.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Christmas 2005, originally uploaded by regrodriguez. I got a digital camera for Christmas and I...

Recently the History Channel aired Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas. Here’s my summary of the program because I found it extremely relevant to the annual discussion of the true meaning of Christmas. The following historical facts are from the History...

2006. How did we get to the downhill side of the Double O's? (That's what I think we should call this decade: the "double oh's.")

I used to focus a LOT on trying to meet someone. I believed I was a loser for not having a boyfriend and spent years and a lot of money on dating services like Match.com. My search for a partner built slowly during my 30’s, becoming more desperate as I felt myself...

Okay, there's this girl you're very attracted to and you want to see what might happen, so you ask her out. She says yes and you decide to meet in her neighborhood for lunch. She tells you which train to take and which exit, but on the day of your date, you forget to...

A British guy, Mark McGowan, is planning to crawl on his hands and knees for 55 miles with a sign on his back saying, "Could You Love Me?"The 37-year-old performance artist, who said he is also hoping to raise awareness of people left lonely and isolated during the...

Restaurants are so dramatic. Today as we servers scuttled about preparing to open the restaurant, I saw the head chef making an announcement to the kitchen staff and bussers. I couldn't make out what he was saying (Spanish), but I found out he was saying that...

Friday the stereo system at Nick and Tony's stopped working. I can't say I was always glad to hear the repetitious "Italian" standards, but I liked the Christmas music we had switched to. Now it's just quiet and it feels WRONG for a restaurant to be beautifully...

I feel down today. My restaurant closes next week and I'm starting to feel sad. Those who work in the deli at Nick and Tony's aren't going to be placed at other jobs and today they were pissed, sad and upset and so was I, in sympathy. The general manager was also...

For anyone who wants to eat at the popular Chicago Italian restaurant before it closes, here is my schedule. Ask for me. I'll be working at Nick and Tony's:Sat 12/17 4:00p - 11:00pMon 12/19, 11:30a - 2:30pTue 12/20, 11:30a - 2:30p & 4:00p - maybe 9:00p?Wed 12/21,...

Nick and Tony's Italian restaurant has been my antidote to the frustrating, not-enough-earnings-to-live-on experience I had at Carson's Ribs. I spent ten months getting my basic training as a server at Carson's and I'm grateful for that, but I really hit my stride at...

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Chicago Santa Train, originally uploaded by regrodriguez. In Chicago at Christmastime, we have...

I want to melt through the orange pill chastity belt of chemical calm.I want to heat down the synthetic walls and take back the wheel of my sex drive.I want unshaven scoundrel grin flirting,fingers brushed against cheek.I want wet wet wet wet wet wet wet.I’ve had the...

This is the first time in my "Fat American Life" that I have truly realized how privileged I am. I usually think of myself as a low-income waitress, scraping along compared to the rich Americans I envy, but compared to just about everyone else on the planet, I live a...