November 2008 Archives

Posted - Nov. 27, 2008 - 9:00 a.m.

Check out my cube-stie Kyra Kyles' RedEye cover story about house guest pains.

She talked to an etiquette expert about the rules of housepitality, and devised a list of the most common annoying guests. Here are some of my faves:

>> high-maintenance houseguest: "You'd better have purchased tickets to the theater, made dinner reservations, planned a welcome party and rented a Segway if you want to meet this houseguest's high expectations. High-maintenance guests expect to be entertained from the moment you pick them up from the airport to the time they head home."

>> the rock star: "Hope you're not too attached to that nightstand in your guest bedroom. The Rock Star will probably break it in half before the visit is over. Also expect your liquor stash to evaporate, a hole to appear in one of your walls, and you may even be missing a piece of silverware or two when it's all said and done. The one thing you shouldn't expect: an offer to pay for the damages."

What are some of your houseguest horror stories? Will your pad double as The Holiday Inn this month?

Posted 3:44 p.m., Nov. 26

Of course Spencer is blabbing about the his marriage.

In a statement, according to Usmagazine.com, Spencer said: "We had a beautiful ceremony here at One & Only Palmilla officiated by a minister and photographed by the hotel photographer...We've never been happier."

"Like other elopements that happen outside the country, we'll take care of the legal details when we get home," he said.

You better believe MTV's got footage too. Cameras are still down in Mexico with Speidi.

"MTV is currently filming Heidi and Spencer in Mexico, as we were expecting to capture them on vacation," Hills exec producer Liz Gateley told MTV News. "Fans will be able to see the exclusive footage from the ceremony in an upcoming episode, and we will continue to follow the newlyweds' relationship as it plays out in real life."

Posted - Nov. 26, 2008 - 10:36 a.m.

Hello, divo.

Dwight Eubanks, who served as a catty fashion adviser to "real" housewife NeNe Leakes, proclaimed himself a divo during last night's "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reunion.

A divo is a male diva. Check out Time Out New York's guide to being a divo.

Not to be confused with Devo.

Posted 11:59 a.m., Nov. 25

Heidi's sis Holly looked upset at the news Heidi married Spencer. I would be if I was her sister and Spencer treated me and my family badly whenever he was around.

Holly was on the Hills After Show and hadn't seen the cover of Us Weekly til she was at the studio for the show.

And she found out about Speidi via text. And then Holly and her mom were frantically trying to call Heidi. "Everybody was pretty upset," she said.

Even though she put on a brave face and said she supported her sis, the tears started for Holly when she heard Speidi got married days ago.

Here's what Heidi's dad Bill Montag told People.com: "I would be upset if she got married and didn't invite me!...Then we just have to have another wedding here!” Remember that this is Heidi's birth dad, not her stepdad in Colorado who clearly dislikes Spencer like we all do.

Only Heidi's dad Bill likes Spencer. He supposedly recently told Life & Style (before finding out Speidi got hitched) that he'd be happy if Spencer was his son-in-law. “Spencer’s a great, great kid,” he said. “Every father wants his daughter to be with someone like Spencer, believe me."

Posted Nov. 25 at 11:38 p.m.

What's up my 95thers all the way on the southernmost tip of the Red Line?  This news is for you. Today, the CTA announced a meeting for the extension of the Red Line, and act that -- if funded -- would take the tracks down to 134th Street.  Good news for rider who have to deal with annoying feeder buses just to get to the Red Line each morning and evening.  Below are more deets on the meet. 

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at

Thursday, Dec. 4 at

Posted 11:23 p.m., Nov. 24

If you missed one of the best episodes, click here:

Posted 11:15 p.m., Nov. 24

Lots of drama, tears and yelling. Here's the best quotes of the episode:

#1: “Audrina is crazy...She thinks I hooked up with him, like totally serious...It’s so insane...It’s insulting on so many different levels. She's calling me a bad friend. She's calling me a shady person. She's calling me a slut and she's saying I would hook up with him. Yes, Audrina I did. I couldn’t resist his charm and his manners and his impeccable hygiene. I was under the Justin Bobby spell." - Lauren to Lo on the rumor she hooked up with Justin Bobby

Translation: Is this a joke cause I would never touch him.

#2: “Me and Lauren? Well, what is there to talk about?...You think after all this, I would run and hook up with Lauren?...I told you no it didn’t happen. If you don't want to believe me, then I don't know what else to tell you. But you can't talk to me the way you talked to me...I would never talk to you the way you talked to me...This is bulls---...I find it so immature, I don’t even want to talk to you at all...You're pleading like you're so innocent about this. It's not only you Audrina. It's affected all of us...You know what, I've got to go dude. This is so stupid. You put something in your head and you think you really believe it when it's really fictitious. There's something not right there dude." - Justin Bobby to Audrina about the rumor

Translation: If I said I didn't do it, I didn't do it.

#3: “I told you no...It's sad that you don’t believe me...I'm so insulted and hurt at the same time…Do you understand what you’re accusing me of?.. You're supposed to believe me because I'm a friend and have never been anything but to you...Audrina, I’d rather kill myself than hook up with him. He’s disgusting. Justin disgusts me." - Lauren to Audrina

Translation: I told you no multiple times. It didn't happen. What more do I need to say for you to believe it?

#4: "I'm here to talk and not get into a huge fight Lauren...You’re doing the same thing you did to Heidi to me.” - Audrina to Lauren

Translation: You're treating me the same way you treated Heidi and not talking to me about the situation.

#5: “You’re way worse than Heidi. You went and you did this, and you know me.” - Lauren to Audrina

Translation: You're the one who can't let this rumor go and upsetting yourself.

#6: “If it isn’t little miss traitor...It's one thing that Heidi and I definitely have in common is unloyal sisters." - Spencer to Holly

Translation: I can't believe you would come to our house after you've been living at the Conrad casa.

#7: "I think Stephanie and I both have had Heidi's best interests at heart. I think you’re the only person who doesn’t really to be honest, cause all you care about is yourself.” - Holly to Spencer

Translation: You're such a jerk. I don't know what my sister sees in you.

#8: “I hear from Stephanie that you’re living with Lauren and do you know how badly that hurts me? Lauren was my best friend, who I've gone through so much with and obviously I miss her." – Heidi to Holly

Translation: I can't believe you're living with Lauren after I kicked you out.

#9: "I don’t want a friend who's going to treat me that way. Unless she apologizes to me, I’m done. I'm so done." - Lauren to Lo about Audrina

Translation: She's the one dragging my name through the mud and tabloids.

#10: “I feel like if you have somebody that loves you so much then they want every part of your life to be great and he's been doing nothing but push everybody away, all your friends away." – Holly to Heidi

Translation: Can't you see how bad and controlling Spencer is?

