Smile Politely. Speak Directly. A Champaign-Urbana Culture Blog

I first noticed a pair in the parking lot at Parkland College, hanging from the back of a fire-engine red Ford F150. If you’ve been paying attention to the trucks on the road, you may have seen them too — in between all the two-dimensional vinyl ribbons and the Calvins urinating on rival sports teams and other truck brands — a pair of bull testicles, uncannily realistic, hanging from a truck’s hitch, right below the license plate.

Depending on the manufacturer, these backside decorations are called "bulls balls," "truck balls," "bumper nuts" or "truck nutz," and they come in a surprising variety of colors and sizes.

At Smile Politely, we're interested in what the people of Champaign- Urbana think about this place we call home. So how do we find out what they think? Simple. We ask them.

Name: Larry Ecker

Occupation/Education: Director, Creative Services, The U

Original Hometown: Buckley, Ill.

Current Hometown: Champaign

Number of Years Living in the C-U Area: 30

Age: 56

Many women will have a moment in their life where they will take a pregnancy test. The results will bring different reactions for everyone. One thought may be, "Am I ready for this?" Another might be, "Will it be a boy or a girl?" And yet another, more common thought will undoubtedly be, "What the hell am I going to wear for the next nine months?"

Well, look no further than Bella Bambini, the new maternity and early childhood store for you, me and everyone else.

Getting your green thumb on is not as easy as it seems. As a new homeowner, I lack the confidence to feel anything more than a little uneasy about planting — and tending — a garden of vegetables and herbs. That, however, won’t stop me from giving it my best shot. After all, there’s nothing quite like fresh Roma tomatoes from your own garden.

This Saturday, May 10, Common Ground Food Co-op gives us another reason to bow at its altar. In addition to providing the community’s only truly organic and local food store, the co-op is also hosting its annual plant sale in the store’s parking lot at the corner of Fourth and Springfield in Champaign. The sale will run this weekend from 8 a.m.–12 p.m.

CGFC is touting its heirloom vegetables and herbs as the freshest around, so expect these newly sprouted plants to be just as delectable as the co-op’s popular cashew butter and zucchini.

Common Ground Food Co-op will remain in its current location at 610 E. Springfield Ave. in Champaign until July 1, when it’ll move to Lincoln Square Village.

Orange and blue? Not quite, but close enough. School colors are sprouting up on campus as the University of Illinois gets ready for graduation weekend. This year's commencement speaker is Mannie Jackson, current owner of the Harlem Globetrotters and a 1960 Illinois grad. Check out the university’s website for a full commencement calendar.

Are you itching to work at Urban Outfitters? Now here's your chance. Today in my inbox, I received an e-mail with the subject of "Urban Outfitters Champaign - Now Hiring." How did Urban Outfitters know that I live in Champaign and would like to know about job openings as a manager, display artist or merchandiser? Well, I'm not quite sure and I really don't want to work there. But perhaps you do?

At Smile Politely, we're interested in what the people of Champaign-Urbana think about this place we call home. So how do we find out what they think? Simple. We ask them.

Name: Kevin Barthelemy

Occupation/Education: Smattering of community college; clerk at U of I

Original Hometown: Champaign

Current Hometown: Ditto

Number of Years Living in the C-U Area: 40

Age: 48