Diversion Wednesday

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10697635323172349612012-01-30T02:05:10.364-06:00Diversion WednesdayUpdated every week or so, Diversion Wednesday gives your host Joseph a day off from writing about book design over at The Book Design Review.Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-19560867240798819202008-07-22T23:13:00.003-05:002008-07-22T23:23:23.669-05:00I Wasn't Looking for Him, But I Found Ray Liotta in Portage Park

With Goodfellas 2: Revenge of the Gumod nowhere in sight, Ray Liotta is apparently the new Michael Myers.I can't, however, explain the pajamas...

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-22030685040698788142008-05-21T06:28:00.005-05:002008-05-21T08:18:37.419-05:00Don't Put Off That Sightseeing Trip to DC

Seen outside the Thurgood Marshall ballroom at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Washington, DC: Einstein and the Iwo Jima flag raising rendered in delicious chocolate. Not seen: Stephen Hawking and the liberation of Paris made out of Gummi Bears.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-28788551268826659612008-05-07T00:07:00.000-05:002008-05-06T23:41:16.099-05:00Kraft Really Needs to Talk to Parents Before They Do Something Like This

Available at your local supermarket (at least at mine): a beverage that finally reminds you of that greatest moment of labor, the rupturing of the amnion. An endorsement opportunity of a lifetime awaits Cherry Waves, if only she would stop doing porn.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-91031644962769012422008-04-29T20:22:00.003-05:002008-04-29T21:00:13.699-05:00How to Make $40 in 20 Seconds

My sister got married two weekends ago. It was a great wedding, and while I'm proud of my 4 month old daughter Georgia and how well she traveled from Chicago to New Jersey, I'm even more proud of my 15 year old son Latham and how he realized that 20 seconds of potential embarrassment is well worth $40.The deal: I put up $20, my cousin's husband put up another $20, and Latham had to dance with his

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-70225328503926441522008-04-23T06:24:00.002-05:002008-04-23T06:41:17.885-05:00The Best Car Air Freshener *Ever*?

New Jersey, how I love you...

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-77307482875731536832008-03-17T20:26:00.024-05:002010-02-16T13:04:46.952-06:00I Have Seen the Future of Food, and It Is Round

I have seen the future of food. It is spherical; it is puffy; it is delicious. It is the Pancake Puff:My son Latham and I enjoy a good infomercial. He's partial to the Magic Bullet, which we've not yet purchased, as we like salsa well enough but don't need to make it in eight seconds.This, however, is different. Pancakes? Yum. Pancake spheres? You bet. Not to jump too far ahead, but it's a really

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-25201180032633466942008-02-19T20:42:00.012-06:002008-02-20T07:25:57.834-06:00I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night, and Keep My Pants Up Every Day

Mother Sullivan strikes again.Some of you might remember what my mother brought me from the Sullivan Archives on her last trip -- turns out a few of you were fans of The Book of Lists as well. She's not been back, but that didn't stop her from sending along another prized possession from my childhood.Other boys had posters of Farrah Fawcett on their bedroom walls; I had Kiss posters. Other boys

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-12911011303245266972008-01-23T11:37:00.000-06:002008-01-23T10:36:46.017-06:00I Like You Too, Google Analytics, But Not *That* Much

I think I might need a few drinks before we get started.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-1750158699333345452008-01-09T09:34:00.000-06:002008-01-08T23:41:21.553-06:00The God Cookie

Walking along Wabash Avenue in Chicago this afternoon with my wife and new baby girl, I saw these in the window of a Mrs. Fields Cookies store: I suppose there are people in the world who think it's a good idea to show up with a giant cookie during "painful moments," and that "quiet moments" are best interrupted by those bearing inspirational snacks. Me? I'm sticking with Devil Dogs.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-25329084228507405822007-09-12T11:51:00.002-05:002008-01-08T23:20:35.217-06:00My Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World -- When I Was 12