Posted 10:00 p.m., Nov. 24

So, Audrina may have lost her BFF Lauren and BF Justin Bobby in the same episode all because of a rumor that Lauren and Justin Bobby hooked up.

This is the biggest rumor since the one that Lauren had a sex tape with Jason.

Nobody believes it except Audrina, who still doesn't even though both Lauren and Justin have denied it multiple times.

Can't blame Lauren for being insulted even though Audrina says Justin and LC have flirted and She-Pratt says Justin has hooked up with Audrina's friends.

Can't blame Justin either for not calling Audrina back when we hear the type of message Audrina had left him, dropping f-bombs.

And Audrina still doesn't get what she's done wrong. How many times does she have to ask them if they both hooked up and how does she not understand she's accusing them of it?

Audrina says she's meeting with Lauren to resolve things but then brings up Heidi's name, telling Lauren she's doing the same thing to Audrina as she did to Heidi. Nice comeback by LC, telling Audrina she's way worse than Heidi.

Lauren has made it clear that Justin Bobby is not her type - disgusting and impeccible hygiene.

The other scene stealer is Holly, who tries to make Heidi see how bad Spencer is for her, how he pushes everyone away. When she shows up to talk to her sister, Spencer greets Holly by calling her a traitor. Nice. Usual Spencer.

And when Holly visits Heidi's work (where she's now in a cubicle after being booted from her office, Heidi is in denial that Spencer wouldn't tell her that her sister stopped by to see her. She even tests him when she comes home (though it looks like another night) and he still doesn't tell Heidi Holly stopped by.

Everybody else sees how bad Spencer is for her, why doesn't she see it?

Posted 2:50 p.m., Nov.24

I had such high hopes for Heidi that she'd eventually wise up and get rid of Spencer. But no.

What does she do instead? Elopes with Spencer!

That's right. That's what they did on Nov. 20 in Cabo.

"The minute we said our vows, I couldn't stop crying," Heidi told UsMagazine.com.

Perez Hilton first reported the news and says there were no family members present at the ceremony.

What no "stalker mom?" Not too surprised since everybody in Heidi's family hated Spencer. Bet things will be awkward over the holidays if spent with the Montags.

Heidi told Us mag she did talk to her mom before marrying Spencer.

"I called her right before the ceremony, sort of hinted that something that happened, but her reaction was to ask me if we were breaking up! I told her it might be something else, and she said, 'Well, if you ever plan on getting married just know that your stepdad is really upset that you want your father to walk you down the aisle,'" Montag said.

"She was starting so much drama, it kind of pushed me toward wanting to get married without that," she adds. "I don't know when I'll tell her."

Well, she probably knows now.

And it looks like the reunion we all hoped for with Heidi and Lauren won't be happening. Remember Lauren said the only way was if she wasn't with Spencer?

I'm surprised they didn't invite the paps to capture the moment, like they do with other cheesy photo ops. Maybe it's because they wanted to sell the pics for mucho dinero. UsWeekly has the pics and will feature Speidi on the cover on Wednesday.

Ugh. And if you really want to be sick, read what UsMagazine said Spencer said to his bride. 

"Heidi, from the moment you came into my life, I knew my life would never be the same without you. You are the light in my life like the sun to the earth! Your loving warmth makes me want to be a better person. Being with you, I feel complete. I'm honored to even be able to call you my wife. You are the most amazing, loving and caring woman on this planet. I will love you forever and always."

Audrina seems to be on Team Heidi these days.

"I'm so happy for them! When we all hang out, those two cannot keep their hands off each other. They are so in love and have stuck by each others side. I can't wait to see pictures!" Audrina told PerezHilton.com.

Posted - Nov. 24, 2008 - 11:42 a.m.

The word infanticipating, which means expecting a baby, caught my eye this weekend in this New York Daily News celebrity gossip roundup about Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish.

Apparently I'm late to the party (baby shower?) because this word has been around for awhile. If you're interested in celebrity baby news, and really, who doesn't want to be enlightened about Bronx Mowgli Wentz?, check out the Celebrity Baby Blog, which once had a section devoted to infanticipation.

Posted 1:37 p.m., Nov. 21

If you can't wait a few more days to the Hills, neither can I. It looks like such a good episode. We finally see what happened with the whole Justin Bobby hookup rumor, another friend makes Lauren cry and Spencer is still up to his old tricks - that don't even seem to phase Heidi.

Posted 1:30 p.m., Nov. 21

So what does Brody think about Lauren's boyfriend - who we never see on camera and just read about in the tabloids - Kyle Howard?

"He's cool. I like him a lot," he told Usmagazine.com. "I see him surfing out in Malibu all the time. He's a very cool guy."

If Brody says it, we believe it. He's always seemed to have Lauren's best interests at heart.

Posted - Nov. 19, 2008 - 1:09 p.m.

RedEye ran a Houston Chronicle story today about the success of the Daily Candy book that came out a few months ago.

The story included a slanguage glossary. Here are some of my favorite words. (All definitions are courtesy of the Daily Candy.)

>> decibelle: "a woman who, after a couple of drinks, suddenly cannot control the volume of her voice"

>> haitress: "the crotchety waitress who clearly doesn't care about getting a good tip"

>> ickyyaki: "scary-looking sushi"

>> margarithim: "Pronounced margareet-him, the act of drinking a margarita to loosen up before meeting a guy. As in 'If you're interested, you're going to have to margarithim."

For other Daily Candy faves, check out this previous post.

Posted Nov. 19 at 12:40 p.m.

For those of us who have had to dig for, and straighten, crumpled bills to reload cards as well as those of us who have been incensed by glitches with Chicago Card/Plus, today's exclusive story in the Chicago Tribune may give you cause for celebration.

To summarize, within a year, the CTA will enable riders to use smart credit and bank debit cards to pay for their rides.  It's kind of "Total Recall" meets "Matrix," by CTA standards, and it's all the rage in Europe. 

But given the CTA's reputation and some glitches with existing smart cards previously detailed in this blog, do you trust that this will be an improvement?  Or are you scared to touch your bank or credit card to these next-gen pads?  Tell me what you think...

Posted - Nov. 18, 2008 - 3:00 p.m.

Today's RedEye cover story is about Oprah's influence and whether the Omance is over.

"Her O At Home magazine is folding. Her daytime talk show viewership and magazine sales are down. And she no longer tops popularity polls as she habitually did in years past," according to RedEye's report.

I used Omance earlier this year to describe Oprah's everlasting affection for a presidential candidate, specifically Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Has your affection for Oprah waned or were you never Omantic to begin with?

Posted Nov. 18 at 12:44 p.m.

Did you feel The Hawk swooping down on you today?  Of course, you did.  Break out the gloves and scarves, peepz.  It is officially cold in the Chi.  That said, today's "Going Public" is all about construction spots that need to be up and running before it gets really bad.  Are there trouble spots you are noticing?  Got any suggestions for the CTA on how to properly winterize?  I'll pass them along.

