I’m not going to lie, I’ll probably spend a fair portion of my weekend doing laundry. It may not be glamorous or exciting (as glamorous and exciting as this town gets when I saw a bartender wearing overalls last Friday night – step it up, Springfield!) but I have a pile of dirty clothes that […]
Arts Features
Posted inArts & Culture
Expressions in the Dark goes red
In a city largely absent of activities and events related to African American culture, Springfield’s black residents have long suffered from the “there’s-nothing-to-do syndrome.” To cure their thirst for culture, many have adopted the habit of traveling to St. Louis, Chicago and Indianapolis for concerts, plays and comedy shows. But in recent years some are […]
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Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day Four
Did you catch my mallards story in today’s paper? I hope so. I had a lot of fun writing and researching it. Who knew people studied ducks so intensely? Anyway, here’s Tip #4: use a humidifier. As I’m sure you know, everything dries out in the winter: your skin, your sinuses and even the air […]
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Seeing double: an all new Dubln Pub
I’m a creature of habit – the waitstaff at Town and Country’s Dublin Pub see me so often they know what I’ll order right down to the request that we move past the iceberg straight to the Romaine. And please don’t forget the hot sauce. A couple of weeks ago this locally owned restaurant doubled […]
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Spiffing up the Marriott …
The Courtyard Marriott is just a few weeks away from completing a top to bottom renovation … and they want the world to know what’s coming. The westside hotel is at 3462 Freedom Drive — and soon every guest room, the lobby and Starbuck’s coffee shop will be ready for their close up. They promise […]
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Listen to the new music … online, urban
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m addicted to public radio news … and when I’m not listening to that I’m typically shuffling CDs in my car. I’ve never been inclined to dial up radio on my computer — but something crossed my desk earlier this week that made me think I just […]
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Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day Three
Tip #3- Unplug it! Living in a dorm introduced me to the wonderful world of power strips/surge protectors. I wasn’t concerned with saving my electronics from power outages as much as I was delighted by the opportunity to plug a million things into one old, tiny outlet. Since I moved away from home, I’ve lived […]
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Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day Two
Happy Groundhog Day, readers! Here’s an appropriately-themed card. Welcome back to Tips & Tricks Week! (Does that sound dirty? I don’t mean for it to imply prostitutes and dollar bills in g-strings. Maybe I need a new title.) On day two, let’s talk about home energy audits. While green building has become more and more […]
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Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day One
I’ll admit that I’m not perfect. The point of this blog is not to preach at you to hug a tree or save a penguin. I like to think that I’m a non-judging environmentalist. I enjoy saving the earth/whales/redwoods/whatever, but I understand that we’re all busy with our own lives and sometimes it’s hard to […]
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Green Links 1/28: Straight from the Horse’s …
I’ve been crazy busy lately, so I haven’t had time to post. I’m working on a longer piece about wildlife tracking and restoration in the Emiquon Preserve (about 1.5 hours northwest of Springfield, off State Road 97 near the Dirksen Mounds.) It’s been fun, but I’m glad my little city girl car could make the […]
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Get fit – without going to prison!
Exercise is not everyone’s cup of tea. You get sweaty, you get tired and many of us feel we have to go to the gym to get a real workout. But there are plenty of exercises that don’t require a lot of time, space or equipment. Lately, I’ve been doing the Prison Workout (here), a […]
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A spectacle of Chinese history and culture
Five thousand years of Chinese performing arts and culture will take the stage Feb. 9 at Sangamon Auditorium in a multimillion-dollar touring production called Shen Yun (“divine character”) that usually plays in much larger venues such as Radio City Music Hall and the Kennedy Center. “It’s unusual for Shen Yun to play in a community […]
