Avoid this company at all cost

I don’t usually post about consumer products on the Chicago Weekend Fun Blog but this is something I think really needs to be mentioned. The company known as “Clear” sells 4G wi-max wireless internet products. I see their ads on just about every surface online and offline everywhere I go. I also see their popup stores in every strip mall in Chicago and Naperville that I pass. Clear even have a marketing arm of the company dedicated to going to events and industry groups to talk about their products and make sales.

 I saw their people exhibiting at the Naperville TedX conference this spring. (They were also slated to speak at a Girls in Tech group meeting, but the guy never showed up)

  I was curious about wireless internet for my parent’s house since AT&T declined to sell any more DSL lines in their area due to all the bandwidth being already full/sold and they had no plans to expand coverage for new customers in Downers Grove/Darien anytime soon.

 Since Clear was wireless I was hopeful that this would be a good solution to get my parents off of dial up internet access and the super sluggish slow speeds they experienced through AT&T.

 I was assured by the Clear sales rep that the signal would be strong since they had a cell tower transmitter located on the Darien water tower (shown with a map program he had on his laptop) which was about 4 blocks from the house.

 We took a few weeks to sign up since my parents aren’t that tech savvy and needed some time to learn about the process.  When my dad signed up he opted to do phone service also and this is where the problems began.

 The Clear service people did spend some time on the phone and at the house trying to get things set up but the phone service has never worked properly. The internet has been fine, although I do not recommend them for that service either because of how this has been bungled since the beginning.

 This is a list of what we have been through:

 1. The Phone service did not get turned on for a week after the service was promised.

 2. The configuration was confusing and did not work until they assisted with setup. When they did the call quality was horrible. The sound cuts out every other word and is very scratchy and not at all clear.

 3. Then the service went out again for no reason and has quit about once a week ever since.  It comes back in a day or two without any reason or notification from the company.

 4. They told us that the AT&T service was interfering so it was shut off and the land line was cut to the house so we couldn’t change back per Clear’s Internet/Phone’s request.

 5. Every time my dad calls to cancel the service they string it out longer by trying more strategies to improve the service first and they have never worked or made any difference.  the call quality is still horrible and the cell tower is only 4 blocks away.

 6. At this point the Clear Internet & Phone people should refund the entire 3 months of fees that my parents have paid. They don’t have phone service about 2 days a week, 2 of the 3 phones in the house don’t work because of how the setup works and the quality has been worse than a bad cell phone connection the whole time. Clear should stop offering phone service through VOIP until they get a more reliable network and can handle this on a level consistent with what people need.

 I don’t recommend the Clear service and their handling of the situation would make me avoid them for any internet services also. They have been difficult to deal with, more salesy than is necessary and not very honest about selling something that does not work.

 If you have had a similar situation I recommend reporting them to the Better Business Bureau like I plan to. It is something that businesses should not do, and we as consumers need to be vigilant about reporting things like this so more consumers don’t get taken advantage of.

Everyone was a buzz last night as Evan Lysacek won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada. Chicago is buzzing because Evan Lysacek is from this area originally although he trains in California.

I’m excited because Evan Lysacek is one of the local skaters I saw skating back when I was involved with Figure Skating. To be completely truthful, I had quit my skating due to being a bit old (at 18) and deciding to go to college since that whole Olympic dream thing wasn’t going to happen for me without some big jumps, and I wasn’t really a jumper.

I was teaching Saturday afternoon skating lessons at the Darien Sportsplex after I graduated and this kid was in the yearly ice show tearing up the ice. Everyone said that he was another Timothy Goebel, who was a kid I skated around on practices daily for a few years at Center Ice of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Timothy Goebel went on to win a Bronze medal in 2002 at the Salt Lake City Olympics. I say kid because he was at least 5 years younger than anyone else and he was working on triples when we were still trying to get the double flip right. (I never did) Timothy went on to move to a full time training facility with Carol Heiss Jenkins in Ohio and I went on to Illinois State University.

So, this kid Evan was really something amazing on a local level then, and we’re talking maybe 1998-1999 here. Next thing I know he is Novice Champion in the USFSA magazine, which is a stepping stone to getting noticed by big coaches and he was on his way. I can’t say I knew him nor skated with him, but I am still proud that two guys from this area with the same basics available were able to make it up through the ranks of the best. It does make Naperville proud. (and Darien too)

I am puzzled about how the news is reporting some of the people debating Evan Lysacek’s win and debating the “new” scoring system. I don’t know if the scoring system is the best thing for the sport but I do know that it chose the best skater for the gold. It has been obvious that the change in scoring to a prescribed point value for each element performed has made a blurry system much more clear. What I am not sure about is don’t they disclose the points in a detailed list to the public so we can see what has been given credit and how much, so there is no room for debate? I really think the complaints about the new scoring system would be moot with the detailed list of elements and points for each skater released publicly.

