Fake Thunderstorms & Real Snow

Bree and I went to Schaumburg, Illinois today. I'll admit, it wasn't the best day for driving around with a young child. It snowed all day. The roads weren't too bad, but you still had to slow down. That's what every kid wants--more time in the car seat.

Tangent: I still can't believe the car seat laws. I remember when they added the seat belt law. That bothered me as a kid, because before that I wasn't even sitting in the seat! I usually sat between the front seats in my parents' van. Good times.

The Rainforest Cafe is a fun place, especially for a kid that loves animals. The shorty loved all the fake animals and the real fish. She wasn't too convinced about the fake thunderstorms, though. I can't say I totally understood them, either. I understand that it rains frequently in the rain forest (duh), but they'd have the fake thunderstorm and it would instantaneously go from thundering and dark (with limited lightning) to quiet and light. I didn't imagine it working quite like that.


If you're one of the six people in the nation that still has a job, it sure is a fun time to be a shopper. In our adventures, we found a toy store that was going out of business and did our part to help put them out of their misery. Everything in the store was at least 50% off.


Breezy's been asking for remote-controlled toys for a while, and when you can get a cool one that costs less than a ticket at the theatre (and about a quarter of what it's listed for on Amazon right now), that's a pretty reasonable request. She picked out a red (her favorite color of the moment) Corvette. When we got home and she could actually play with it, she told me that it was even more fun than she expected. Man, she's really good at this "buy me stuff" thing she's got going on.


She also wanted a leaf canopy from IKEA. This is another one that's been on the wish list for a while. Well, she still hasn't gotten one. But, if you'd like to make her wish a reality, drop me a line and I'll give you a mailing address. I may get around to it...someday.


On a completely unrelated note, what is the deal with truck commercials? Every single one of them market themselves as the toughest, smartest, and most innovative truck money can buy. All they have truly convinced me of is that they are all liars. I'm sure that if you're a truck manufacturer, being the toughest, smartest, and most innovative truck would be a great selling point, but hasn't anyone considered taking a different approach? For example, maybe one of them could market their comfort for passionate encounters that can't wait until you get home? Surely one of these trucks are good to own if you're hoping to get some action. Aren't they? (I give you the Ford Alton F-650 XUV - the new king of overcompensation.)


Finally, a shout out to Muhsin Mohammad: Yay for you sucking in the playoffs, as per your usual.