| Now dimmer switches can be progammable
Nothing probably jolts you awake faster than bright lights on sleepy eyes. Whether you're groping the hallway wall on the way to the bathroom or just flipping the switch after a romantic movie, the abrupt, blinding light can leave you squinting painfully until your eyes adjust. Replacing conventional light switches with dimmers can help you avoid those moments. However, dimmer switches won't work with all light bulbs. Dimmer switches are available in several styles. The least expensive ones are dial-shaped knobs. They cost around $1.75. With knobs, "you have to adjust the light [level] every time you turn it on," says Doug Beach, the store manager at Lamps Plus in Fresno, Calif. "You also have to click it off to be sure the lights are off." There also are dimmers that look like standard light switches.
North Side Review: Five Star Bar & Grill
"This place feels like Northside," we remarked to our dining companion as we sat down at the Five Star Bar & Grill on 1424 W. Chicago Ave. Despite the rock-and-roll-inspired decor (which was strangely matched with the weapons-inspired overhead lamps), we felt like we could have been dining on N. Damen — same frat-boy atmosphere, same mediocre selection of standard bar fare, and same feeling as we left of "did we really just spend $30 on sandwiches and a couple of beers for two?" The menu at Five Star is pretty standard for a bar and grill — burgers with multiple variations (guacamole, bacon, grilled onions, etc.) and a selection of sandwiches. We tried the Sid & Nancy, a hefty sandwich of smoked turkey, muenster cheese and honey mustard on egg bread. We didn't have any real complaints about this sandwich, but then again, how hard is it to make a turkey and cheese sammie? The pulled pork sandwich featured pork with more of a barbecue sauce flavor than the traditional vinegar.
SEND US YOUR IDEAS
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
- Stick telephone, finger dial, American Telegraph and Telephone Co., No. 337, black finish, 12 inches, $145.
- Ammon and Person Baby Brand Butterine advertising mirror, little girl sitting on floor buttering toast, by W&H, 3 inches, $210.
- American Character doll, Tiny Tears, plastic head, sleep eyes, open mouth, brunette fleecy hair, rubber body, pink knit dress, 1950, 17 inches, $275.
- Milk glass mini lamp, light blue, multicolored floral design with forest-green bottom half, acorn burner, 8 1/4 inches, $345.
- Rose O'Neill Kewpie child's tea set, white porcelain, Kewpie on front, teapot, sugar and creamer, six cups and saucers, 15-piece set, $465.
Sharing views from our speed-train reality
Imagine you're on a speeding train, alone in a boxcar with no windows, rumbling down the tracks. You desperately crave to know where you're at, where you're going, what's outside the boxcar. You look down to the corner of the boxcar. You see a pencil-thin ray of sunlight beaming into the boxcar. It captivates you. You walk toward it and see a tiny hole in the boxcar. You crouch down and peek through the tiny hole to the outside world. Things are a blur. You barely grasp familiar images, scrambling to make sense of your whereabouts, your direction, your destination. You can't, but you keep trying anyway, throughout the entire train ride. It's all you've got. This hypothetical experience, for example, is how we interpret our daily reality. Of all the things going on in our world, our universe, our soul -- simultaneously and constantly -- it's impossible to absorb, let alone interpret, the enormity of it all, the complexity of it all, the reality of it all.
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee: All-new Engine and Refreshed Styling
The Jeep brand unveiled today the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee that features an all-new 4.7-liter V-8 engine that delivers a 30 percent increase in horsepower, a 10 percent increase in torque and improved fuel economy compared with the engine it replaces. The 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee also offers a refreshed interior and exterior design and a host of innovative premium amenities, including one not found on other full-size sport-utility vehicles (SUV) on the road today - SIRIUS Backseat TV. The vehicle will arrive at Jeep dealerships starting this fall. "With a choice of five engines, three four-wheel-drive systems and more premium amenities than ever before, the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee sets the benchmark for full-size SUVs just as it did when it debuted in 1992," said John Plecha, Director -- Jeep Brand Marketing and Global .
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