I really think Evan’s program won because of strategy. He and Frank Carrol calculated what Plushenko’s program would score and choreographed something that could out score it without a quad. Its simple math and studying your competition well from the outset. This is legal and what most skaters aim to do. Plushenko did the same thing but he bet that nobody else would skate a clean program because he is often the only one that does. Well, many people did and there were a bunch at the top that all deserved a medal (Johnny Wier and Stephane Lambiel especially) but alas there are only 3 regardless of how clean everyone skates and how much everyone over-trains. Expect the over engineering of many more programs in the future.

On that note, I am not sure about how the system has changed how skaters value their programs because they have gone from jumpfest-gymnastics-tumbling-runs back and forth across the ice to cram everything (serpentine footwork, multiple combo spins, “transitions”) in fests now. I am exhausted looking at the multiple combination spins including the outside edge and many contorting positions while most of this expression in the name of “points” isn’t really fitting with the story or the music for certain skaters. Basically it feels forced.

BUT, on the other hand I do get excited at the use of the full body to complete a movement and in expressing the feelings of the music. After skating, I spent some time dancing and the dance world made the figure skaters look like a bunch of sticks on ice and I am glad that the skaters took notice of that. (even if it took Kristi Yamaguchi on Dancing with the Stars to bring up the topic) Yet it seems like most of the movements are so rehearsed with blank expressions like skaters are sleep walking through it from doing them repetitively every day for months. I guess I do long for the real performers to come back in some middle ground where artistry is in balance with technical difficulty and people really enjoy performing rather than dread it, regardless of the pressure. I also would love to see skaters pushing boundaries and loading programs because they want to innovate and not because they have to.

One thing still plagues almost every skater I see on TV and that is a lack of confidence and the fear of falling. I understand, I was a horrible competitive skater. I would get so sick with nerves I would almost throw up before performing. My lips and hands would turn blue. I would stumble through performances not knowing whether I was coming down straight or completely sideways and sometimes I would forget to breathe. Yea I was that bad. But I was a completely different swing dancer. Something was different after it wasn’t about competitions anymore. I wanted to be in the center of the swing circle for sing-sing-sing every night and I was better when I knew people were watching. I wanted to show off and I wasn’t nervous at all. That was when I found that I did like the spotlight and only then did I loose the nerves. You have to love the crowd whether you fall or not. You have to want to perform for them if it’s 10 people or 5 million. Its not about you, it’s about performing.

My advice (to be taken with a grain of salt as always) for young up and coming figure skaters today is to go out and see other types of performances regularly. This means Ballet, Broadway Theater, Modern Dance, Improv Comedy,  Music Concerts, Opera, and all kinds of sports too. (taking some lessons is a good idea too) Examine how these performers go out on stage and nail it every day without falling. Examine how they bring so much energy to a performance. Look at the way they tell a story and how they use their body to express it. Find what draws you into their performance and how you can do that on the ice. Rewrite the rules of figure skating. It doesn’t exist in a world (with points) by itself anymore. Everything overlaps and inter-relates these days. Find some other arts and sports to pursue in your interest and you will be a more well rounded skater and person. Hopefully you will be more relaxed too.

Where else can you get a brand new 3,000 sq ft dream house for $243,000? Oswego! This would cost $500,000 in Naperville or Wheaton.

Finding New Homes for Sale has been more difficult than I thought.  We never thought we would be looking in Elgin, Oswego, Wauconda or Huntley, IL but we are.

We have been looking for a house to buy for the last 6 months and we haven’t found anything we like that we can afford in Naperville or Wheaton or Glen Ellyn. We have been looking at used homes because these areas of the Chicago Suburbs have all the land already built up.

It turns out that the only places you can find open land in the Chicago area to build a new home on, is the fringe of the suburbs. Some places with new developments that are really affordable we have found are from Town and Country Homes  (sign up for the open house at the link and get a $50 gift card for your time) in  Elgin, Huntley, Oswego and Wauconda.

The plusses of buying a house in Elgin or Oswego are that these are all new homes and you get choices about how you want your home built, what kind of lot you want and what details and finishes you have in your new home. They have luxury finishes and all the open floorplans, custom kitchens and square footage you might want with a growing family.

I have been looking at used homes for 6 months and I can honestly say that there is no choice and no good homes left on the market after the bubble burst sell-off.  Everything we have seen either is on a corner lot (no privacy in the back yard), has wood paneling (glued to wallboard, very hard to remove) or has no basement or is missing some other crucial qualifier for us.

