I hope it involves forgoing a night of sleep to join me at Chicago’s all-night event: Looptopia It begins at 5 p.m. and ends at sunrise.

Looptopia was inspired by “White Night” events in Rome, Montreal and Paris. This will be America’s first dusk-to-dawn cultural and artistic showcase. It will consist of musical and theatrical performances, unique shopping and dining opportunities, indoor programs, outdoor exhibits, architectural tours and awesome light displays.

I am especially looking forward to the midnight yoga, read my hips (a belly dancing thingy) and an art exhibit called “Dreams and Nightmares.” There’s also a few bands I’d like to check out and tons more art exhibits.

Interested? Check out the Event Schedule and plan a few exhibits to see.

A few classmates are planning to go. I want to go. I’m not sure what time I’ll be getting there though. But if anyone is going let me know. Take pictures! Share! I want to know what you did and if you had fun!

An estimated 100,000 people will be attending this event. Hopefully this is something that will come about every year in Chicago just like the Taste of Chicago

A while back I wrote about the latest Zero Trans fat fad sweeping the U.S. With New York and Philadelphia already requiring restaurants to phase out trans fat by next year, KFC and Taco Bell thought they’d jump on the bandwagon as well.

One thing that confuses me is why are Taco Bell and KFC paired together these days? I remember back in the day (which was a Wednesday by the way - that’s a little Dane Cook humor there for you) when each was a separate food establishment. Why do chicken and tacos go together? I can understand Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins. Anyway…

KFC’s fried chicken buckets will soon be stamped with a health message claiming its chicken has zero grams of trans fat. The Louisville-based chain announced they have stopped frying chicken in artery-clogging trans fat. The company had said in October that it was switching to a new soybean oil.

Other companies including Wendy’s, Starbucks, McDonald’s and Burger King also said that they will begin to phase out trans fat.

There are 23 Taco Bell items that contain no trans fat, including the chicken and beef crunchy taco, grilled steak soft taco and the chicken and steak Chalupa Supreme. Taco Bell said it’s working to remove all trans fat from all its ingredients. Ready to run out to the Bell? I am. (But I won’t)

Here are the favorites from this week’s PostSecret post:

Here’s a list of words derived from classical history and mythology, as defined by Le Mot Juste: A Dictionary of Classical and Foreign Words and Phrases:

Achilles’ heel. (Greek) Weak spot, point vulnerable to attack; in Homer’s Illiad, Achilles was protected at every point except his heel, into which Paris shot an arrow and killed him.

Cassandra. (Greek) (One who makes) an unheeded prophecy; Cassandra, the priestess and daughter of Priam, King of Troy, was gifted with prophecy but doomed never to be believed.

Draconian. (Greek) Harsh, severe, rigorous; from Draco, the 7th century B.C. Athenian lawgiver, who demanded the death penalty for almost any infringe­ment of his code.

Epicurean. (Greek) One preferring sensual pleasures, hedonist, follower of Epicurus; Epicurus was a philosopher who taught that fulfillment lay in self-satisfaction and the absence of fear.

Hydra. (Greek) Something which is difficult to extin­guish; the Hydra was a serpent whose heads multi­plied as they were cut off.

Laconic. (Greek) Brief, terse, concise; Laconia, anoth­er term for Sparta, was noted for the austerity of its customs.

Lethean. (Greek) Forgetful, unable to recollect past events; Lethe was a river in Hades that produced amnesia in those who traveled along it.

Nemesis. (Greek) Retribution, personification of divine wrath; Nemesis was the goddess of vengeance.

Oedipus. (Greek) One who solves riddles. Oedipus solved the Sphinx’s riddle; he was the son of Laius and Jocasta and, unaware of his parentage, killed his father and married his mother. Hence the term Oedipus complex: the name given to Freud’s theory that a male child is sexually attracted to his mother and jealous of his father.