Posted 11:05 p.m., Nov. 17

In case you missed it:

Posted 10:09 p.m., Nov. 17

Ten best quotes are....

#1: “He just drives away everyone that cares about her.” - Lauren to Holly about Spencer

Translation: He pushes away all of Heidi's friends and family.

#2: “What can I say, I love him.” - Audrina to her sister Casey about Justin Bobby

Translation: I love Justin.

#3: “This is my sister. Am I never going to talk to her again? Are we just not going to be friends? I can't even believe this and you don’t care…You’re so insensitive and you're so rude…You’re just being an ass... You’re not even paying attention to the problem right now…Maybe you’re the problem." - Heidi to Spencer about Holly

Translation: I can't believe you're acting like this. You are getting on my last nerve.

#4: “Bet your mom orchestrated the whole thing. That sounds like something stalker mom would do…She’s worse than Stephanie. It just shows you everything I said about Holly is completely true and it shows you LC gets her karma by having the mooch of the century crashing at her pad." - Spencer to Heidi about Holly living with Lauren

Translation: Lauren can have Holly. Good riddance to both of them.

#5: "But he still does the whole, 'Well I'm going to disappear for a week and not return your phone calls or texts and you're not going to know where I am and what I'm doing,' like what is that?…That’s sad though that you expect to be convenient. Like when it’s good for him, he’s all about it.” - Audrina's sister Casey to Audrina about Justin Bobby

Translation: You should be happy and he isn't doing it for you.

#6: “To be honest, I don’t really care what Heidi thinks.” - Lauren to She-Pratt about Holly living with her

Translation: I don't care if Heidi is mad or upset. She kicked out her sister.

#7: "It's up to you to prove yourself. I hope you can. Just keep that guy away. I don't want to see him. And if he comes on property, I'm just going to kick him out...Please don't let us down this time." - Sam of SBE to Heidi

Translation: Mess up again and there's no second chance.

#8: “She’s like Heidi but without the Spencer - good old days.” - Whitney to Lauren about Holly

Translation: Holly is like Heidi but no baggage or a jerk aka Spencer.

#9: “Holly was homeless. Who’s going to say no to a homeless person?” - She-Pratt to Heidi about Holly living with Lauren

Translation: I took in my brother. It's a nice thing for Lauren to let the sister you kicked out stay with her.

#10: “I can be good when I wanna be...At least you know you’re loved.” - Justin Bobby to Audrina

Translation: I can do nice things to make up for the bad things I do.

Posted 9:35 p.m., Nov. 17

I am so hoping Heidi will finally dump Spencer...trouble is brewing for the happy couple.

Heidi blames Spencer for her firing, telling him he should take responsibility for whatever he said to Sam that got her fired. Perhaps it was her drinking and inviting her friends to her job that got her fired. Hmmm?

So she grovels for her job to Sam of SBE and he of course gives her her job back on a temporary basis at the new hotel they're opening. It's good business, good exposure for SBE to have pics of Heidi at the hotel opening. But he threatens to kick Spencer out if he shows up at her job and cuts off Heidi when she tried to tell him she's going to be the best employee.

So that's Lauren, her bosses, her mom and her sister Holly that dislike Spencer.

And when she finds out from She-Pratt that Holly is living with Lauren, she tells Spencer he's insensitive and rude - after he continues to call Holly a mooch and Heidi's mom a "stalker mom." Heidi fires back that maybe he's the problem. We all second that. Now she just needs to take it a step further and give him the boot.

But why does Lauren even tell She-Pratt anything? I mean she knows She-Pratt is just going to tell Speidi. I like how Whitney (the voice of reason) tells Lauren having Holly move in can cause more problems with Speidi. Did you catch the look Spencer shoots Heidi when he hears LC has taken in Holly? Ouch!

The other scene stealer of the night - Justin and Audrina.

The couple goes to Venice Beach where Justin Bobby say it is less stressful than Hollywood. True, the beach is relaxing but what's so stressful about Hollywood other than parking?

When Audrina has drinks with Lauren, she goes on about how Justin's her main guy. Lauren looks bored as she hears it and doesn't really say anything. Why would she, how many times has Audrina said she's done with Justin and keeps going back. LC's figured out it's probably best to keep her mouth shut about Justin.

But I love how Audrina's own sister gives her a hard time about Justin. We know he leaves his toothbrush but Audrina's sister points out how sad it is that Audrina basically accepts how Justin Bobby treats her. And we all agree.

But Justin does show a sweet side when he hands Audrina a gift - a shirt she wanted. But then we realize it's more selfish than thoughtful when he tells her not to wear a bra with the shirt. Oh, Justin.

Posted 3:42 p.m., Nov. 17

Audrina tells People.com the answer is yes.

"We have fun with each other, and we've stuck it out this long, so we might as well do another one," she said.

“At one point, all of us were like, ‘No, we don’t want to do another season,’” she says. “I wanted to do more movies, and Whitney moved to New York and she’s doing her own spin-off. And Lauren’s dating [My Boys actor] Kyle [Howard] but he can’t be on the show because he’s on another show, so that makes it hard.”

What do you think - should it come back for another season or are you over it?

Posted - Nov. 17, 2008 - 2:07 p.m.

My RedEye cover story today is about night owls, people who work the graveyard shift, typically from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Some 24 million American workers work outside of the traditional business day shift, according to Circadian, a Massachusetts-based global consultant for 24/7 workplaces.

What's more, these nighttime shifts might become more popular in coming years because "moonlighting tends to go up during periods of economic distress," said Patricia Simpson, associate professor of industrial relations at Loyola University.

Night-shift workers in certain industries, such as food service and health care, also tend to make more money than their daytime counterparts, according to Seattle-based PayScale, which maintains a global online compensation database.

But being a night owl isn't for everyone. Workers with nontraditional hours, who represent only about one-fifth of the labor force, tend to miss out on nightlife activities and time spent with friends and family. The night shift also can lead to health problems, experts say.

I've occasionally worked a night-time shift at a newspaper. When I was at Newsday I worked the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift, which meant I had to wake up at 4:15 a.m. since I was commuting from Brooklyn to Long Island. That quickly killed my New York social life.

Have you ever worked a night shift? What was your experience?

Posted 12:54 p.m., Nov. 14

If you're sick of Speidi, you're not alone.

Forbes named Heidi #10 on their list of Hollywood's Most Overexposed Celebrities.

Well, I wouldn't consider her a celebrity, but just another reality TV star. And I can see why she's on the list with all the cheesy staged photo ops and gigs Speidi do.

Looks like their constant need for media attention may have helped land them the guest role on "How I Met Your Mother."

Forbes said if they expanded their list beyond 10, Spencer would've had his own slot at #12.

