Nate's Word

I read about Nate's Word on in-forum and thought it was an interesting project. You might recognize some of the backgrounds!

Summer Reading

Perhaps I should add "Titles" to the name of this blog, too. Although I don't have copious free time this summer, I'm hoping to read or finish reading the following books. I've also included a couple I finished in the spring. Let me know what you think of these if you've read them.

The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
When You are Engulfed in Flames (David Sedaris)
The Audacity of Hope (Barack Obama)
Don't Get Too Comfortable (David Rakoff)
Freakonomics (Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubnar)

Sun Singer Gourmet Deli - Champaign, IL

On the recommendation of a colleague, I visited the Sun Singer Gourmet Deli (1115 W. Windsor Rd., Champaign) tonight. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed my meal there. Shown above is half of a Grilled Cheese Supreme (fontina and cheddar cheese, sliced Granny Smith apples with fig jam on challah bread), Italian Style Wedding soup (selected over Gazpacho or Cream of Asparagus), and Terra Chips (mixture of taro, yuca, sweet potato, batata, and parsnip chips). Sun Singer serves food in a casual environment with the friendly bar tenders coming to your table to serve you. In addition to the bar/restaurant, the store has a large selection of wines, deli counter, and other gourmet food aisles. In the end, I took home an extra bag of the Terra Chips!

Food: ****

Ambience: **

Service: ***

(out of 5 stars)

The Lodge - Oak Brook, IL

I stayed at The Lodge at McDonald's Campus the last time I was in Chicagoland. It is located at the world headquarters of McDonald's corporation. The lounges, restaurants, and lobby overlook a lake. The lodge is connected by a bridge across the lake to Hamburger University, McDonald's corporate training center. Also on the campus is the administration building; trees, lakes, creeks, and paths (I saw two deer amble across the roadway); a heliport; and other park-like areas.

Six Flags Great America - Gurnee, IL

I joined my sisters and their families at Six Flags Great America to be a "kid" again. We rode several roller coasters and had a fun day. The video shows a ride on Superman. "Go up, up and away as you soar head-first through a twisted steel track to find out what it’s like to fly like the one-and-only Superman." We waited over one hour for the ride which lasted less than two minutes.