Saturday soapbox: Four words for your resolution
Four words for your resolution:
To every suburbanite who begins today with a New Year's resolution to lose weight in 2011, may we offer four words: You can do it.
An inspiration for that resolution:
Bartlett's Michael Ventrella lost so much weight last year that he won “America's Biggest Loser.” What inspiration! (May he keep it off in 2011 and inspire us all over again.)
Another source who inspires:
Singer Jennifer Hudson of Chicago lost so much weight you wouldn't even recognize the Dreamgirl today. How's that for inspiration? (May she keep it off in 2011 too and inspire us even more.)
One last word about your resolution:
Remember Ventrella and remember Hudson. Clip these first four Soapbox items and put 'em on the refrigerator door: You can do it. Yes, you really can.
Bowl us over:
With six games on tap today, it's the biggest football bowl extravaganza of the season, but the bowl season is far from over. After today, there are seven more, including the title game on Jan. 10 with Oregon and Auburn. Long gone is the tradition that it ended Jan. 1.
Local reasons to watch:
A local team, Northwestern, will try to end its bowl slide today against Texas Tech. And a former suburban quarterback, Scott Tolzien, will lead Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl against TCU. Can you recall the last QB from our suburbs to start in the Rose Bowl? It was Chuck Long of Wheaton in 1986.
The driven snow:
We all don't have an SUV or four-wheel drive, so those of us without one would appreciate if owners eased up on the gas pedal on snow- and ice-covered roads. It can be scary when a big vehicle is rumbling up behind you. So here's a resolution: Show some caution and courtesy.
The high cost of visiting the city:
Chicago's parking rates are up again starting today. It'll cost you $5 an hour to park downtown, $3 elsewhere. All the more reason for us suburbanites to shop, work and play in the suburbs when we can and take Metra when we can't.
Time to pull the plug:
Christmas displays have brightened our neighborhoods for weeks now. But after today, the holidays are over, and here's a gentle request: As harsh weather eases, take the decorations down in a timely manner. Red and green and reindeer don't do much for Easter.
More post-holiday housekeeping:
While Christmas trees make great mulch, lights that don't work also don't do much for the environment sitting in landfills. Please recycle both.
Could this be the year?
The Bears being in the NFL playoffs is a first step toward all of our major sports teams making the playoffs this year. The Bulls look likely, and the Blackhawks have a good shot. Despite claims the White Sox are “all in,” it's never that easy. Just ask the Cubs. Who knows, maybe even the Fire, Sky and Bandits can do it. We can dream, can't we?
Finally, let's pause to thank a hero:
No matter what Curt Hermann of Wauconda says, he's a hero. That's what you're called when you stop shoveling snow and grab a long towing cable to rescue a man who has fallen through the ice 150 feet from shore on Bangs Lake.