In 1977, when I was 12 years old, a book was published that quite literally changed my life. I had always liked reading well enough, but I was at the stage in life where sports reigned supreme in my and other boys' lives. I became the kind of kid who would shovel the driveway in order to shoot baskets in the dead of winter. Reading was no longer a favored activity. But then The Book of Lists book

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-77216319614701107622007-08-29T07:20:00.000-05:002007-08-28T20:19:06.593-05:00Zippity Doo Dah: Adventures with the USPS

The wife and I are moving in about a week, and one of the tasks I've drawn is to change our address. Being a fairly busy person like you, I turn to the Interweb for help. Do I need to say this? Bad idea.I can't even begin to tell you how bad the user experience is on the USPS site. While some screen grabs might begin to help explain the inanity of the whole thing, I'll spare you those and simply

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-43657234381276513942007-08-15T07:37:00.000-05:002007-08-15T09:39:47.564-05:00It Pays to Hire a Professional

Don't screw around, kids. Hire a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals when it's time to, um, relax. You'll be glad you did.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-33197285541030585582007-07-26T19:33:00.000-05:002007-07-27T06:40:19.144-05:00Tetherball: Apparently, Sort of Dangerous

My son is at summer camp. His mom got a call earlier this week, which went something like this: Camp nurse: "Hello, Mrs. Sullivan. Everything's OK, but there's been a little mishap, and your son might have broken his finger."Mom: "Oh no. How did he do it?"Camp nurse: "Playing tetherball."So I did what any dad would do: I sent him a letter, hoping to cheer him up by informing him that I bought

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-48214645900068120812007-07-18T06:29:00.000-05:002007-07-17T21:34:50.608-05:00The Fighting Magentas

I attended Fordham as an undergrad. The university's colors are maroon and white. But as we all know, identity changes over time. Designers would be in poor shape if this wasn't true.Until 1875, Fordham's colors were magenta and white. Am I alone in thinking this is pretty cool?Fordham's Web site tells the tale: in 1874, Fordham and Harvard ("Fordham's archrival." Hah! Tell that to my high school

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-35776144592624593892007-07-11T10:43:00.001-05:002007-07-11T11:27:53.088-05:00More Street Art Like This, Please

I noticed this a few weeks ago. It's a painting on a block of wood that measures about 5 x 5 inches and is attached with a screw to a signpost on Michigan Avenue.I have no idea why it's there, but I love it and find myself looking at it pretty much every day on my way to lunch or when I walk to the bus stop. It's not been stolen, taken down, or molested in any way.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-53199258163672876092007-07-04T23:11:00.000-05:002007-07-03T23:48:16.074-05:00They Must Have Run Out of "No Dogs" Signs

Posted at the Vietnam Memorial Park at State and Wacker on the south bank of the Chicago River:We all know what they mean, but I guess it's hard to find a writer who can honor veterans and banish dog poop simultaneously.Related reading: War Dogs.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-21099136880520622912007-06-27T20:00:00.000-05:002007-06-26T16:01:57.792-05:00That Was Outside, You Putz

My wife and I live about 20 blocks from Comiskey Park, um, US Cellular Field, and while she's a casual fan, I'm pretty much of a baseball nut. I don't go in for the Sox Suck / Cubs Suck thing, feeling damned lucky that I live in a city that has two baseball teams (and about 4 minor league teams within easy driving distance.) I'll go see any team play, but the White Sox are getting a little hard

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069763532317234961.post-47518234465213864122007-06-20T09:35:00.000-05:002007-06-20T13:22:51.890-05:00When Bad Copy Happens to Good Schools

Sometime in July -- I can't remember the exact date -- I will have lived in Chicago for 20 years. Like many American cities, Chicago has drastically changed over the last decade. I live in the South Loop, and it's safe to say that as few as 10 years ago there were very few people living down here. Even the hookers and the crack heads didn't live here; this was just their playground. Certainly, no

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382230402711258215noreply@blogger.com3