Lets go........Putting the armor on right now. The S on my chest has nothing to do with the guy from the comic books/movies.

...it was never beaten!

Very long day today, my youngest daughter is now in United States as part of work exchange. Slight panic when she thought she had forgotten her international drivers permit. After much opening of bags she found it. It works out cheaper insurance wise to get a US driving licence.

I suggested she buys a VW (since that's what she drove in UK). She wants a Studebaker Avant - dream on girl. Chip off the old block she is

Ha!!! Sao... I was thinking about her trip and what was going on. Please keep us on the edge of our seats with this one. :herewego

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SOBERMAN! Faster than a locomotive, stronger than a speeding bullet...or something like that. You can do it, ThirdWave.

Took a long drive and a boat ride Monday. Tuesday I went for a 2-hour long hike. Wednesday I took 2 boat rides and a tuk-tuk and puttered around the big town here .

Today....time for a swim. Going to put on the trunks and dive into the beautiful blue waters. It's a great view from up here, but from down in the water it's even better, looking up into the mountains - volcanoes, actually. Three of them surround this lake. Another hour of work and I'm going airborne off this dock! And people say "you can't have fun being sober"?

http://i59.tinypic.com/2n1hyli.jpg

Thanks all for being so welcoming! This thread also provided the added benefit of reminding me this weekend is Mother's Day.

Saotchick - I hope the first thing your daughter does is go out for some real pizza. And a hot dog. And some BBQ. The USA does a few things better than the UK - but one of them is definitely food. You guys definitely have better TV shows. Happy Valley, Broadchurch, Sherlock - wow. Peep Show is one of my favorite comedies, glad they're back for one last hurrah coming soon.

lol. Yup. We know how to clog our arteries like no other. If it can be fried, somebody is serving it.

I'm in! Last Sunday got me, but feeling more confident this time!

BigS, that looks pretty choppy there. Beautiful though. How warm is it? Chicago is 81 today. Dusty as all get out with road improvements. Wish I were on that dock breathing fresher air.

Only Chicago has real hot dogs Saoutchik. Tell your daughter to stick with regional specialties. Am I going to start a fight with that?:)

Ruby - totally agree on the hot dog topic, obviously. If you haven't had a real Chicago dog, then you're missing out on one of life's better foods. I always liked the little hole-in-the-wall joints for Chicago dogs, I used to go downtown near Adams & Wabash for lunch every so often and get a polish with everything. No clue on the name of the place. Also, Duks near Western & Chicago Ave is awesome. They deep fry everything, including the hot dogs. And the bacon. Yes, you heard me.

It's probably 75-78 degrees here today. Like every day. The lake is smooth as glass from dawn until about noon, but winds come out of the Southwest in the afternoons and make it rougher. Water's just fine - cold out in the deep, but near shore it's just right for a dip.

The Brisket i made was really awesome have a nice evening guys

Weekly dose of Talking Heads. Video too distracting.

Brain, can't have a weekend without John Travolta.

You're gonna make it this time site I

Ha ha my daughter is a veggie (unlike her old man) so pizza yes hot dog no BBQ maybe.

You've seen Happy Valley Big SomB. Muy impresionado! That was superb - were you in UK when you watched it?

Ruby, my one and so far only business trip to the US was to Chicago, I remember having great pizza there but no hotdogs. I was still drinking then so spent lots of time in bars (I remember the Green Mill-party like it's 1929)

The windiest thing in Chicago at the time was me.

Look how young Bob Geldof was!!

LOLOL Sao!!

LBrain I'm crying over that picture!!! OMG

Always a little late here...then I kinda disappear out the back door on route...but........ I AM IN!

Count me in!

Yay everyone for being here. I'm about to head out the door to battle traffic. Yuck for that. Awesome that it's almost Friday here.

Saoutchik, I've actually been to the Green Mill. Long ago. I live super south in the City so those northern venues got my business for only a brief amount of time. Cool place though.

Littlebear, good to see you. Buggirl, hi there!

Late for you all in the UK. Evening is just about to start here.

And yes, Bob Geldof looked super young, but then again, we all did at one point:)

Listening to UK election coverage, early prediction polls. Very exciting. I look forward to hearing some confirmed results in the morning. I have not followed election coverage at all this year.