When you enter the “real world,” you have to get used to a few things. Signing up for a 401k, for example. Setting an alarm clock for a time only previously observed by ambitious creatures such a birds and coke addicts. And — our favorite — the hour-long lunch break.

In jobs that don’t enjoy the luxury of an hour-long break, employees are often forced to suffer the thirty-minute rush, in which there’s just enough time to grab a sandwich and wolf it down before it’s time to clock back in. But when you have an hour, you’re likely to spread your gastrointestinal wings and seek out some deals. You might find that Cafe Kopi, for instance, offers a mean Thai tempeh sandwich, and that with KoFusion's lunch sushi deal, you get nine pieces of sushi and a bowl of miso soup for under ten dollars and in under thirty minutes.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg lettuce (we couldn’t resist), and we know there are plenty more praiseworthy lunchtime deals around town. So, all you grown-ups out there with hour-long lunch breaks and ten bucks to burn: Where do you go for lunch? Where can you get in and out within an hour, and without paying more (or much more) than ten dollars?

Lincoln Square Village will be crawling with hundreds of audiophiles starting as early as doors will allow, this Saturday, May 17 at 8 a.m. The annual Vintage Vinyl sale begins at the crack of dawn (for those the love to r-a-w-k). Those waiting in line usually can be found scanning their prepared list of records to hunt for as soon as they step foot in the sale.

One thing is for certain about horse racing: there is no such thing as a “sure thing.” Horses are living, breathing creatures with as distinct personalities as pedigrees. A horse is not a car — he gets sick, gets hungry, gets full of himself, gets tired. In short, he is a real athlete in every sense of the word. And just as in the human world, there are those horses who stand out among the rest physically and mentally, being born with a talent that screams to be exercised. There are horses, and then there are horses.

In 2007, the Federal Bureau of Prisons made the decision to expunge all religious materials from prison libraries nationwide in an effort to prevent prisons from becoming potential “recruiting grounds” for terrorists. Amid public outcry and inmate lawsuits, the bureau was forced to reverse its initiative.

One-year prior, Pennsylvania was forced to justify, in court, its statewide ban on all news, magazines, and photographs to a sizable portion of the state’s inmate population.

Back in December, I wrote a long-winded eulogy for Jim Edmonds when his ties were cut with the Cardinals upon being shipped to San Diego. I wanted to remember his loping, upper-cut swing, his shoestring or scaling-the-wall catches, his notoriously lackadaisical appearance on the field, his So. Cal. bleached tips, his uncanny ability to clobber the high fastball and that glorious, walk-off home run he hit off Dan Miceli to keep the Cardinals alive in the 2004 NLCS.

I never published that eulogy. And now, I’m glad I didn’t, because Jim Edmonds isn’t going quietly into the night. Instead, he’s playing for the arch-rival Cubs. Whether Edmonds, who once admitted to treading lightly on Wrigley’s warning track thanks to its vine-covered brick walls, has any gas left in the tank or not is beside the point. He’ll be wearing the C on his chest, and that’s uncomfortable for Redbirds fans. The man who said on many occasions that he wanted to end his career in St. Louis will now likely cap his career in Chicago. That’s tough to stomach.

Then you may have noticed that WPGU, the college-run station broadcasting from Green Street, has been paying more attention to local music lately.

Since the controversial Local Music Awards last month, Operations Manager Jon Hansen has listened to many criticisms and suggestions for the station — and, working against managerial-type, when Hansen listens, he actually listens. In the past month, WPGU has put into play, so to speak, a "band of the week" feature, which includes quirky band profiles read on-air, as well as a featured track played every day at a regular time. In addition, WPGU has amped up its local show coverage, updated its music digital database and added newer songs by current local artists.

It was a great day at the Urbana Farmers' Market last week, and customers enjoyed the gorgeous weather, catching up with the local farmers and running in to friends, while exploring all the market had to offer. Although the variety of available produce was less than market goers are accustomed to this time of year, the bounty was plenty. Asparagus was the vegetable-of-the-day, and although I went slightly overboard on my purchases, I have no regrets, and will likely indulge again.

If rusty chains, blown-out tubes or any other cycle malady has been keeping you from participating in this week's Bike to Work Week (May 12–16), and you feel like you don't have the tools or know-how for a DIY fix, The Bike Project of Urbana- Champaign can help (and before the big Bike to Work Day tomorrow, May 16).

What’s big, yellow, and wants you to share the road? If you’ve seen the C-U Mass Transit District’s new Share the Road bus, it’s no mystery. The bus, which travels on various routes throughout the area depending on the day, made its debut a few weeks ago.

]]> http://www.smilepolitely.com/music/2008/05/local-diablo-the-best-metal-co.php http://www.smilepolitely.com/music/2008/05/local-diablo-the-best-metal-co.php Hate Choir Loco Diablo Local Underground Compilation Vol. 1 Rantoul The Beauty Shop Thu, 15 May 2008 12:30:40 -0600

I was lured to Crazy Buffet in the North Prospect Big Box Retail District the other night on the recommendation of a friend who told me that this place was “better than the others.” By the others, I’m assuming he meant Chinatown Buffet, the now defunct Four Seasons House and Eastern Taste down in Savoy (conveniently located next to Friar Tuck). Of course, my excitement at eating at Crazy Buffet was fueled by the fact that I hadn’t eaten much all day and, aside from its abundance and variety, it dished up food that looked and smelled good. Yet, on finishing my third plate, I looked down at the substantial leftovers (bits of this or that I didn’t feel like eating) and thought to myself: Nothing here was really very good.

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

Woodlawn Cemetery, which shares its land with Busey Woods in Urbana, houses many folks who once walked the streets of our two towns. Illegible tombstones from the pre-Civil War era flock the grounds — but one lesser known fact is that this cemetery has a few sections lovingly referred to as "babyland" by the groundskeepers. Large rows of tiny worn down grave markers, like the ones above from the oldest "babyland," can be found on the southeast side of the cemetery marking the deaths of many children who died from various illnesses in the early 1900s. Another interesting grave marker, for Isham Cook, is one from the first body buried at this cemetery. Although his body is not directly under his tombstone, it is "still around somewhere under the grounds," according to a groundskeeper. Click "Continue Reading" to see Cook's marker.

Now that we’re nearly at the quarter pole of the regular season, the flukes of April should be fading away to reveal something more concrete in the American League Central. Instead, it’s a muddled race to the middle, with only 4.5 games separating first place from fifth, and no team with a winning percentage over .530 or under .400. Any analysis based on a given team’s spot in this crapshoot could be completely irrelevant by this time next week. But hey, that’s why I’m here.