There’s something special about looking back at the games from Sierra.
Police Quest. King’s Quest. Willie Beamish. Hero’s Quest. I spent so many hours lost in those worlds. So many great memories from an era when a box of floppy disks could provide endless adventures. Sierra made some truly magical games.
I remember when games came in EGA and VGA.
Good times!
On the left is my Squier Paranormal Strat. It’s a double-bound Strat body with a Nashville Tele pickup configuration. Bridge has been upgraded to a Wilkinson 3 brass-saddle bridge. I installed a set of ToneRider Nashville 60’s pickups and reversed the control plate back to a standard layout. The pots and switch have been upgraded and the tone knob is a push-pull. It turns the 5-way switch into a 7-way, engaging the neck pickup in positions 1 and 2.
On the right is my Squier Tele Custom with factory Bigsby. Factory pickups were replaced with a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck and a Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster pickup in the bridge. Wiring was upgraded to a MojoTone harness with a 500k pot for the neck and a 250k pot for the bridge, a 470k resistor to give the bridge-only position a 250k load, and a treble bleed.
Never any tuning issues with either guitar, but I do lube all contact points on the Tele Custom and use StringJoy strings.
My wife and I started our marriage with a new tradition. Instead of making the standard turkey dinner, we decided to get Chinese food. We don’t eat Chinese food all that often, so it feels like a bit of a treat for us.
We’re only three years into the tradition, but every year I find myself asking the same question: where should we order from?
So far, we’ve done MingHin twice and Triple Crown. Both were good, but I’d like to try somewhere different this year.
We’re in Humboldt Park, but we’re open to ordering from other neighborhoods.
I’m starting my search early this year. Where would you recommend?
Located on the corner of North Ave & Washtenaw. My wife and I have been watching this place come together over the past few months as we live on the street. We’re fortunate enough to live amongst some pretty decent restaurants and are excited about this one opening soon. Especially excited as we’re morning people and this will be a breakfast and lunch spot according to the menu they posted today. Not sure when the official opening is.
Before I get into my frustrations, allow me to give my post some context. I started working in restaurants here in Illinois at age 15, doing both front-of-house and back-of-house duties. I built a career in hospitality management while living in Las Vegas, and after relocating back to Chicago post-COVID, I made the pivot to restaurant management here.
I worked as an Assistant General Manager and General Manager for full-service and fine-dining restaurants across the city and the suburbs. I’ve had my hands in all aspects of these operations, including the financial side with P&L statements, labor management, food costs, and more. I stepped away from the industry a few years back after getting completely burned out, and now I only return to restaurants as a paying customer dining with my wife.
Recent dining experiences in Chicago have made it clear that the current system is completely out of hand. I was recently at a local Chicago restaurant where I was expected to seat myself, get my own water and utensils, and place my own order via a QR code. Food and drinks were brought out by a runner who never checked in on us, yet the payment screen still prompted us to tip 20%. I dined at another local spot this week that added an automatic 3% hospitality fee to the bill, explicitly used to cover overhead, rising labor, and supply costs. At one restaurant I managed, management automatically tacked a percentage-based fee onto the bill, explicitly advising us it was to offset impending Chicago minimum wage laws.
The narrative constantly pushed by restaurant owners and investors is that profit margins are razor-thin at 3% to 5%. If you do a quick Google search, you'll find plenty of articles backing this up. In my hands-on management experience, I found this to be largely untrue. At one particular restaurant I managed, my executive bonus was tied directly to prime costs (Cost of Goods Sold + total labor percentage). Even after accounting for fixed costs like high rent, the restaurant generated massive profits, more than quadruple the frequently touted 3% to 5% margin. Are there struggling neighborhood spots where those thin margins are a reality? Absolutely. But it is disingenuous to paint the entire industry with that brush to justify passing operational costs directly onto the consumer.
I have watched owners of restaurants comp tens of thousands of dollars in food or drink to friends, while doing nothing to help their staff, like expecting them to pay for their shift meal while friends of the owners dined for free.
My core frustration lies in seeing owners and investors refuse to bridge the gap between baseline pay and a genuine living wage, shifting that financial burden entirely onto the public while pocketing healthy returns.
During my time managing a fine-dining restaurant, I estimate the average server made $100,000 a year working just 4 to 5 days a week. Did they make a livable wage? Yes, thanks to tips. They were the exception to the rule, but their high earning potential doesn't excuse owners from paying a fair base wage. More importantly, tipping culture has expanded into areas where zero value is added to the dining experience. Why as a consumer am I expected to subsidize wages or tip 20% for counter service, QR-code ordering, and fetching my own silverware?
Restaurants need to bear the burden of providing a reliable, livable wage to their employees directly, built into the cost of the menu, just like every other service industry on earth. Stop hiding behind mandatory surcharges, stop guilting consumers into tipping for zero service, and start running sustainable businesses that treat both workers and diners with respect.
I’ve always been a guitar stand guy and never gave hanging my guitars up much thought. My wife and I decided to repaint our place and she brought up the idea of hanging my guitars in the living room. I caved to the idea and am really pleased with the results. I’m really digging the Aztec Gold against the mushroom-y grey color we selected. I plan on hanging some show posters between the guitars…but I secretly left the gap big enough for a third guitar…just in case.
I’m heading back to Vegas over the 4th. The town I left isn't the one I’m going back to, and I need a few markers before I land. I’m taking my wife, who’s never seen the place. We’ve got one night to burn without the kid.
If you’ve got eyes on the ground, point me straight.
Dinner
I want a seat, not a scene. Herbs & Rye and Golden Steer are on my list, but if there’s something new in that vein: solid, no-nonsense, high-end-ish, let me know. Would consider a celebrity chef trap if they’ve actually got soul.
The Show
I’ve seen Absinthe half a dozen times. It’s a hard act to follow. I was looking at Mad Apple, but tell me if I’m wasting the night. Any other show that doesn't feel like a tourist trap?
The Kid
He’s a local and he knows his way around the trampoline parks. I’ve got the basics covered. Any new spots in town that aren't a headache for a six-year-old?
The 4th
Where are people actually watching the fireworks? I’m looking for a view that doesn't involve being crushed by the crowd on the Strip.
Appreciate the help.
I’m in the middle of burn-testing a new line of small-batch candles using a premium soy-coconut blend in 9oz amber glass jars. I absolutely love the luxury aesthetic and the crackle of wooden wicks, but I am losing my mind trying to get a consistent melt pool.
Half my test batches keep drowning themselves out after 45 minutes, or they leave terrible tunneling. I’m trimming them to 1/4" like every supplier recommends, but they just refuse to hold a strong flame. I really don't want to give up and revert to standard cotton flat-wicks because the vibe isn't the same.
For anyone who actually manufactures and sells wood-wick candles successfully: What is the trick here? Is it a thickness issue, an issue with the fragrance oil load, or do I need to switch to a dual-wick/booster setup?