Here's who else is on the list:

#1 - Paris Hilton

#2 - Britney Spears

#3 - Lindsay Lohan

#4 - Dina Lohan

#5 - Pamela Anderson

#6 - OJ Simpson

#7 - Donald Trump

#8 - Miley Cyrus

#9 - Nicole Ritchie

#10 - Heidi Montag

Getty file photo

Posted Nov. 13 at 3:05 p.m.

Come Jan. 1, CTA is going to be pocketing more of our hard-earned cash.  The CTA board today passed the fare hike that would bring some rides as high as $2.25, but the good (or better) news is that the increase in CTA passes isn't as steep as originally proposed by the CTA Prez & Co.  The pass hike will be 15% rather than the 20% previously proposed. 

Check out this Trib item to see how hard your pocket will get hit. Update: Here's a clear-cut chart provided by the C to the T to the A, as well. Then, dip over to my fellow blogger Tracy Swartz's "Word on the Street" for some made-up mass transit words that might get you in a better mood.

Do you think there wasn't as much palpable rider outrage about these increases because it's clear the transit agency needs the cash to keep service running?  Or -- as some riders/readers argue-- are we all so mind-numbed from previous Doomsday threats that this latest change seems like a deal by comparison.

Posted - Nov. 13, 2008 - 3:01 p.m.

CTA? More like FeeTA.

The CTA board approved fare hikes today that affect single rides and multi-day passes, according to the Chicago Tribune. My beloved 30-day pass, for example, increases from $75 to $86. The hikes take effect in January.

For more, check out Kyra Kyles' CTA blog.

Posted 2:13 p.m., Nov. 13

If Heidi doesn't leave Spencer soon, it'll never happen.

He made her choose between him and Lauren, him and her sister Holly and the relationship with her family is rocky at best. He embarrassed her by talking to Brent who fired her for being drunk on the job and having Spencer there.

And now, in order to get a second chance at her job, she's got to promise Spencer won't be around her work. And by booting Holly, she drove her into the home of Lauren.

Watch next week's scenes:

Posted 1:57 p.m., Nov. 13

While Lauren and Whitney both have their own collections, Audrina is venturing into the fashion world.

Audrina blogged about her working relationship with Divine Rights of Denim.

"I'm so excited because I love their jeans so much and wear them literally every single day!!!!!"

"Last week I did a big photo shoot for the advertising campaign! It was so much fun because I got to get all done up with crazy hairdo's, including a mohawk!!! That was definitely a first for me ~ do you think it's a good look for me? LOL."

Getty file image

Posted 11:07 a.m., Nov. 13

Earlier this week, Lauren told her fans not to believe everything they read.

"Hey Guys!! So, I don't normally read or even care about things like this, but a friend just showed me a "Page Six" story."

"Apparently they are reporting that someone watched me throw a fit and start crying because they called my name over the speaker at JFK... Really? While it is a very entertaining story, I just don't think that highly of myself."

Gotta love her attitude!

Getty file image

Posted Nov. 13 at 12:10 p.m.

We're on fare watch, folks.  Today could be the day that the CTA board hikes up fares to as much as $2.25 in some cases.  Check out our latest Trib update. I'm already getting e-mails from riders taking a hard look at CTA problems in light of the fact that they may have to pay more, while still dealing with them.  Check out this rider's take on a bus operator reportedly referring to riders as roaches.  Perdon?

"We all know how baristas practice their stand up acts on customers early in the morning (do we have a choice?) Well, this morning a loud mouth #77 belmont bus driver, even with a fare increase coming, was referring to his rider's as "roaches...". I couldn't believe my ears, so I stood right near the front, and he continued, "yeah, it looks like another 100 roaches are waiting on the next corner, heh, heh". (Insert rimshot here)  Perhaps he was speaking literally."

Are you seeing stuff that makes you want to say, I'm not paying another dime let alone five of them for this kind of service?

Posted - Nov. 13, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.

Hot cross puns! Will Shortz, master of words and the New York Times crosswords editor, is scheduled to appear on this Sunday's episode of "The Simpsons," according to the New York Observer.

In honor of the enigmatologist (person who studies puzzles), please post your favorite "Simpsons" phrase.

Mine is a recent reference from "The Simpsons Movie."

Spider Pig
Spider Pig
Does whatever a spider pig does
Can he swing from a web?
No, he can't
He's a pig!
Lookout!
Here comes the spider pig!

I watch "The Simpsons" sporadically these days. Shortz' appearance will definitely get me to tune in. Will you?

Posted - Nov. 12, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.

Check out this Los Angeles Times feature about how to save money with coupons and deals.

Here are a few terms saavy shoppers should be aware of, according to the story:

>> BOGO: buy one, get one free offer

>> blinkies: "the blinking machines in the supermarket aisles that spit out coupons"

>> peelies: "can be pulled off the side of a product for redemption at the register"

>> Catalinas: "named after the company that manufactures them, [Catalinas] are the coupons that are handed over with your receipt."

Here the LAT's tips for sticking to a budget. Feel free to post your grocery saving tips here too.

If you live in Chicago, check out Groupon, which helps groups save money on tickets and other assorted items.

Posted Nov. 12 at 8:44 a.m.

Ding, ding, ding. That is the sound of your courtesy alarm that tomorrow at 6 p.m., the CTA is holding a meeting to make permanent West Side service changes, including the experimental Pink Line.  So if you've got something to say about it, tonight is the night.  The action is going down at the 10th police district office at 3315 W. Ogden Ave.

If your prof won't let you out of class or the boss won't give you a break, you can also e-mail in your opinions to ctaboard@transitchicago.com up until Nov. 18.

Plus, post them below for kicks.

Posted Nov. 11 at 12:53 p.m.

Say whaaaa?   An anxious Edgewater rider calling himself "H-Town" e-mailed me from his commute this morning, concerned about a bus operator he contends was sleeping on the job.  Here's his note, entitled "The Dozing Driver," and the details of this harrowing ride.  I am pasting this in verbatim.  He e-mailed me two separate time to finish the story:

"Good morning kkyles this moring i was waiting for the 147 outer drive express bus @ foster/sheridan. I waited five minutes,good. The driver pulls up behind a 151 sheridan bus, as i approached the 147, i noticed the driver had dozed off. I guess the driver hadn't noticed i was at the door. Then the driver woke up let me on. As we continued on the route, the driver would miss lights to cat a snooze. I'm not kidding. A snooze at every stop light. She falls asleep at loyola university, i hop from my seat and ask her  are you ok can u finish this route. She says yes,we continue she was leaving her lane and into the other lane. Sheridan road is busy all day. Cars honking.slowing down to let her pass. We proceed through rogers park same thing happens again, leaving her lane, by this time no field supervisor its 9:53 am."

