gotshoo?

Apple just released a utity for iTunes called TubeSock. Guess what it interacts with? Why YouTube, duh!

You can download and rip YouTube video to your iTunes. Essentially you can take your YouTube stuff and put it on your iPod.

However, just reading the site one more time, it only works with Mac. Hey, GTG, can I borrow your Mac?

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/internet_utilities/tubesock.html

Russ at Springfield Rewind has a great collection of photos and articles about White Oaks Mall. The mall is reaching it’s 30th birthday here soon.

As a kid, the mall was always a treat to go to. Many times I would go with my mom and grandma on the city bus. Yes, we actually used public transportation. If I was a good kid and didn’t give too much of a fuss about them scouring through shoes and bargains at Bergner’s, I would get candy from Mr. Bulky, some kind of toy (usually a hot wheels car) from Kaybee toystore. That was always a treat. It seemed like those days were the longest days.

Check out the list of stores that opened with the mall. I didn’t realize how many had been there the whole time.

A real Cardinal family.

Originally uploaded by gotshoo.

GTG and I went to the game Friday evening, the Cardinals vs Cubs. My first Cards vs Cubs game in the new stadium. Very Cool. We had great seats just above the Cardinals’ bullpen. Cards won 2-0 that night.

This was a couple sitting a few rows down from us. Not to be content with the electronic state of the art score boards. This guy has his trusty pen and hand written stats sheet. That’s a true ball fan.

I feel like Jacko. My nose is about to fall off from congestion.

Someone just turned the 3 - 0.

I am ready already for the week to be over.

Over and out. 10-4 Good Buddy.

My body is falling apart, but for good reason. Today, my brother and I helped out GTG move into her new apartment. Why did she have to move in on the second floor? Well, at least it is better than the third. GTG has a great place with a lot of windows and hard wood floors. I almost wish I had chosen that place as my first apartment.

After that I headed home to a lawn that had been on my nerves since I moved in. Bushes taking over the lawn, ivy strangling the holly bush, random tree bush in the front yard. Everytime I’d take out Buddy to do his business I’d just think “Man, who is going to trim those bushes.” Unfortunately, I was the only one on the list.

Buddy was a great helper. (Man, I am turning into a “dog person”) Everytime I trim off a limb he’d go snatch it and half-ass take it back to the pile. Actually he would just gnawl on it right under my feet. The little guy had a great day meeting a new dog in the neighborhood (sniffed some butt) with his owner that had a lovely German accent and offered her services anytime to watch him. She also couldn’t believe that he was adopted from the APL. Just a reminder that not every cute dog has to come from the mall. He also scored two doggy treats from a three year old. Buddy liked the three year old because with enough momentum he could knock down the kid.

The lawn looks great though. Still more work to be done, but I feel better that progress has been made.

Earlier this summer the SJ-R ran an article about Taste of Downtown visitors being towed, particularly by Northside Towing. Oddly enough, I bowled with these people last year in my bowling league. Very nice, hard working people.

The article delt with a visitor that was towed out of a private lot across from the St. Nicholas Apartments. There was a $145 charge for the tow of which the person towed tried to pay with a credit card. Which is reasonable, considering that most people don’t carry a 145 bucks in their wallet. Northside said they did not accept credit cards nor has ever accepted them.

The paper made error stating that the company may have been violating state law. It later retracted that statement in the Aug. 16th article Davlin tables vote on towing and clarrified that those regulations apply to tow companies in Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, and Winnebago counties under the ICC (Illinois Comerce Commission).

The debate now is if the city will creates it’s own local ordinance or convince the county to join the commission. Individual cities can not join the commission.

Although it has brought Northside Towing some negative publicy, the topic has surfaced that tow companies in Springfield are not required to display their tow charge or minimum sign size and can charge an exuberant amout for a tow.

First of all, I am a little biased, my truck was towed from an apartment complex on a Sunday evening over a year ago. Yes, there were signs posted plus additional spots for parking. Did I deserve it? Let’s just say I won’t be recommending that apartment complex to anyone.

My charge back then was a $100 and I think they also charged me $30 more for them to use “special” equipment to pry my truck from it’s space. That’s a lot of money!

I can’t remember if I paid with cash or credit. The tow company was not NS.

In the article NS argues that it will not accept credit cards because of the fees associated with taking cards. I worked at private restaurant where for years they debated accepting credit cards, and they too were afraid of the fees. In the end, the fees amounted to being only 1 1/2 % to 3% (depending on cash flow). As a side note, companies in Illinois can not add on a surplus charge for using a credit card.

I’ve had my vehicles towed before (on purpose) because of a dead battery and broken water pump. Each time the tow charge averaged around $40.

I think it’s a great idea that some regulation could be applied to tow companies in Springfield. I am not for regulating them to a point that they can not make a profit, but a set of rules that sets a reasonable, for the city of Springfield, charge maximum that a tow company can charge, a minimum sign size, and multiple options on how to pay a tow charge.

More specifically, I would like to see Sangamon county join the ICC. In which case if a problem did arise, comments or complaints could be submitted for review and local politics would be out of the question.

Bills, bills, bills.

So, remember how I said GTG and I went down to St. Louis last weekend? Well, on the way down I had a rock hit my truck at super-sonic speeds. Didn’t think much of it other than there goes some paint. Fast forward a few days later, I’ve got a 10inch hair line crack snaking it’s way down from the top of the windshield. The rock hit at the point where you can’t view the glass from inside the vehicle.

And I was just thinking the other day maybe it’s time to upgrade my truck… (murphy’s law)