If Peoria Sucks, Chances Are, It's YOUR Fault.

An 82% chance, in fact.

Peoria have too much litter for you? Too many crappy sidewalks? Too much crime? Peoria's Public Schools not worthy of your genetic offspring? Well, since 82% of Peoria's registered voters could not bother to get off their pathetic, whiny, lard asses and vote yesterday, I don't see why the powers that be should be motivated to make the necessary changes. It's not as if the apathetic and lazy citizens they represent are likely to show up and boot kick them out their jobs.

UNLESS, of course, the weather is really nice and there is nothing good on T.V. Jeeze. I thought Midwesterners had CHARACTER. A chill in the air and a couple of inches of purty white stuff keeps Peorians from voting. Sad state of affairs if you ask me. Yes, I did vote yesterday. There was even a bit of a line. I noticed that every other voter at my polling station had at least thirty years on me. I would guess the median age of the average voter in my precinct yesterday was 72. The average age of election judge was probably 75. I got the feeling these seniors didn't care much for the new technology, but they were there regardless. They call it the Greatest Generation for a reason.

This is a quote from this morning's PJ Star:

"Voting is a privilege," said Bob Miller, 73, of Chillicothe. He was one of the few who braved the weather to vote. "The weather doesn't bother me."

No wonder why it is hard to get decent candidates. NO ONE CARES. If you want to get something done, NO ONE CARES. Okay, a measly 18% care, but does that make the crummy pay, constant media criticism, and time away from family worth it? Not likely. Springfield is attractive to the corrupt and vain for a reason...

NO BODY CARES!!!


Maybe Peorians can remove their heads from their apathetic, lazy asses for the General Election, but I'm not holding my breath.


(BTW I copied this pic from another blog early last week, but I can't remember whose. My apologies and hat tip to whoever first discovered it on Google.)

A Game You Just Gotta Try!!!

It's the Blago Game! Sure to bring hours, well, minutes anyway, of entertainment, education, and just plain fun.

At Last! A Nice Helping of Common Sense!

Yup. A new blog, and it's a doozy. Commonsense Peoria. I just discovered it today. Must say, "Commonsense Dude" comes out of the gate strong. All posts are interesting and well worth your time.

Polly Only Aims to Please

*
Because... Bill Dennis says what he really enjoys is...

CHICKS WITH NICE, BIG KNOCKERS...


Whatever gets you through the day, Buddy. I try not to judge...

NO EXCUSES!!! GET OFF YOUR LARD ASS AND VOTE!!!

I know it is snowing. I know it is cold. I know you are busy. I just don't give a rat's ass. We have young kids fighting and dying in Iraq every day trying to secure another country's right to have a say in their government, the least you can do is leave the comfort of your barcolounger or cubicle and let your opinion be known. Even if your opinion is wrong. It's not like you have to dodge bullets or anything. I really don't care if you have to wait in the cold for a bus or walk three miles in the snow. Chances are you don't, but even if you do, you carry far less of a burden than voters in other countries who turn out en mass for the opportunity to be heard.

There is no bigger shame or embarrassment than our country's poor voter turn out. Nothing does more to confirm the belief in the world's eye that Americans don't deserve/earn the freedom and opportunities we have than our inability to get off our collective arrogant and obese asses and get to the polls.

Besides, fellow blogger Eyebrows McGee is stuck being an election judge for about fifteen hours today and she will get paid a little bit of nothing to serve the pathetic few who bother to cast ballots. There are few jobs more tedious than election judge. She actually volunteered for the post. God bless you Eyebrows.

I feel for the candidates today. All that work, all that door-to-door knocking, shaking of hands, kissing babies, making calls, and then snow on election day. Strongly favored candidates have been known to lose due to a few flakes of snow. Lazy voters tend to think "Ah, I don't wanna brush the snow off my car. Topinka and/or Blago has it hands down anyway. I don't need to bother." Meanwhile the little known underdogs have die hard supporters who would be willing to duck gun fire to cast a ballot...

Go Edwin Eisendrath!!!

Polly Apologizes

I have been remiss about checking my blog e-mail. Too bad because there are some really great letters/ideas/new blogs/etc awaiting response in my virtual in-box. Life has been demanding lately, and I will respond to all of you eventually. Polly prizes both her fans and her enemies.

I especially want to apologize to Dr. John Carroll who has a new blog and also wrote me a letter I should have posted a long time ago regarding Peoria's lack of adequate fire/rescue service. I will do right by the issue Doc... just as soon as I can.

SA: I have posted regarding District 150 on more than a few occasions. I whole heartedly believe good, successful Peoria Public Schools are the key ingredient necessary to attract new businesses and tax paying brainacs to the area. In all fairness, I am related to a District 150 third grader who discussed fulcrums at length over dinner last night. After her lecture on fulcrums, she followed with a discussion of the mode, the mean and the median. These concepts were not introduced to me until college in my required physics and statistics courses... and even then they made me cry. I know District 150 first graders studying fractions. There are underachievers and problem schools in District 150, to be sure. There also good Peoria schools (Hines, Kellar, Charter Oak, Whittier to name a few), with dedicated teachers, parents, and students who accomplish and excel. We don't hear about them very often. Remember, the best middle school in the state is right here in Peoria- Washington Gifted.