Pandora’s box. (Greek) Source of great and unex­pected troubles; Pandora was the first woman on Earth who, by disregarding the order not to open the box she had been given, released all the troubles and sins which beset human beings.

Pyrrhic. (Latin) Victory gained at too high a cost; from Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who defeated the Romans as Asculeum in 279 B.C., but was as much weakened in victory as his enemy in defeat.

Tantalus. (Greek) Something which can be seen but not obtained; Tantalus, the son of Zeus, was con­demned in Tartarus to stand in water that receded when he attempted to drink it and under fruit that moved away when he tried to touch it.

I walked into the ladies room at work today and headed toward the last of the three stalls in there and it hit me that I alway choose this stall. What is it about stall number 1 and 2 that aren’t pleasing? I’m not sure. What about a stall could possibly be pleasing? Well, I suppose a lot if you’re going to compare it to a not-so-pleasant stall (i.e. smelly, wet, unflushed toilet, lack of toilet paper, etc.)  So considering each of the three stalls is the same as the one next to it, why do I choose the last? Because when someone else comes in they won’t have to walk past mine and get a glimpse of me through the tiny crack on each side of the door. Well, that’s a possibility. There’s really no real reason why I choose it. I’m just pulled toward that stall.

At home, if someone has just used the bathroom, I feel the need to wait a good 5-10 minutes before I go in there. Even if they were in there for a minute. Something about sitting down on a warm toilet seat freaks me out. Germs. Ew. Lysol is my friend.

You know those grates in the sidewalk. I don’t know why they’re there. I usually can’t see down all the way, most of the time there is just garbage down there. Well I will not step on one. I’m convinced that the instant I put my weight on one that it will be the one time that thing will cave in. Now I’m not a huge gal or anything. I only weigh around 110. So logically I know that the chances of me busting one of those things is small. But none the less I will walk out of my way or jump over one to avoid falling to my (possible) death in a pile of trash. Same goes for sewers. You won’t see me walking/standing/dancing on one of those either.

Hangers. Hangers are an issue for me. I’m beginning to let go, but there was a period there where I was pretty convinced I was losing it. I like my hangers to be all the same color. But I don’t live in a perfect world and thus find that my hangers are often different colors, widths, some have hooks on them and some don’t. So I prefer arranging my hangers in order of color, width, hooks, no hooks. Then I have to hang my clothes in order of most worn to least worn. Of course there’s more order: I have to start with the more casual and then follow with the dressier stuff. So there’s a very complex process to my closet. Once I had all white hangers (yes!) But some were different styles, widths and of course some had hooks. So what did I do? I used different colored markers to label the groups, that way I could easily tell which one belonged to which group. Yes, I realize I’m a little nuts. But as I stated, I’ve calmed down a bit with the hanger situation. I know have green AND white hangers.

I count random things when I’m nervous. Foot steps, square tiles, holes in a shower head, how many times someone says “I” or “the” in a conversation. Of course this is a problem when it comes to people asking me a question because then I’m too busying counting and it’s pretty obvious I wasn’t paying attention.

I just thought I’d share some random quirks with everyone.

Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo has decided it will sell beer and wine this summer in order to remain a free zoo. It’s “rival” zoo (if there is such a thing), the Brookfield Zoo has been selling beer and wine for a few years now and will be adding tropical drinks to its menu this fall.

Lincoln’s chief financial officer states, “It’s a struggle each year to try and increase our revenues. This is one way we feel that we can…We’re free and we’re committed to stay free.”

So…if you’re a struggling zoo, the first plan of action you take is selling booze and what is supposed to be a family environment? “Look Timmy! It’s a bear! Hey, there’s a lion! Oh my god, is that your father playing air guitar in the penguin’s tank?”

The last thing I want to see is a parent stumbling around drunk while their children are marveling at the wonder and excitement of the zoo.

Patrons with “liquor will not be allowed to stroll on zoo grounds. It’ll be confined to [the three] areas with someone there to make sure they don’t leave these areas with any liquor.”