E-mail No. 2:

"had to continue the rest of this email to u about the sleeping bus driver. I boarded the bus @ foster/sheridan. I noticed the driver had taken a snooze behind the wheel, and the bus was not even in park mode.We proceed up sheridan weaving in out of traffic. We arrive at loyola university the driver does it again. I hop out of my seat, and ask the driver wake up. Can you continue this rouute? The driver says yes and asks me am i all right. Can you believe this? I notice the driver snoozing behind the wheel and i'm asked am i alright. So i call cta. By this time we in rogers park. Weaving in/out of traffic, no field supervisor. We arrive at howard red line. The field supervisor arrives after we exit the bus. I go all the way up stairs,come  back down, find the supervisor. He calls over the driver he askes some questions. One of the questions is are you alright? The driver says yes, now she is. I tell him the driver was sleeping behind the wheel. The driver  says no i wasn't sleeping behind the wheel, right in front of me and the supervisor. He looks at me i look at him. Confusion. for sure on the drivers part. I saw it you did it. The drivers denies the alligation and say thank you  he will take care of it. Why would i make a false statement. Safety is involved here. My question is how did the driver make it from busy downtown streets, lakeshore drive, eastedgewater, through rogers park in this tired condition. Fatige had set in this situation. No driver should driver under these conditions, ever. thanks for listening gotta go."

Yipes, stripes!  Have you ever experienced this during your commute?  What did you do?  Bus operators, tell us, do you guys work such long shifts that this kind of thing is almost inevitable?   

Posted 11:04 a.m., Nov.11

Spotted: Brody and his playmate girl frolicking on Sunday on a Hawaii beach - only a few weeks after Lauren was photographed with "My Boys" actor Kyle Howard.

But don't expect to see Howard, who went to LC's LA fashion show, on "The Hills."

That's what she tells USA Today.

"There's very little that I'm able to keep to myself through the show and through media, so if there's anything I can, I try to," she said.

Oh, c'mon! That's the stuff we want to see.

But she says some of her costars have kept their dating life private.

"I think that everyone has been in that situation. Lo has a boyfriend she has been dating over a year who you never see on camera. Whitney had a boyfriend for a year."

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Posted - Nov. 11, 2008 - 12:31 p.m.

Running my first half-marathon has become my No. 1 (number run?) goal.

Inspired by the runners in the Chicago marathon last month, I set my sights on a January/February New York City half-marathon, date TBD.

I enlisted my Newsday friend Mike, who ran his first quarter marathon a few weeks ago. He started on the Hal Higdon novice training 12-week training program. I tried to do the training on my own, but I realized I've been stuck in a 6-mile rut, so I've also accepted the Hal-lenge.

Training began yesterday with a stretching regiment. This morning I ran 3 miles.

Because this half-marathon is so important to me, I've decided to make some dietary/lifestyle changes in addition to the training regiment.

Here's the run-down:

>> I've always relied on pasta to get me through races, but this weekend I started following suggested runners' diets. At the new Urban Fresh Jewel on the near West Side, I purchased chicken, yogurt, bananas and assorted vegetables. I've enrolled in the Kyra Kyles School of Cooking to expand my cooking reach beyond pasta and the George Foreman Grill.

>> I also picked up $18 worth of energy supplements, including Power Gels, Power Bars and Clif Shot products, at Sports Authority. I'll review them in this blog sporadically. So far Clif Shot Bloks are the only energy boosts I've tried. I've tested the lemon-lime chews, the margarita-flavored blocks with salt, the Cola-flavored blocks with caffeine and the apple-pie-flavored gel.

My favorite: The lemon-lime blocks. I don't cringe when I eat them, and they normally give me a boost around mile 4. I take them before a race, not during the race, and I always, always, always have to take them with water otherwise they don't work for me.

The margarita-flavored blocks reminded me too much of a hangover, and the salt, which is supposed to help cramping, didn't really seem to do anything during a recent 8-mile run. The caffeine in the Cola-flavored blocks made me too jittery, and the apple-flavored gel not only tasted bad, but it only gave me an initial energy boost, which quickly evaporated.

>> And finally, the most important change I'm making is a no-drinking pledge. I regularly run after going out the night before, and sometimes I don't notice, but sometimes the drinks I've had the night before seem to haunt me as I run.

So I'm trying to see whether not drinking produces noticeable running results. I have not, and will not drink, during this training through the 8K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. I'll see whether I feel abstaining from drinking has improved my speed or ability. If it has, I will continue not to drink through the rest of half-marathon training.

My little brother laughed when I told him my prohibition plan. "Sure, whatever," he said, knowing my penchant for free drinks. Maybe I should go on brohibition instead?

I already passed on free fancy cocktails during a dining review the other night at an upscale restaurant in the Loop. Instead, I had jasmine iced tea. Good start, and I'm trying to see it through.

>> Lastly, I'm trying to be better equipped when I run. It was 34 degrees when I ran along the lakefront this morning. I couldn't find running tights that I liked last week, so I picked up some Nike running pants with a flare to replace my shorts. I realized this morning that I need hat to cover my ears but I refuse to get running gloves. It just seems unnatural.

I'm also against getting the Batman utility belt of water but I may not have a choice. When I was running this morning on the lakefront trail on my typical route I noticed that the water fountains at Ohio Street and Oak Street beaches aren't functioning. The spigots have been covered. Is this because the cold may freeze the pipes?

I didn't run along the lakefront last year at this time so I don't know how long the fountains will be out of commission, but I hope it's not for long. The idea of running with a heavy jug of water that I can't fill or replace doesn't sound like much fun. Maybe I should stick to the treadmill?

Any other half-marathon training tips? Help me with my halfmatics.

Posted 10:46 a.m., Nov. 11

It now looks like Heidi's in between jobs until next week. The scenes for the next episode show her getting a second chance at Bolthouse but who knows if it lasts.

Maybe putting Spencer down as her number one reference helped her land a guest role on "How I Met Your Mother."

E! is reporting that CBS confirmed Speidi will be on one episode to air in January.

Spencer and Heidi will be playing themselves, according to CBS E! reports. The duo will tease Marshall from the pages of his current copy of Them Weekly.

Even though they're playing themselves, I wonder how it'll turn out. If her singing career is any indicator, it can't be good.

Getty Image

Posted - Nov. 11, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.

If you haven't read Newsweek's behind-the-scenes look at the Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain campaigns, you really should. I chained myself to my computer for a few hours reading the seven-chapter series.

In the piece, Newsweek reports that Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin spent more than $150,000 on her wardrobe. Fox News also reported that Palin thought Africa was a country, not a continent.

Gawker had a little fun with these LOL-legations. So did "The Daily Show."

Will Sarah Palin ever recover from this campaign? Can she make a John McCain-style comeback?

Posted Nov. 11 at 8:35 a.m.