We would like to build our own home and have to start looking out further west than Naperville and Wheaton. The things we would like in a new home would be a large kitchen/family room combo a large dining room for holidays and family events and a nice size master bedroom with good closet space.

We’re also a fan of white woodwork and white kitchens of which you can’t find inNaperville because it was mostly built up in the 1980′s when all oak all the time was popular.

The only negative to living in Elgin or Oswego is that not everyone works out there. Many of us work downtown or in other near-city suburbs and these towns are a long drive from work every day. Sometimes you can catch a Metra train like from Elgin but Oswego people have to go to Aurora to catch one.

We are pretty much ready to consider the long commute to save $150,000 on the price of a home and have a smaller mortgage to worry about. Plus we would get to choose more options on our home ourselves. It sounds like an extra 15-20 minute commute can get you a lot larger home that you are happy with for a very long time. The federal tax credit that goes until April 1 will also be helpful., G

Now that we are racing towards the end of 2009 and the beginning of a new decade in 2010 it’s time to reflect upon how Chicago fared this year.

Early in 2009 most of us in Chicago were just happy that Rod Blagojevichwas slowly dropping out of the news and we didn’t have to hear about him every day anymore. The stupidity and lies involved with that scandal were just disgusting regarding the abuse of power.

Image Via Gawker.com

2009 started out with a flurry of excitement over Barack Obama being elected president and the inauguration in Washington. Yes this was a proud moment for Chicago but it was really a moment for the entire country and we were just happy to be a stop in Barack’s ever changing and evolving successful career. Since then we’ve learned that even if a person has their heart in the right place and wants to make real progress for the nation, it doesn’t mean it will actually happen. Sure, we’re only 1 year into a 4 year term, but besides some small reversals of stem cell and corporate banking and governance laws and the constant life support for the economy we haven’t seen the change we all hoped so much for. Especially regarding Iraq and Afghanistan.

I’m not a political blogger so I don’t really have the patience for all the arguing that goes on with officials in Washington about details of people’s lives half a world away, but the simplified truth is that the war costs an immense amount, we have to take out massive loans to pay for it and those loans need repayment or else the rest of the economy will falter like never before. I can’t see how the governments (national, state and local) can get away with neglecting infrastructure like bridges falling down and schools with failing grades because they say we can’t afford it and by doing so cheat our future, while fighting this very expensive war to provide a hazy goal of future oil and supposedly less future terrorism? Its not working, and the huge bureaucratic system full of people who want the war to continue won’t let Obama change things that the citizens want changed. So, the presidency is becoming less inspirational these days and more tuned out like the last one.

One of the most frustrating events was Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics. Many people got caught up in the possibility of this relatively small city (of 9 million people) hosting that huge international event and with stars in our eyes we plastered posters over any surface possible (and hanging over the edge of the Chicago River Bridge for Michigan Avenue) in hopes to spread the feeling of sport, spirit and rainbows. Unfortunately in a recession where the unemployment rate and foreclosure rate keep climbing, it was difficult to generate excitement about a several billion dollar bill. Most of us see the obvious dollar signs in the eyes of the corporate and government sponsors/hosts and know we the citizens would be footing the bill in many ways. Higher fees for products and services, more congestion, more construction fouling up traffic and most of all; a bevy of new higher taxes were what we avoided by being eliminated by the IOC from the final four in the first round. What a huge relief!

In other Big Chicago News in 2009 Oprah Winfrey announced that 2010 will be her last year hosting the Oprah Winfrey Show. While many people were apathetic about that news we were scared that the headquarters for HARPO Productions would move to LA with Oprah and take with it some of the few notable broadcasting and media jobs still in Chicago. Luckilly they announced that HARPO would stay put for now and they get some juicy tax breaks as a result. Over time Oprah’s show got to be more about sales and marketing promotions for companies and less about real people and the social issues in society which she gained popularity covering through the 80′s and 90′s. Access on the internet to quick and deep disclosure by celebrities about their lives is another reason the show is less of a novelty. Oprah.com has always been a closed site requiring membership to see content and recently I could not even find a copy of the White House Christmas episode online to view. How can they show something like that once and never share it on the internet?