Well just because you confine it doesn’t mean that A. someone won’t find a way around that and B. someone won’t wander away from those areas drunk.

And that’s my 2 cents about that.

Two bands that you should listen to before you die: The Postmarks and My Morning Jacket.

A classmate recommended My Morning Jacket and I went on YouTube to see what I could find. I found a lot, although sadly, poor quality videos. I managed to find one for “Wordless Chorus.” The video isn’t too bad but the sound quality is the best I’ve found so far.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=zXNrfWFjRNk]

They’re a pretty mellow band with awesome beats and a pretty unique sound. I don’t buy many CDs, but I’d be willing to invest in one of theirs. Plus, how could you not love a guy with that awesome fro?! Be sure to check out their Bio !!!

Another band I’ve recently fallen in love with is The Postmarks

I’ve listened to their music and I still can’t even begin to describe them. The RedEye summed it up quite nicely: “The Miami trio’s self-titled album is a calming - but never boring - package of gorgeous and slightly French-sounding dream pop.”

Sounds like a nice mix to me!

Here’s their video for “Goodbye”

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZQhEFPs20JU]

Also check out: “My Little Heart”

Recently I acquired a Nintendo Wii. My first game, aside from Wii Sports, was Cooking Mama: Cook Off I was in Best Buy and saw a preview for this game on one of those small TVs where people sample games and what not. It looked adorable and fun and I think that’s why it was purchased for me.

Cooking Mama really isn’t a game I can see many WoW or Halo fans playing. There’s no guns, bloodshed, swearing or death. Although, if you mess up one of her recipes, Mama’s eyes blaze with fire while holding two knives. She’s still pretty cute though. The game features more than 300 recipes from 10 countries. It also has sweet multiplayer action letting two chefs compete to finish the same dish (think Iron Chef!)

In my opinion, this is a game for the youngins or girls. But guys, if you need a break from saving the universe or killing terrorists, try it. It may not be the best replacement for your gun and grenades, but it certainly is a lot of silly fun.
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Another game I’ll quickly mention is EVE the world’s largest game universe (I got that from their site :D)

I’m actually shamelessly plugging this game because I know somebody on the inside. There’s a chance I may even sign up for a free trial to see what the game is like. Of course I’ll blog my little heart out about my experience….which will probably consist of “I’m lost,” “what’s going on?” and “stop stealing my shit fuckers!”

But if you’re into multiplayer online games, I’d recommend checking it out. The graphics are eff’in awesome in my opinion. I haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but I’ve seen others and even judging by the pictures on their website I’m impressed.

Taken from their review at Plain Games I share with you this quote about the game: “”For gamers who enjoy strategy-based space simulations, EVE Online will be much more appealing than to those who are seeking an online universe to conquer through player skill and how fast you can hit buttons.”

So if you’re tired of WoW or Cooking Mama Check out EVE. If you don’t like it I’ll buy you an ice cream cone.

Check back in a couple weeks and see if I’ve began my EVE and blogging experience. I know you’re dying to find out!
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Ah Vista. A couple months ago I got a new laptop that runs the new Windows OP: Vista. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it and honestly, I’m not really for or against it at the moment. I just wanted to share this article from the Associated Press with you all:

The PC is returning to the pinnacle of video game graphics. Thanks to some under-the-hood tweaks in Microsoft’s Vista operating system, a new breed of visually striking games promises to light up screens with even sharper, more lifelike graphics than ever before.

The technology behind these improved visuals, called DirectX 10, is the result of a collaboration among video game developers, graphics card makers and Microsoft. They have been working to streamline and standardize the software used by Windows-based PCs to display graphics.

DX10 requires a specialized graphics card, and there are only a few games today that take advantage of its capabilities. Though relatively few consumers have yet to upgrade to Vista, dozens of game makers who have been using DX10 believe the benefits of the technology will quickly lure hard-core gamers willing to spend money on the best systems, whatever the cost.