The CTA has all kinds of whizz bang technology planned for us riders.  We've got almost half the routes online with bus tracker (Word to CTA: hurry up with the rest) and in the near future, next-train alerts will keep us from pining away on the platforms.

But recently, I wondered what was up with what I considered a low-tech, but fairly effective solution for those of us who cannot seem to get adequate info from customer assistants and do not have the supersonic hearing required for garbled platform announcements. 

I'm talking about the whiteboards you've seen, perhaps particularly around the Blue Line, which update you on construction and closures.  Sure beats trying to guess, huh?

CTA spokeswoman Wanda Taylor hit me with an update on what is up with whiteboards for systemwide consumption. Apparently, the pilot project -- started last year-- performed pretty well and the boards may launch systemwide.  Taylor said: "Through the test, the CTA learned a great deal about providing real-time information through the boards and refinements that are needed in the boards' design before they can be mass-produced throughout the system.  The CTA is currently using information learned from the experiment to create a new prototype of the board."

Before they do all that:  Are you on board with the boards?  Would you like to see more of them?  Why or why not?

Posted 11:57 p.m., Nov. 10

If you missed it:

Posted 11:05 p.m., Nov. 10

Here's the top 10 best quotes:

#1: “Your boyfriend is a nightmare...You can't let people like that influence your life and make bad decisions for you...Don't you know you are the company that you keep. You can't just have people like that in your life." - Brent to Heidi about Spencer

Translation: Get rid of that guy.

#2: “I don’t really understand why every time you come around there’s problems, at vegas, that night...Honestl, this is not a conversation for me and you to have. I don’t even know you…This makes me a little uncomfortable to be honest with you...You didn’t work for me. Heidi worked for me. I don’t even want to see you around any of my stuff, you’re bad news." - Brent to Spencer

Translation: Stay away from my clubs, you idiot.

#3: “By the way, your boy Alex is in the show and just want you to give the heads up... Just so you know your best friend is probably going to be seeing him in his underwear a lot… That doesn’t bother you?” - Kelly to Whitney

Translation: So you won't be shocked, Alex is here and you and Lauren will be seeing him stripping down and changing backstage.

#4: "May I have a few words with you sir? I just saw you here and I’ve been feeling so awful about this situation with Heidi. She's been working for you for like four years now. She lives and breathe sbe, I would I know cause I never see her. The moral of the story is there's no excuses here at all." - Spencer to Brent

Translation: I'm sorry if I somehow had any role in Heidi getting fired. She needs her job to support us.

#5: “We’re only here for a night.” - Lauren to Whitney

Translation: Live it up in NYC.

#6: “I’m so sorry Spencer came up to you. I told him not to… I’m so incredibly embarrassed." - Heidi to Brent

Translation: I'm sorry about Spencer. I hope he didn't say anything stupid.

#7: “He's so adorable. I just wanna like…” - Whitney to Lauren about Jay

Translation: I so want to kiss him.

#8: “Be sure to list me as your number one reference." - Spencer to Heidi

Translation: I can help you Princess Heidi get a job.

#9: “I’m really losing steam with this whole thing, you know?” - Alex to his friend about Whitney

Translation: I can't believe she's picking some singer over me, a model.

#10: "Can you hang up the phone? Hello? Bye, click, see you. Thanks for calling.” - Kelly to soon-to be fired

Translation: You're two seconds away from being fired. Remember Jessica?

Posted 10:43 p.m., Nov. 10

So many boys, so little time. That's Whitney's motto. She's got Alex after her but she's got her eye on the "serenader" Jay. Who will she choose?

And I must admit I never cared for Brent Bolthouse but I've liked him since he fired Heidi and even more for dealing with Spencer this episode. That makes him a scene stealer.

Whitney - Poor Alex. He doesn't see that she's just not that into him when she returned to New York for fashion week. I like how Kelly Cutrone gives Whit a heads up that Alex will be there and how Lauren will see him practically naked, changing backstage. Until she meets the new guy Jay, Whit and Alex have semi-awkward encounters. I mean she sees him in his underwear and it's like they barely talk. He's a quite person, and I don't think that Whit's type, but we've never seen her with a guy on the show. And now she's got two. She meets Jay at the bar and is smitten when she sees him singing on stage. He's kind of got that bad boy thing going on, plus the Aussie accent.

But you've got to feel bad for Alex, who keeps watching and seeing Whit and Jay flirt. Alex even tries to talk to Whit but she's too busy with Jay and ends up leaving with him without saying bye to Alex. Awww.

Brent Bolthouse - He's the latest to give Heidi a hard time about Spencer. Now unemployed, Heidi wakes up to primp herself so she can get her resume together. Who wears that much makeup when they're typing on the computer? And why does Spencer tell her to list him as a reference. I mean, does he think nobody watches the show or that he's a good influence?

So when Spencer sees Brent, he says he's going to bathroom after Heidi told him not to talk to Brent. But of course he doesn't listen and Brent tells him what's what. Brent tells Spencer not to come around any of his clubs, which can put a crimp in their social life. Wait, they hardly go out anyways. And then when Heidi approaches, he tells her Spencer is a nightmare and is pointingat her and you can just tell Brent does not like Spencer. But then again, who does? Maybe she'll listen to Brent...wait who am I kidding?

Posted Nov.10 at 3:15 p.m.

Have you ever felt an irrational rage against another rider?  Maybe not irrational, but an amount of anger that was unusual to the situation.  Days ago, I wanted to phsyically eject a rider for getting on the bus yacking on the phone.  This young lady clearly didn't have her fare ready, even though it was cold  and there were 10 people waiting behind her.  The bus operator asked her to go get it and come back, in a nice tone, and she kind of harumphed at him and stalked away...phone in hand.  Was this person unaware a bus might show up to the stop?  What is so hard about pulling out your Chicago Card and holding it in the hand not grasping a Blackberry Pearl?

I don't know about you, but I think it's getting a little too chilly for riders to be playing around, especially when it comes to boarding buses in a timely and efficient matter.

I'd say my tips for reaching that goal are: exit through the back (if you can), have your fare ready and sit in the inner seat so people don't have to climb around you or ask you to move so they can sit.

What are your tips?  Share them fast.  I've got my down coat out already.

Posted - Nov. 10, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.

Tired of Obama news? No? Good. The Associated Press wrote a story last week about popular Obamanyms, phrases relating to President-elect Barack Obama. Each definition is h/t AP. Here are my top four:

>> Obamanos: "A play on 'Vamonos,' or 'Let's go,' among Obama fans in Mexico."

>> Obamaloha: "Goodbye, Obama-style, with a nod to Hawaii, his birthplace."

>> Bamelot: "Description of his presidency, from a New York Post headline that played on the youth and freshness of John F. Kennedy's administration that came to be known as 'Camelot.'"

>> Obamerika: "Headline from the Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija."