The topic on most people’s minds the most in 2009 has been the economy and jobs. Too few companies are doing ok and everyone knows too many people out of work. The office where I work has about half the staff it had two years ago.  Chicago is one of the fixtures on the rust belt, but many of us thought that had passed with jobs in finance, technology, health care and sales leading the way in Chicago in the last 10 years. Most of that growth seems to be gone and Chicago bounces between 9% and 11.4%, always above the national average. (October (10.3%) is the most recent data available, metropolitan unemployment rates are about 2 months behind)  A few of the big layoffs in Chicago in 2009 were from: The City of Chicago, KPMG, Motorola, Chicago Public Schools, Deloitte, E&Y, Tribune, Conde Nast, Art Institute of Chicago, CTA, Just about every Law Firm, Boeing, CDW, CareerBuilder, Orbitz and many more. As a result of people loosing jobs and being upside down on their mortgages the number of Foreclosed Homes has jumped also. The economy and all the unemployed workers have also framed the Health Care Debate in Washington this year because they have either lost health insurance when they lost their job or many could not afford it to begin with. Some looked to independent insurance like Personal Care Insurance Group Health Plan Illinois and others just went with Blue Cross or without any Insurance all together. We all are responsible for what decisions are made on health care reform and it will affect all of us as we get older and need more health care services.

My hope is that 2010 and beyond will be better since this has been a difficult decade for Chicagoans. While on the surface the city may be cleaner/prettier and have more luxury shopping, hotels and condos, the average citizen probably has not had a great improvement in their finances or job situation on average. We’re a great city filled with hard working and determined people. We have to re-energize the city, refresh the identity of Chicago around our strengths and move forward again. Hopefully things will be in a better place in 2020.

Aaaaahhhhh!!!! Runs screaming from the open house...

Even though we are still feeling the affect of the recession, Chicago open houses are on my calendar this weekend. My husband and I have decided that its time to find a house to settle down in and move from our small 2 br townhouse. We spend a lot of evenings searching through hundreds of real estate listings in the Chicago area to find a diamond in the rough. (and there is a lot of rough!) We probably look at more homes online than most people because the area we are searching to buy in is pretty large. (most of the western suburbs) We also end up rejecting a lot of homes for a lot of reasons that are probably pretty common in this economy.

Something’s gotta give though, and the economy isn’t going  to move forward until all of the people like us (with a 20% down payment ready to go) are able to get past at least one of these barriers and buy a house sometime soon. If you are trying to sell your home these things we’re running up against may provide some insight into why your home isn’t selling yet.

1. Not close enough to the METRA train. Parking is notoriously difficult to get in most west suburban metra stations (like 7 year waiting list long) so a lot of pressure is put on the homes within walking distance to the train, and not just the tracks, the station itself. Homes with 4 bedrooms or more within 6 blocks of the Naperville train station go for $600,000 to $1.5 million. Sometimes I wonder why we even try to find a house in these areas… What is less than that is usually painfully small, painfully out of date or demolished or earmarked for demolition so a McMansion can be built for some rich executive that needs to travel downtown every day.

If we only had the skills of these guys...

2. Kitchens/Baths not recently updated and we’re not Bob Vila or Norm Abrams. (we wish we were though) We can update some things, but a full house rehab is not our cup of tea. We’re going on 2 months on a simple Vanity/Paint/Sink bathroom remodel at home now. We also aren’t Richy-Rich enough to afford someone else doing the renovation either. I think if one room needs an overhaul that is ok, if the entire house needs it, the house gets rejected. (about 90% of what I see online is in this category)  Everyone knows that once you have kids you won’t ever have any money to renovate again, so it’s either included when you buy the house or it never happens and you have a lifetime of relatives trying to politely avoid Christmas Eve invitations. This is why there is so much pressure to get a recently updated house. Just watch HGTV’s suite of 12 million shows on how to quickly and cheaply update and stage a home to sell. They’re actually very good at it. Just don’t believe how fast its done in. That part is not true. (and a test: if your kitchen cabinets have hinges on the outside of the door that are visible OR have an oak strip across the bottom of a white laminate cabinet door, you need to get them replaced or refaced before selling. And Advice: all wood tones go out of style within a few years, get white instead! Likewise, if you have flourescent tube lights in the celing with a fake window pane cover, they need to go now!)

3. Pre-Recession home pricing. I have switched from using Realtor.com’s site listings to using Redfin.com. There you can see the past sale history of the home you are looking at if it is publicly available. (it usually is if its been sold within the last 15 years) If we see that the home was purchased at the top of the real estate bubble in 2006-2007 and they want the same price for it now, no-way-Jose. The entire Chicagoland metropolitan area has declined in value about 20% from then and the people who price accordingly are the ones selling. If your home is not updated, take off the mandatory 20% plus the cost of renovating the rooms that need it. I had to sell my condo at 20% less than the value, how can I go pay a premium for someone else’s home?

The holy grail of kitchens, celing height cabinets, lots of storage, an island and white cabinets!!!

