There is some big storm heading our way, but the forecasts are contradictory. The Chicago Tribune says rain, with wet snow in the "far Northern and Western sections," but Yahoo says Chicago will get less than one inch of snow and Evanston will get 6 to ten inches of snow. (Evanston boarders Chicago on Chicago's North side.) So I guess there will be rain or snow, and it all depends where the boundary between the rain and the snow ends up....

Yeah, even with my overprotective mother, I would just run home from school, throw my book bag in the door, yell "Goin' out!" and as long as I was in shouting distance, it was all good. (Shouting distance was quite a long range for my mother.)

As long as I was home before the streetlights came on, it was all good.

Cindy, how do you feel about 90 degree temperatures? Also, would you miss snow?

What do people think about the trend of master planned developments? The ones that are trying to recreate the village feel, walkable shops, small enclaves within a larger development, that sort of thing?

Generally too expensive for people who don't already own huge SUVs to live in.

I actually think the master-planned approach is much more friendly and community-building than the endless miles of suburban ranch houses with the nearest store of any kind a mile or two away.

I'm eating yogurt instead of half-price Easter candy. It is an unsatisfactory substitute.

Who can tell me anything about Raleigh, North Carolina. Would I ever want to live there?

Yes! Because that's where my brother and sister-in-law and nieces live so I visit several times a year and then I could see you also!!!

(on the other hand, it is pretty suburban and getting more and more sprawlier although it is also getting more and more diverse as well so it's not total white bread there...)

Unfortunately, the only stores I ever see being built in those master planned communities are "quaint" little boutique things and not an average grocery store, etc., which leads to driving anyway.

Anyone heard of the blog you thought we wouldn't notice...? It's devoted to theft of images.

Apparently, the guy who created the “Boys Are Stupid, Throw Rocks at Them” t-shirt stole an image for one of his shirts from Something Awful. Check it out: [link]

eta: Details: [link] Apparently, the guy traced it....

I actually think the master-planned approach is much more friendly and community-building than the endless miles of suburban ranch houses with the nearest store of any kind a mile or two away.

I've got to go with that. When a developer is actually thinking about community liveability, it ..well, given that my parents have been dealing with trying to keep a developer out who gives no thought to sustainability (trying to get a special annexation to put more units per acre despite the fact that it will severely tax municipal services) much less community... I'd want one of those going in next door over the standard suburb model anyday.

Now, my parents do live in a basic small suburban development in teh boonies that does have a good sense of community, partly I suspect because one end of it is anchored with the local elementary (where my mom now works.) It's gotten to be much more of a community from fighting this jackass developer!