Have any to add? Check out the rest of the electionary including votecabulary.

Posted - Nov. 9, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.

I'm a little behind on this but check out RedEye columnist Jason Steele's recent column about gay chicken, which according to Urban Dictionary, is when "two straight guys move their faces closer and closer together, as if to kiss. The first one to turn or pull away is the 'gay chicken.'"

Read Jason's objections to this "wild game."

Thoughts?

Posted - Nov. 8, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.

Argh. Helena Christensen will play a sexy pirate as the face, err body, of Agent Provocateur, a classy lingerie brand, New York Magazine reports. Christensen replaces Kate Moss, who played a sexy bride.

Christensen told New York that she draws "lines once in a while" about how much skin she feels comfortable baring.

"I look at myself very objectively... but I'll be the first one to speak up if I think that I'm doing something that I find rather naff," she said.

Naff, for the record, is British slang for "tacky." Here's the Urban Dictionary listing on the word, and the Wiktionary entry, which had trouble tracing the term's etymology.

More importantly, is pirate fashion back? But I don't want to be a pirate!

Posted - Nov. 7, 2008 - 3:27 p.m.

I have a Twitter.

At first I used it just as a feed for my blog posts. Now I tweet about daily happenings.

Though I find Twitter a useful tool for getting news and finding out what's new with my friends, I was disheartened to find out that cats are now on Twitter. Cats are now tweety birds, according to the New York Times.

Mary Hodder told the Times she "began transcribing the tweets of her cats when she was taking care of a friend's pet, which wanted to stay in touch with its owner."

Kitty Twitter is a little too much for me. Perhaps it's because I don't dig cats. I wonder, if this animal Twitter farm continues, will President-elect Barack Obama's dog have a feed?

Not if Hodder has her way.

"Cats have something to say," Hodder told the Times. "Dogs don't. They are always lying around doing the same boring things."

New to Twitter? Check out the Twitterling's guide to Twitter. And if you follow me I'll follow you.

Posted 12:39 p.m., Nov. 7

Check out scenes for the upcoming Hills episode:

Posted - Nov. 7, 2008 - 11:52 a.m.

Check out this story by Tribune reporter James Janega about the Obama baby phenomenon.

The Urban Dictionary definition of the term is: "A child conceived after Obama was proclaimed President by way of celebratory sex, or any baby born under Barack Obama's term(s)."

The Tribune found anecdotal evidence to support this phenomenon, which I prefer to call Obaby.

Did you feel the Omentum that night? Keep it somewhat clean, please.

Posted 4:46 p.m., Nov. 6

Good thinking, Lauren, to dump Jason Wahler when you did. Too bad it wasn't sooner. Then you wouldn't have been the girl who didn't go to Paris.

Honesty - what did she (and all the other girls) see in him?!

But Jason is now paying for his bad behavior.

A jury in LA said Jason owes $5,000 to the truck driver he punched in the face and yelled racial slurs at in 2006, according to the Associated Press.

Jason's defense: He was defending his girlfriend (not LC) at the time and was too drunk to know what he was saying.

I'm sure he was pretty drunk. We've watching him on "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills." Hopefully he's learned his lesson.

But we're not convinced he has. Usmagazine.com reminds us of some of his other finest moments:

*April 2007: Spent three weeks in jail for criminal trespassing, assault and underage drinking charges after punching a Seattle hotel security guard in the face.

*February 2008: Banned from current fiancee Katja Decker-Sadowski's USC apartment after using racial slurs against the complex's security guard.

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Posted Nov. 5 at 2:40 p.m.

Just curious.  Who attended President-elect Barack Obama's rally in Grant Park last night?  Was the CTA service to your liking?  Were you able to get from point A to point B despite the massive crowds and street closures.  Do tell....

Posted 2:16 p.m., Nov. 4

Audrina blogs about her checking out of the Conrad casa.

"I didn't know if she was going to be mad or happy for me. I kept thinking of how it was when Heidi moved out and how everything went downhill from there with their friendship," Audrina blogged about Lauren.

"I ended up telling her when I was ready and it was definite and she seemed to be cool about it. She knew her house was never home to me and since I lived in the pool house I barely saw her or Lo anyway, so it wouldn't really be that huge of a difference."

Audrina goes on to say how excited she was to decorate her bachelorette pad and backpedals on the idea of Justin moving in.

"I wasn't planning on having him move in with me, but I thought he would probably be over a lot hanging out and that was enough. I did not buy my house with the intention of trapping Justin into moving in with me! lol"

And it sounds like she's not only moved out of Lauren's house but switched teams - from Team Lauren to Team Heidi.

"It was great to see Heidi and Spencer! They seem so happy together and in love," she blogged about seeing them at XIV.

Oh, please. Didn't she chime in with Lauren at LeDeux ("you know what you did!") and say Heidi was brainwashed? How soon we forget...

Posted 2:05 p.m., Nov. 4

In case you missed it:

Posted Nov. 4 at 12:33 p.m.

First of all, hope you got off your keisters and voted today if you didn't take advantage of the early booth time.  I don't care who you support; you get the country you deserve...so vote, vote, vote!

Speaking of voting, I receive quite a few complaints about the Pink Line, some of which I summarized in this week's column: Whether you love it, hate it, or want to see it modified, let the CTA know how you feel by attending their public hearing on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the 10th Police District at 3315 W. Ogden Ave. 

Discussion also will center on about 15 routes including No.7-Harrison, No.X9-Ashland Express, #11 Lincoln/Sedgwick (#11 Lincoln and #37 Sedgwick combined), and #12 Roosevelt. Rail lines included are the Pink Line, Green Line and Cermak (Douglas) and Forest Park (Congress) Branches of the Blue Line.  Here's a link to the CTA's complete notice.

Be there, or be silenced.  Your vote counts, whether it's on our next president or our trains and buses.  Alright, stepping off the soapbox now.  Hope I don't break a heel.

Posted - Nov. 4, 2008 - 9:00 a.m.

Election Day is finally here! Our long national fightmare is over!

As part of an election roundup, RedEye compiled a list of buzzwords we will be glad to take a break from after Election Day.

>> Undecided
>> Change
>> Maverick
>> Main Street vs. Wall Street
>> My friends
>> Wasilla
>> Game-changer
>> Russia
>> P.O.W.
>> Joe six-pack
>> Joe the Plumber
>> Straight talk
>> Pitbull
>> Lipstick
>> Pig
>> Hockey mom
>> Swing states
>> Superdelegates

What terms would you add to this list? Don't forget to check out the electionary, which details popular terms from the primary season.

And check out this video we made this morning. Obama supporters are sick of a few words as well.