4. Its already contingent on a sale. You would be surprised how fast a home sells if it’s had the kitchens/baths recently updated (within the last 10 years)  and its price is about 20% lower than the peak. Maybe a week and its sold. So if your goal is to move out of town and loose that mortgage payment to start your new job and life somewhere else, this is how to do it. And by recently updated we don’t mean super fancy, just nice basic stuff is way better than a 1972 kitchen. (and there are surprisingly still thousands of 1972, 1961 and 1985 kitchens out there. It’s been a trend lately that as soon as we find a house that has dropped the price with the market and it looks like its in good working shape, it’s contingent. One loophole we are hopeful about is possibly finding Foreclosed Homes or Short Sales. We know some are in bad shape, but a lot of the homes being foreclosed on are recently renovated or built when the bubble was high and are still in nice shape. One thing that makes this difficult is the length of time it takes to close with the bank that owns them.

5. Near water and/or has a pool. (hot tubs are not great either, and why on earth do you have a professional Bowling Alley in your basement of a 4 bedroom ranch?) I am not a swimmer so pools, lakes, rivers, retention ponds, hot tubs and bowling alley’s scare me. Ok not the last one. I just don’t have extra cash to maintain these water works (waterfalls in the backyard are also a bad idea, difficult to maintain) so remove them if possible. Plus, who wants to sit in a Hot Tub where the last owners got-it-on anyway???

6. Sometimes the home has been discounted but the Property Taxes are still too high. This is difficult because some homes are discounted heavily and the taxes are almost as much as the mortgage payment from 2007 levels. No county or town is going to lower them without a serious fight either. They are short on budgets and cash also. So, these usually are excluded too. If you can re-negotiate your property taxes before you sell this will be a huge help to getting it sold faster.

So, I will not be spending my weekend frolicking in the leaves at Morton Arboretum where I would like to be. It is very likely we will be walking through open homes for sale and trying to find one that is affordable, nice and in a good location, but judging from the last month or so it may be a while…

I just wanted to share the list of streets closed for this weekend’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon in the city. If you live downtown or up north in Chicago, beware of parking bans and getting your car towed tonight also in addition to these streets that will be inaccessible. Most streets re-open on Sunday afternoon when the race is over, but some streets take longer to clear and won’t be open again until Monday morning. If you are viewing/cheering the Chicago Marathon, take public transportation downtown. If you live in the area, I recommend staying in for the weekend, or using public transit. Driving will be difficult. But then again its just once a year.

The following information was provided by the Chicago Police Department.

Please note that although the Bank of America Marathon is on Sunday, some street closures will be in effect as early as Thursday evening.

Bank of America Chicago Marathon Date: Sunday, 11 Oct 09

Start Time: 7:30 am

Start Location: Monroe and Columbus

Finish Location: Columbus north of Roosevelt Street

Closures for site set up, event and teardown:

• Columbus from Roosevelt to Congress Pkwy- Closed: Friday, 09 Oct 09 at 10am Opened: Monday, 12 Oct 09 at 6am
• Columbus from Congress Pkwy to Jackson- Closed: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3am Opened: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 4pm
• Columbus from Jackson to Monroe- Closed: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3am Opened: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 11am
• Columbus from Monroe to Randolph- Closed: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3 am Opened: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 9:30am
• Balbo from Columbus to LSD- Closed: Thursday, 09 Oct 09 at 7pm Opened: Monday, 12 Oct 09 at 6am
• Balbo from Michigan to Columbus- Closed: Friday, 10 Oct 09 at 10am Opened: Monday, 12 Oct 09 at 6am
• Congress Pkwy from Michigan to Columbus- Closed: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3am Opened: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 4pm
• North & South Congress Circle Michigan to Congress Pkwy- Closed: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3am Opened: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3pm
• Jackson from Michigan to Columbus- Closed: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3am Opened: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 11am
• Jackson from Columbus to LSD- Closed: Saturday, 10 Oct 09 at 6am Opened: Monday, 12 Oct 09 at 6am
• Monroe from Michigan to LSD- Closed: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 3am Opened: Sunday, 11 Oct 09 at 9:30am

For further marathon route and information go to chicagomarathon.com There will be rolling street closures and streets will be opened as soon as it is safe to do so. Also check the Chicago CTA website for updates on how they have modified the bus routes for the weekend and added extra trains to handle crowds.

Eddie Izzard just announced that he will be back in Chicago performing his Stripped 2 The Big Intimacy Standup Comedy Tour to a larger crowd than ever at the United Center on January 8th 2010. The tickets go on pre-sale this morning Sept 14th at 10 am through Ticketmaster with the code Bees. Otherwise there are general tickets available to the public starting on Sept 21st at 10 am. The Eddie Izzard show tickets are be between $45-$75 each .

Eddie Izzard was last seen in Chicago in the spring of 2008 with the Stripped tour, selling out 3 nights at the Chicago Theater on State Street. I saw 2 of the 3 shows and he was creative and funny in different ways each night. I wonder in a huge stadium like United Center (that seats 23,000 people) if the intimacy is really just irony? I know they bring huge LED screens for shows like this, and really big speakers, but the reason people go to concerts in person (in the middle of January in Chicago) is to see that person up close and personal and I am not sure that this will be possible in this venue.

