S4E8 Sine Qua Non

Erm ... what? That was a complete setting-the-tone-of-things-to-come episode. And setting the tone quick, like now! Just about every major plot turn and revelation was handled abruptly, having the effect of making the whole Romo Lampkin thing a bit ... indulgent? Maybe the episode would have made more sense if I hadn't had to wait 2 weeks in between. Kind of 'potong stim' by the time tonight's episode rolled around.

My prediction for the final cylon this week: Romo Lampkin's cat. Wait ... oh snap.

Heard On The Train

End of a rainy Friday, on the way home from work. The train driver wishes everyone a good weekend over the speaker and issues a friendly reminder not to forget your umbrella. Thought that was pretty nice of him. Bet he saved a lot of umbrellas from accidental desertion today :)

I Want A Wallaby!

Wallaby yogurt is the BEST yogurt ever. It has a super smooth and creamy texture and tastes really delicious. Comes in a variety of flavors from the traditional such as strawberry and raspberry, to the more exotic such as passion fruit and strawberry guava. It's USDA certified organic and relatively low in sugar, unlike a lot of other yogurts that pack about as much sugar as a can of coke. Also gives you your 25% DRV of calcium. I've bought them at Jewel Osco and Whole Foods, usually on sale for $1 or under each.

Buy it, eat it, love it: http://www.wallabyyogurt.com/

Chicago Cares

So, I had my first volunteer gig with Chicago Cares today. Chicago Cares is a volunteer organization that provides individuals and businesses with the opportunity to volunteer and improve the community. I saw an ad for them a while ago while riding the bus and finally decided to try it out.

When you first sign up at their website (http://www.chicagocares.org), you go through a short online orientation. After that you have access to their calendar which details the projects available. The issue areas are wide ranging, from adult education, to environment and rehab, to hunger and so on. You pick the project you want to work on and contact the project leader who will let you know if they still need people for their team.

I volunteered for one of the "Just For Starters" projects, which are for newbies. In this case, the Senior Breakfast Club. It was from 9 to 12 this morning and involved cooking and serving breakfast to seniors at a Chicago Housing Authority assisted living building. After cooking, serving and cleaning up, we ran a couple of bingo games with prizes.

All in all, it was fun, and something I'd definitely like to do again. I'd like to try some other issue areas as well. I know there are several gardening opportunities in the environment issue area and I'm sure my family would get a big kick out of the idea of me gardening :)

Baladoche's Coffee Deal

Baladoche at 2905 N Clark Street has a great deal on coffee - 12 ounce cup of delicious illy coffee for exactly $1. Last I checked, Lattes and Cappucinos were going for $1.84 Mondays through Thursdays. Don't quote me on that one though ;) They also have waffles if you're into that.

http://www.baladoche.com/

S4E5 The Road Less Travelled

Leoben's back with Starbuck! Now there's one onscreen pairing that's so wrong yet so deliciously right :D

Great to see the storyline moving along with Starbuck and not dithering on the less interesting sub plots (ie Lee Adama's political career *snore*). I'm hoping the Baltar subplot adds up to something wicked in the end cause that's kinda dragging along too. Season still doesn't feel 'tight' but hey, there's still 15 more episodes to go.

Love Baltar's 'God loves you just as you are' spiel because I'm 99% convinced it's an ad lib and a reference to the 'Mark Darcy loves Bridget just as she is' line in Bridget Jones's Diary, which James Callis was also in.

My prediction for the final cylon this week: Tom Zarek.