Home of the Braves!

Wow!

Call me arrogant and/or superstitious, but since it worked so well the last two games, Polly predicts...

Memphis is gonna crush Bradley. Memphis is going to make the Braves cry like a group of lost pioneers surrounded by hostile Indians.

(Before anyone fire bombs my house, please read my previous post on this subject.)

A Dish and A Dis, Two Restaurant Reviews

Ate at Seven on Prospect last night, again. Good stuff. Always. I had the "Magnificent Seven" which is essentially every seafood known to man gathered in a tasty roma tomato sauce and slathered over pasta. My mouth waters at the memory.

Last night's dinner almost, but not quite, made up for the rather sorry dining experience I had earlier in the week at the new Basta Pasta also located on Prospect, and owned by the same folks who never fail to please me at Seven.

Basta Pasta blew. It blew chunks. I ordered the Greggio Pasta dish, which was supposed to be tenderloin served over fresh pasta served with a unique zesty sauce. In reality it was a very dry, overcooked and overpriced piece of meat propped up on a mound of overcooked bow tie noodles covered in a luke warm sauce I swear came out of a French's salad dressing bottle.

Any restaurant can have an off night. Normally I wouldn't be so harsh. My Significant Other ordered the Basta Pasta, which was as spicy and tasty as it was at the former location. However, the serving size was approximately a third of what it used to be. When I pointed out the new serving size my S.O.-who fears cardiac arrest- muttered, "Thank God." S.O. saw things my way when I pointed out that we were paying just as much for the petite portion as we paid for the former vat 'o pasta portion.

All would be forgiven except for the snooty policy of Basta. Our nieces, ages 6 and 10 joined us for dinner. Both adore any type of noodle -have yet to meet a kid who doesn't- and were looking forward to trying out the "New Basta" as they both really liked the "Old Basta." New Basta is trying to pose a haute Manhattan boutique restaurant, complete with a curt "Well behaved children welcome" posted on the menu. There is no children's menu, which is fine, the girls were happy to split an entree of spaghetti and meatballs. We were fined an eight dollar "plate fee" to do so. SNOBS. We specifically asked our waitress if this policy applied when well behaved children were involved. Our experience has been that even snotty Manhattan restaurants don't charge plating fees when kids are involved. Our waitress rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes." Hey! Basta! You are located in PEORIA HEIGHTS. This is the Mid West, NOT Manhattan. You are a pasta joint, NOT an uppity French Restaurant. BTW, French Toast doesn't charge plating fees. Corking fee, yes. Plating fee, no.

It's back to Paparrazzi for Italian. Bruce Brown knows how to make a killer eggplant parmesan and is always nice to kids - well behaved or not!

How About Those Braves?!

Let me be the first to admit it. I really didn't think Bradley had a snowball's chance in hell of beating Kansas last night. At the half, when they were ten or so points ahead, I thought, "Damn. It's going to be painful to see Kansas come back from this."

Polly could not be happier to be put in her place and plain WRONG.

However, since my negativity and cynicism served the team so well last night, let me just say, "Damn. It's going to be painful to see the Braves lose the next round."

Who me? Superstitious? Nah!



My deepest sympathy to all dumbfounded Jayhawks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Green Beer is on Me... Literally!

Ahh.... The entertainment that is St. Patrick's Day! Gotta love it. A time when otherwise normal, hardworking, responsible adults ditch work, and start getting sloshed before 10:00 a.m. while freezing and watching an otherwise lame parade go by. Downtown Peoria tends to take on an adult entertainment type feel well before the lunch hour- despite the presence of numerous children diving in the middle of the street to collect cheap candy.

No doubt Kelleher's will be filled to capacity, and I don't particularly care for crowds -or green beer spilled down my suit- so no Friday cheeseburger for lunch today. Wah!!! I will try to stop by the Judge's Chamber, because watching Union types get drunk always provides a few good laughs. Plus, Union guys happily buy strangers (or maybe just strange women) drinks.

It is also good fun to watch wanna be politicians take part in the parade. They are busy trying to appear as upstanding citizens while the surrounding citizens are busy getting sloshed and making fun of their bad ties.

I hope the Police Department is out in force tonight as well as the State Patrol. Since St. Paddy's Day falls on a Friday this year, I predict driving tonight will be even more dangerous than coming home New Year's Eve.

I will be home watching "High Noon" while munching on green popcorn. Enjoy yourselves, but remember: Drinking green beer is fun. Puking green beer is not.

Go Richwoods!!!

Love,

Paulina