I have enjoyed many shows in the United Center, but it is an elliptical warehouse (not ornate and beautiful like the Chicago Theater) and is better suited for shows like ice capades, the circus or hockey. It is hard to see anything about any one person on a stage from the nosebleed seats. Unless Eddie Izzard pops up playing the giant pipe organ built into the stadium for Chicago Bulls Games and comes down to the stage on a wire, there won’t really be too many staging surprises.

That said, if you are a true fan of Eddie Izzard’s comedy, irreverence and improvisational style you will probably go anyway. I plan to. It was 6 years between Izzard Standup Comedy tours last time and only 2 years between visits is a gift. I have found more and more comedians and TV personalities mimicking Eddie Izzard’s tangential rambling improvisational style (I’m looking at you Craig Ferguson) lately but nobody compares to the original. Improvisation and comedy is big in Chicago with Second City training school(as well as MainStage polished shows) and IO Theater (the longform peeps) bringing hundreds of young aspiring comedians and actors to the city from all over the country to try to make it big. We have a huge following for shows like that because we remember our roots when the Compass Players started up at the University of Chicago and then many years later Chicago was the training center for SNL. It is one of the few defining and unique characteristics about Chicago. I know there are enough comedy fans here to support this show if they get the word out and we know Chicago loves improv.

If you are still reading this article and don’t know who Eddie Izzard is, you may want to look up some information on Wikipedia about him or head over to YouTube for a few clips of his work. Some notable pieces of information about Eddie Izzard is that he is from the UK and is a transvestite. Most of the time these days you see him in traditional menswear but his fans aren’t particular about his clothing because the comedy is the same either way. Eddie Izzard has branched off into acting in dramatic roles in the last decade or so after conquering the UK with his comedy in the late 1990′s. You may have seen him on The Riches on FX last year or the year before. He also pops up in movies in supporting roles (mostly bad guys or quirky side kicks since he is British) and is slowly morphing his look into a combination of Richard Branson and Tim Curry as he gets older. (its not a bad thing)

Eddie Izzard most recently completed running 40 marathons across and around the UK through August and September to benefit Sport Relief charity organization and yes, I donated. This was a truly inhuman feat that nobody thought anyone would/could do, and hopefully it helped the charity organization more than it hurt Eddie’s knees.  If nothing else, we never quite know what Eddie will do next. Eddie Izzard’s comedy style is a conversational one with the ability to jump to new tangents and bring back characters in callbacks later in the show. He also uses History, Religion, Society, Animals and Everyday things as the subject matter for his work, which stays fresh longer than political comedy and relates to a wider audience. He does swear but isn’t necessarily a blue comic and the content is mostly PG-13 rated with a dash of R from time to time for variety.

Eddie Izzard’s fans feel close to him because in many ways his comedy is quite personal. Many of us have had a revelation or two after seeing his comedy and his positive attitude has inspired many people to take on their daily lives with a new appreciation for the humor and irony rather than the monotony and unfairness of it. Eddie Izzard has also produced a couple documentaries about himself as he was gaining popularity and touring the US and UK in the 1990′s. These behind the scenes short films give you a feeling that he is just a regular guy you might know down the block and you route for him to succeed. He also has been nice enough to do meet and greets and autograph signings after many small shows over the years and many people know him to be a pretty nice guy. So, those are some of the reasons that his fans are so loyal and you should go see his show. If you have never seen the comedy genius of Mr Izzard, go buy the DVDs on Amazon or rent them from Netflix and I will see ya at the show when we’re freezing our arses off in January.

The Chicago International Film Festival is a little event run by a few people on a shoestring budget but it packs a big punch. Somehow, the Chicago International Film Festival manages to get access to the latest independent films and often times show the award winners that year before they have gone mainstream. This year the Chicago International Film Festival has done it again, they have found some really interesting unique films that may not be shown in Chicago otherwise and are presenting them October 8th through the 21st, 2009.

This year the festival has changed formats slightly, locating all the showings in one theater rather than at 4 or 5 across Chicago (which I always found confusing). The one theater you need to know about in order to see these amazing new films is the AMC River East on Illinois Street.

45th Chicago International Film Festival
October 8 – 21, 2009
150 films from more than 40 countries.
All in two weeks. All under one roof.
AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.)

The films available this year look better than usual. I normally have interest in 2-3 films, but this year almost all of them look like something I would be curious about.

Tickets aren’t cheap but they aren’t any more than the regular price of a movie either. The Gala Events bring in celebrities that you wouldn’t normally see in Chicago and can be worth the extra money for the experience of the event.

