O! O! Osterizer!

I found this Osterizer Model 432 at a thrift store this past Sunday, for $10. It's vintage 1957, or thereabouts.

What a score! I love these things. No vintage kitchen appliance collection is complete without a retro beehive blender. This is my third one. Margaritas, anyone?

.Dinner on the Pirate Ship

Last Thursday, Tory and I had dinner at Schwa.

There's not a lot to be said about Schwa that hasn't been raved about already. Just check out their Yelp page. It's impossible to get reservations, there are no waiters, you must bring your own bottle (and don't forget one for the kitchen, too), and you'll enthuse about your dining experience to all your friends for long afterward.

.Be careful what you bring home

Don't bother to read this post unless you've got the junk bug pretty bad...

One of my favorite places to shop is Alleymart.

Chicago's old growth neighborhoods have hundreds of square miles of alleys, and on any given day one can find a variety of interesting things being put out for the sanitation engineers.

.How to fill your bungalow with oriental carpets for little or no money

I love oriental rugs. One of the best parts about owning a bungalow with 3/4" hardwood floors is that you can use them to show off your collection of rugs.

.The Demolition Sale

I'm an incurable shopper.

I've been to lots of different types of sales over the years, but my recent visit to a demolition sale was a first for me. I'm familiar with estate sales where they liquidate the contents of a house, but at a demolition sale they liquidate the house itself, one piece at a time.

.Disaster Averted

The other day I called the gas company. I know, that's probably your idea a fun night out, too...

.Great Article on Repair Services in Chicago

I like Chicago Magazine.

Mostly it's the New Yorker style writing and the obligatory monthly crime and corruption story. The graft stories are kind of like the literary equivalent to Law and Order, somewhat cerebral, and rather fascinating.