish new look!
- Steve & Amy
I've previously written about our positive experiences with the boardgame Ticket to Ride (released 2004), as well as its first official expansion, Mystery Train (released 2004). Now we'd like to talk about the USA 1910 Expansion. In short, if you own the original Ticket to Ride game, then you MUST pick up the USA 1910 Expansion (released 2006). It's that simple.
USA 1910 expansion was introduced in 2006
Why is this a requirement? Because compared to any other enhancement to the game, the USA 1910 Expansion not only "fixes" some of the game's perceived flaws, but also adds entirely new life and strategy to the base game… not bad for the $15 retail price!
My latest eBay purchase:
Anti-Disney's America Button
Yes, it has to do with the failed Disney's America project from the early 1990s.
Disney theme parks will often repurpose music and themes among properties on opposite coasts. For example, as I've already written, in 1985 Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Parade soundtrack was tweaked to be used by Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom as the tune for Mickey's Street Parade.
Recently, we've seen this type of repurposing in soundtrack once again with Disney's promotion for Summer Nightastic. This seasonal event started in Summer 2009 as an all-encompassing theme of pre-exisiting shows bundled under the same brand name ("Nightastic") to help Disneyland push their summer activities, as they didn't have any new rides or attractions to promote.
A few weeks back, Amy & I were joined by my parents for another Chicago Rush home game. This time the Arena Football action featured the Rush taking on the Iowa Barnstormers, one of the teams that were "promoted" from af2 into the relaunched AFL that we have this year.
Amy, Mom, and Dad
It was also Armed Forces Day, with each of the four branches being represented, along with a huge American flag unveiled at the beginning of the game. Halftime consisted of a tug-of-war between the services, and the video monitors played quite a few Army/Navy/Marines/Air Force commercials.
Yup, Armed Forces Night
As we've mentioned in previous recaps from our game experiences this year, they've been less than stellar. I keep hoping that the new league will get their act together and that we're just experiencing the growing pains associated with a year of no games, but so far, I have not been encouraged. This game against Iowa was a perfect example of things getting worse, rather than better.
It amazes me every time a Chicago sports team finds itself poised to win a championship. Why? Because buildings around Chicago often will sport colors and messages showing their pride behind the franchise. And EVERY TIME, local television news anchors play dumb and ask "wow, how do they do that?" — completely forgetting that they ran the exact same story just a few years ago. But hey, it's what passes for local "news" these days, I guess.
Blackhawks and CNA Plaza (Source: CNA - Used with Permission)
As I mentioned in my post about BevReview business cards, I recently attended the National Restaurant Association show here in Chicago to check out what was on display in the world of beverages. I was joined by my friend Nicko Sahlas, founder of BevReview's partner site ChefTalk.com, as we explored the thousands of exhibitors showcasing their products and services.
Steve & Nicko
This coming weekend I'm heading to the National Restaurant Association show down at McCormick Place here in Chicago. The "Food Show" is always a fun event to attend, as I've been able to go in the past as a guest with some of the food service management I used to work with when I attended Taylor University. During college, as part of my student loan work program, I spent 4 years in the Dining Commons… and probably learned more about management and leadership than I'd ever learn from books today.