SAVE UP TO 40% OFF Your ADMISSION!
If you buy now, get an extra $10 off your order with the promo code 45FEST09, valid until 9/23.

You can purchase tickets now online at: CHICAGOFILMFESTIVAL.COM

the Chicago International Film Festival Packages are:

MOVIEGOER (10 admissions)
$80 for Cinema/Chicago members; $110 for non-members

PASSPORT (20 admissions)
$155 for Cinema/Chicago members; $210 for non-members

GALA PASS (4 admissions to Gala Presentations)
$80 for Cinema/Chicago members; $100 for non-members

There are a limited number of Chicago International Film Festival Gala Passes are available. The Moviegoer and Passport Passes are not valid/available for/including Gala Presentations. All passes are not valid for Opening Night or Closing Night.

Individual tickets on sale September 23
$9 for Cinema/Chicago members, students, and seniors; $12 for regular admission

Gala Presentation event tickets
$20 for Cinema/Chicago members; $25 for non-members

Some of the movies I plan on seeing are:

The Chicago Theater hosts the Gala Event for the Chicago International Film Festival

Motherhood

(Gala Presentation) – USA
Director: Katherine Dieckmann. Uma Thurman is in a charming, high-energy comedy as a beleaguered Manhattanite just trying to survive another day of the madness that comes with raising two young kids (and a husband and best friend).

Made in China – USA – Director: Judi Krant
Wes Anderson’s whimsy meets David Mamet’s love of duplicity in the peppy, comic tale of a wide-eyed Texas hayseed who travels to China to find a manufacturer for the novelty product he hopes will put him right up there with the guy who invented the whoopee cushion

Hipsters / Stilyagi – Russia – Dir: Valery Todorovsky
Moscow, 1955. Soviet uniformity is the order of the day, but incurring the wrath of all the grim-faced comrades in Russia isn’t enough to stop a group of young “hipsters” from donning outrageous threads, puffing up their pompadours, pushing up their cleavage, throwing back martinis, and shakin’ their hips. Could this romantic, infectiously fun musical be this year’s Slumdog Millionaire?

It’s August and all the stores in Chicago would like a share of your pocketbook this season in back to school supplies, clothes, shoes and college dorm necessities. Some have great sales starting already, other stores will start the back to school sales in Chicago this week. Most kids start school in a few weeks and want new backpacks, lunchboxes, supplies and of course jeans, gym shoes and stylish accessories.  Kids don’t care very much about whether there is a back to school sale running or not, but they do need some new stuff.

Yet, this year we are still in a recession and the economic activity is restrained, so how much new stuff will people really buy? Or can you get more use out of last year’s backpack and lunchbox? Maybe it’s not the time for a cell phone for the kids just yet? This year’s back to school buying season may be more about sales than ever.

If you want to afford the things you need for the lowest prices check out these tips for saving money and stores and where to find Chicago back to school sales and discounts.

1. Skip the non-necessities.I don’t think it’s the year for coach purses, 7 for mankind jeans or new iphones. I think most families are looking for back to school sales in Chicago this year on back to school items and are more likley to re-use things they have around the house. If you can get some life out of cleaning up last year’s backpack, lunchbox, gym shoes or get by with last year’s calculator, people are doing that.

2. Look for the back to school sales. You need to look around at all the sales to get a feel for the best prices. The best way to do this is to research online first, but beware some stores can charge different prices for items online than they do in the store. Look for fliers online to check store prices before you drive all over town. Target, Walmart and most department stores like Carson’s and Macy’slist the flyer online in image format to view. Getting the Sunday paper is also a good deal this year because those back to school sale flyers are delivered to your doorstep. Many office supply stores have school supplies on sale, check Office Max and Office Depot and Staples flyers.

3. Consider unusual stores for even more discounts. Maybe the dollar store has more value than you might think? Sometimes general items like notebooks, folders, markers and glue can be found cheaper at a dollar store and if you don’t like the brand label, cover it with stickers or remove it all together and decorate the bottle with a sharpie.  The worst place to buy school supplies is usually the grocery store, they never have sales, have very little selection and always have high prices. Sometimes you can find daily deals on the wise bead blog for office supplies at stores you would not expect.

4. Buy used expensive itemslike computers and cell phones instead of new if possible. You can buy unlocked cell phones on ebay or sign a contract to get a cell phone for free with a plan. Computers last longer than you might think, and with some refreshing of the software and cleaning of the hard drive many used desktop and laptop computers are perfectly good for a few more years after someone sells them. Look for deals on ebay or with a friend that does IT work.  IT guys always know when companies are getting new computers and selling the old ones cheap. They also know how to refurbish them. Good friends to have.