Posted 9:58 p.m., Nov. 3

Here are the 10 best quotes:

#1: "I can't have you visibly intoxicated drunk in front of my partner...He said your boyfriend was there? That's not ok to have your boyfriend there. If he influences you in bad way at the workplace, that’s something you have to work out…I don’t have much of a choice. Get your bag, get your stuff, I’m firing you." - Brent Bolthouse to Heidi

Translation: You're fired. I can't believe I kept you around this long.

#2: "I don't know if I want to live by myself, you know what I mean? Would you want to move in maybe?" - Audrina to Justin Bobby

Translation: Will you move in with me?

#3: "Let it just happen. We'll see what happens." - Justin Bobby to Audrina

Translation: Let's not rush it. You know I have committment issues.

#4: "I want to put candles everywhere...I want to make it really girly...I want to decorate it like all romantic with candles and flowy white...We can just kind of rekindle that flame again." - Audrina to Casey about Justin

Translation: Maybe if I decorate it romantically, Justin will want to be with me.

#5: "It's not the end of the story. It's just a to-be-continued." - Lauren to Audrina about moving out

Translation: It's not good-bye. It's see you later.

#6: "I'm still going to see her. I love her, she's always going to be my friend." - Lauren to Lo about Audrina

Translation: I don't want to lose another friend.

#7: "Are you two going to move in together or what? Cause I know that when Heidi and I moved in together, it was the greatest thing to happen to me." - Spencer to Justin Bobby

Translation: I got Heidi away from Lauren and now Audrina is leaving Lauren, yes, I win.

#8: "I feel bad, just that it didn't turn out like we hoped it would in the very beginning." - Lo to Lauren about Audrina

Translation: I feel bad I treated her like an outsider. Too bad we couldn't patch things up. Now it's just me and Lauren, just how it should've been from the start.

#9: "A man so great, he needed two names." - Lauren to Lo about Justin Bobby

Translation: I don't know what Audrina sees in Justin Bobby.

#10: "I know Spencer likes Justin. So that might be the new crew." - She-Pratt to Lauren

Translation: Audrina and Justin jumped ship to Team Heidi and maybe I go there too - which ever will give me TV time.

Posted 9:32 p.m., Nov. 3

Two major life changes happened in this episode - Audrina moves out of Lauren's home and Heidi gets fired. That's what makes them the scene stealers.

Audrina moves into her own home. Did you see that kitchen? Looks pretty nice but she wants Justin Bobby to share the home with her. She asks him to move in but doesn't quite get the answer she wanted - an ambiguous one. Big shocker! Way to make a girl feel wanted. Still, when Audrina shows her place to her sister Casey and she tells her she wants to decorate it, giving a romantic feel. Maybe if you build it (decorate it), he will come. Not sure that applies to Justin Bobby.

So how will moving out affect her relationship with Lauren? Don't think Audrina felt at home to begin with being in the guest house. Obviously it had created a rift between Lauren, Audrina and Lo. Lo even felt bad that it didn't turn out like how it was supposed to. And LC says she'll still be friends with Audrina. But I bet she's already decorated the guest house as if Audrina never lived there. Audrina's the second roommate to leave Lauren on "The Hills." Remember she lost Heidi to Spencer?

Speaking of Heidi, I can't help but feel good that she got fired from her Bolthouse job. She shouldn't have been drinking on the job at the opening of XIV, especially when the big bosses are around. And inviting Spencer, the guy who made her look back when she ditched out in Vegas. C'mon. Heidi's not too bright, huh? And this was the job she quit fashion school for, the job she played Elodie for. Hope it was worth it Heidi. Now you could focus on your clothing line Heidiwood and your singing career. Ok, I'm trying to stop laughing now.

Posted 2:46 p.m., Nov. 3

Republican presidential candidate John McCain was on SNL Saturday and mentioned his celebrity supporters: Jon Voight and Heidi Montag.

Well, I wouldn't exactly call Heidi a celebrity.

Posted Nov. 3 at 1:15 p.m.

When I say CTA nightmare, I don't mean getting stuck on a stalled bus on the way to a job interview, or even getting trapped on a train that smells like feet. 

I mean and actual, factual bad dream featuring the CTA.  Last night, I had my first ever CTA night scare.   I won't bore you with all the details, but at some point, I ended up angrily leaving a restaurant after a blow-up with a friend and -- sans my car -- opted to take the train home. 

I was walking down a dark street and finally found a South Side station.  I had to go through a body scan in order to board and once I reached the platform Weird.  There were no tracks, but some kind of tube.  Weird.  It looked like Space Mountain. 

The train car was the size of an SUV...not a regular train car by any stretch of the imagination.  The "train" was headed express to Oak Park, which we found out only after the doors were closing.  Youch! I was pressing the blue button to shout at the operator about the crazy route when, thankfully, I woke up.

Has the CTA ever slipped into your subconscious?  Share your dream so we can get all Freudian on it and figure out what it means.

Posted - Nov. 3, 2008 - 1:07 p.m.

I believe this year's Solo cup costume was my best Halloween costume to date. It was more successful than last year's turn as Roller Girl (in thrift store rollerskates that left me bruised at the end of the night) and my 2006 Pam Anderson ensemble (it was just too cold in Chicago that year for a red American Apparel unitard).

I knew I wanted to be a Solo cup, a product I have enjoyed over the years in various ways (beer pong, flip cup). I searched the Internet and found only a few Solo cup costumes. Then I found a link to a group called the Boston Red Cups, who celebrate Boston sports wins by dressing up as cups. That's where I drew most of my inspiration.

The Boston Red Cups use garbage cans for the shell of their cups. Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough to hold up a garbage can so I used a blue bin I bought at Menards. Here's my guide to creating a Solo cup.

>> Step 1: Shop for materials. At the suburban Menards, I picked up the bin and some white spray paint for plastics (unavailable in Chicago because of anti-graffiti laws). The bin had white handles, which I used as armholes.

>> Step 2: Hollow out the bottom. My brother was kind enough to cut the bottom of the bin so I could fit my feet through it. He used a box cutter and a knife with a jagged edge to cut through the plastic.

>> Step 3: Tape the edges. A friend used blue painters tape to cover the jagged edges at the bottom of the cup to make sure the plastic didn't cut my legs. It worked really well, not a scrape!

>> Step 4: Spray paint. I painted the rim of the cup and the inside white to resemble a Solo cup. It took a few hours to dry.

>> Step 5: The costume inside the cup. I wore neutral colors to resemble beer in the cup and a white bauble necklace to resemble foam.

>> Step 6: Hairapy. My friend Megan french-braided my hair. It really has nothing to do with a Solo cup, but I like it when Megan styles my hair.

So that's it. I'm trying to find a place in my apartment to keep my Solo cup. The Pam Anderson blond wig and rollerskates take up less space, but the Solo cup will be the costume I remember the most.

*The photo is my friend Jane and I wrapping up Halloween festivities at my favorite burrito place, Pasaditas.