Introducing a new collaborative brew from Steve and Amy, packed with a combination of creativity, compassion, and craziness.
Something new from Steve & Amy
Available in a portable, compact size, and made with all-natural ingredients, you'll be able to find it as part of a "Take 2, Get 1 More FREE" deal.
You won't find this flavor in stores!
While you won't be able to read about it over at BevReview.com, this limited, one-of-a-kind edition is coming this December. Don't miss out!
Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.
Amy & Greg are horsing around! (1979)
We're back in 1979 to check up on 3½-year-old Amy riding Cinderella's Golden Carrousel with her brother Greg in Fantasyland. You may recall that Amy has issues with her brother in theme parks, thus it's probably a good idea that these two are somewhat separated for this photo.
In the background you can see Snow White's Adventures, which opened with the Magic Kingdom in 1971, renamed to "Snow White's Scary Adventures" in 1994, and slated to close soon thanks to the Fantasyland Expansion project. In its place? A meet-and-greet area called "Princess Fairytale Hall". Gag.
Incidentally, the carousel that Amy & Greg are riding was also recently renamed to Prince Charming Regal Carrousel; apparently boys will feel more welcome to ride it now, even though nothing else has actually changed.
Sometimes, you just have to question those marketing bozos at Disney.
Summer officially started today, and we celebrated by heading up to the Chicago Botanic Garden for some after-work music as part of their Summer Evenings activities.
The Gardens... and Amy
On Tuesday nights they host "Music on the Esplanade". This time around it was the bluesy Guy King Band.
Sitting outside the McGinley Pavilion
Because of a private event taking place on the Esplanade, they moved the music over to the semi-enclosed McGinley Pavilion.
Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.
Reflective mirrors at Universe of Energy (2009)
Today's photo reminds me of everyone who attempts to take goofy photos of themselves while visiting "The Bean" down at Chicago's Millennium Park. But actually this is the exterior of the Universe of Energy pavilion in Epcot's Future World. Here you can see our extended family during a December 2009 trip. I'm in the top row (with my tongue sticking out). The second row features Amy, my Mom, my brother-in-law Brian, my sister Karen (who took this picture), and my Dad.
Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.
Steve on the Speedway! (2009)
Hey, it's me! My sister took this photo from another car on the Tomorrowland Speedway during a trip to Walt Disney World in December 2009. You'll note that I'm also holding a camera. Shocking, I know.
The Speedway is located in the Magic Kingdom and opened with the park in 1971 as the Grand Prix Raceway. It was then shortened in 1987 to fit in Mickey's Birthdayland, while also being renamed the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. A partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway helped facilitate the "Indy" branding. That agreement ended in 2008 and the track changed names again, this time to just Tomorrowland Speedway. The track was modified again in early 2011 to accommodate the Fantasyland Expansion.
It's a historic ride that has a weak theme to "tomorrow" and really long lines, but it's something you just gotta do when you visit!
As some of you may remember, last year I started a project to compile a list of the U.S. Olympic Broadcaster Logos used over the years. These are not the logos of the Olympic locations themselves, but rather what CBS, ABC, and NBC used to brand their coverage.
I found it odd at the end of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics that NBC didn't tease the look of their 2012 London logo as they usually do. However, I think I may have come across it today.
NBC's London 2012 Olympics Logo
As part of all the coverage about the Olympic TV bids, I watched a video on NBCOlympics.com. At the end of the video, the above logo appears. Did a little searching online and found a cleaner version on an NBCUniversal human resources website.
When I get a better quality version, I'll be adding it to the archive.
Back in February, I wrote a review for the Ticket to Ride Alvin & Dexter Monster Expansion. Frankly, Amy & I really like this tiny expansion because it adds more depth to any TtR game.
100 Thumbs on BoardGameGeek.com
At the time, I cross-posted my review to the highest-traffic boardgame website, BoardGameGeek.com. There's an internal "karma" system there that allows members to give "Thumbs Up" to posts they like or recommend.
Small expansion, but very fun!
I'm happy to say that my review has reached "100 Thumbs" on that site, which is sort of a big deal (well, I'd like to think so!) I hope that my writing at least helped steer some folks towards checking out Alvin & Dexter; it's a goofy expansion idea, but I think it's a hidden treasure!
Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.
Virgin Spaceship Earth (1985)
EPCOT Center opened in 1982, and its icon Spaceship Earth anchored a minimalist environment when compared to a park like the Magic Kingdom. Today's photo was shot in 1985, just 3 years after the park opened, and you can see the wide open spaces, trees that still were growing, and lots of white or light colors used in architecture. You can also gaze upon my Mom, Dad, and sister Karen standing patiently while I snapped a photo with a Kodak Instamatic 126 film camera.
This weekend we saw Back to the Future screened free at the Portage Theater. Can't pass up a deal like that, can you?
The Portage Theater marquee
The Portage is a historical theater that first opened in 1920, but eventually fell into decline and closed in 2001. It's located in the Six Corners shopping district of Chicago as part of the Portage Park neighborhood. In other words, it's been in my backyard since I was a kid.
Admit Two for free? Sure!
Thankfully, it reopened in 2006, and Amy & I were there to experience that awesome moment. Since then, it's seen quite the resurgence, by becoming the home of the Silent Film Society of Chicago and the Northwest Chicago Film Society, as well as quite a few live events. It was even featured in the 2009 film Public Enemies.
Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.
Amy gets First Aid (2007)
During a trip to Walt Disney World in September 2007, we camped at Fort Wilderness. Often we would take the boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Fort Wilderness Marina. One night as Amy was stepping from the enclosed cabin onto the open front part of the boat, she tripped over the raised doorway… and fell on her face.
While it was dramatic, the only real damage was a lot of blood and scratches on her right leg. We patched her up that night, but the next day stopped off at the First Aid station at the Disney-MGM Studios to get some additional medical attention. They took a look at it and gave us a bunch of new bandages. Her leg was a bit sore, but she made it through the rest of the trip fine!