5. If in doubt, wait on buying new back to school clothes. If you need some quick shiny new clothes to get into the first month of school with check out Old Navy’s sales and H&M for teens. The styles are hip and the prices are low. Plus the long sleeve stuff isn’t really wearable yet because it’s too warm. In September and October all the fall stuff will be on more discount and even cheaper than the 10-25% offnow. Plus most discounts are listed as “specially marked items only” anway. Also, for teens buying gently used clothes at Plato’s Closet is always a good idea. They charge less than half the original price for some very cool brands.

6. Stick to the back to school list. Don’t deviate from the list and let the kids get extra stuff, or buy extra stuff for yourself! It is easy to toss extra cool new stuff in the cart, but if you have a budget to stick to, the list is the best guide.

The 2009 Chicago Bears have started the preseason games already and it isn’t long until the regular Football season is in full swing. Whether you are a casual fan or a dedicated fantasy football die hard who also attends home games at Soldier Field, you will want to know where to find the scheduled games on TV in Chicago. Most of the Chicago Bears Games in 2009 will be broadcast locally on WFLD Fox Channel 32 in Chicago or NBC Channel 5. A few are on the NFL network and also ESPN. Those are on channels cable and will be different depending on your cable provider. One thing is for sure, this year the 2009 Chicago Bears have a lot of hope for a great football season because they have Jay Cutler as the new quarterback this year.  All times below are listed in Chicago time CST.

The Chicago Bears 2009 Game Schedule with TV channel info

Preseason games -

August
DAY  DATE  OPPONENT  TIME (CT)   RADIO TV/RECAP L
Sat. 15 Chicago Bears vs @ Bills 6:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio WFLD Channel 32 TV Lost 27-20
Sat. 22 Chicago Bears vs NY GIANTS in Chicago 7:00 PM WBBM 780AM Radio WFLD Channel 32 TV Won 17-3
Sun. 30 Chicago Bears vs @ Denver Broncos 7:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio NBC Channel 5 TV Won 27-17

September
DAY  DATE  OPPONENT  TIME (CT)   RADIO TV/RECAP
Thu. 3 Chicago Bears vs BROWNS in Chicago 7:00 PM WBBM 780 AM WFLD Channel 32 TV Won 26-23

Regular season games - 

September
DAY  DATE  OPPONENT  TIME (CT)   RADIO TV/RECAP
Sun. 13 Chicago Bears vs @ Packers 7:20 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, NBC Channel 5 TV Lost 15-21
Sun. 20 Chicago Bears vs STEELERS in Chicago 3:15 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, CBS Channel 2 TV Won 17-14
Sun. 27 Chicago Bears vs @ Seahawks 3:05 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV Won 25-19

October
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT) RADIO TV/RECAP
Sun. 4 Chicago Bears vs LIONS in Chicago 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV Won 48-24
Sun. 18 Chicago Bears vs @ Falcons 7:20 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, NBC Channel 5 TV Lost 14-21
Sun. 25 Chicago Bears vs @ Bengals 3:15 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV Lost 10-45

November
DAY  DATE  OPPONENT  TIME (CT)   RADIO TV/RECAP
Sun. 1 Chicago Bears vs BROWNS in Chicago 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, CBS Channel 32 TV
Sun. 8 Chicago Bears vs CARDINALS in Chicago 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV
Thu. 12 Chicago Bears vs @ 49ers 7:20 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, NFLN Cable Only
Sun. 22 Chicago Bears vs EAGLES in Chicago 7:20 PM WBBM 780 AM NBC
Sun. 29 Chicago Bears vs @ Vikings 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM FOX

December
DAY  DATE  OPPONENT   TIME (CT)   RADIO TV/RECAP
Sun. 6 Chicago Bears vs RAMS in Chicago 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV
Sun. 13 Chicago Bears vs  PACKERS in Chicago 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV
Sun. 20Chicago Bears vs  @ Ravens 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV
Mon day Night Football Dec 28 Chicago Bears vs VIKINGS in Chicago 7:30 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, ESPN Cable Channel

January
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT) RADIO TV/RECAP
Sun. 3 Chicago Bears vs @ Lions 12:00 PM WBBM 780 AM Radio, FOX Channel 32 TV

The Garrett Popcorn Shops will open a new store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago this summer replacing the one on North Michigan Avenue that closed last year. Their presence on the Mag Mile was missed by locals and tourists alike. Their flavored popcorn is such a Chicago Classic and we are glad to see that they will be back. The new Garrett Popcorn Shop will be located on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Ontario Street. Look for the new store to open in late summer, (August?). Everyone loves the caramel popcorn but there is a large range of flavors available, all are great to try. Check them out the next time you are downtown shopping.