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And finally, one game that I am addicted to: Trauma Center: Second Opinion for the Wii. You play the doctor and cure patients from everything from glass shards in an arm to cancer in the stomach.

I don’t enjoy the side story. I don’t really need drama between nurses and doctors…I just wanna cut people open! It’s fun, interesting and yes…you even learn some fancy medical terminology.

With less than 8 months left of my current school I am beginning my search for a university to attend. Well, I didn’t just begin my search. I’ve been researching on the down low for a few months now. But now that I have a bit of direction and I’ve narrowed down what I’d like to be doing in school I have a better idea of which schools I’d like to apply to.

I half-jokingly and half-seriously contemplated applying to Harvard, just so I could hang up my rejection letter. When people commented on it, I could say at least I applied jerk!! But, I don’t know if I could actually handle the rejection. And to be quite honest…um…have you seen the application for that place?! It’s like 11 pages long! Eff that!

(Mom, don’t freak out….she reads this) But many of my choices are in Boston. There are a couple in Chicago so no worries.  But for the purpose of this blog, I’m going to focus on the schools in Boston because I believe they’re trying to a. steal my soul or b. rob me. I’m going with the latter.

I printed out some applications and lists of required items for applying to the following schools:  Boston University, Northeastern University, Salem State College, Simmons College, Tufts University and University of Massachusetts (Boston).

I figured that’d be a good group to begin with, especially since Tufts is like a crazy good medical university and Northeastern has a really awesome Physiology program that I’d probably kill a person to get into. UMass is cheap and Salem State College is fairly reasonably priced as well. They’d be good schools to spend a year or two at and then kill someone to get into either Tufts or Northeastern. But I figured I’d apply to them all because really, you never know. I could surprise myself and get accepted to Tufts (unlikely.)

But because I am not a resident of the fantabulous state of Massachusetts (I live in Chicago if you already haven’t figured that out) the application fees are ridiculously expensive. $60 for UMass, $40 for Salem State, $75 for Boston University, $65-75 (depending if you submit it online or through the mail) for Northeastern, and $35 for Simmons. That’s a total of $285 on application fees alone! Not even including the fees for transcripts and having been to three schools, that’s three fees per school!

When I applied for colleges back in high school the fees were about $15, maybe $25 at the most. But $75? For what?! And why can’t I get that back if I’m not accepted. I love that a school who rejects me still manages to keep my money. And if I ever decide to apply again, will I have to pay it again? It’s ridiculous!!!

After seeing those costs, I’m thinking about cutting down my options. I feel bad letting an application fee deter me away from going to a really good school…BUT…if I can’t afford $75 I can’t afford it. I’d rather apply to two schools for the price of one.

I would still like to know why colleges feel the need to charge this much money for people to apply? Don’t they make enough money with their already-too-high-tuition? What are the “lab fees” for? How about the crazy prices of books? Applying should be the least of my worries. What if I got in and actually had to pay that outrageous tuition? Yikes.

A friend of mine on LiveJournal was awesome enough to post some pictures of how Chicago transformed bits and pieces of itself for the filming of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight

It appears that Christopher Nolan and his crew have been back in Chicago filming this movie for that last week under a title of another movie: a romance directed by Nolan (likely story!) It didn’t take long for word to spread about the movie actually being filmed. You can’t hide from us Nolan! (Changing a sign on a building in Chicago to Gotham generally won’t go unnoticed.)

Here, the Art Deco landmark building that once housed the local US Post Office, located at 433 West Van Buren, has been turned into the Gotham National Bank.

As of this weekend, Michael Caine Christian Bale and Heath Ledger have all been spotted around town. Ledger will be playing the Joker and IMDB.com has reported that Maggie Gyllenhaal has taken over the role as Rachel Dawes (a role previous played by Katie Holmes).

Pictures courtesy of Meryddian