Couple of things. I have 3 invites to Simple to give out. Let me know if you want to try it out. It's nice, used it for a month for food purchases, but don't feel like moving all my payment/deposits around right now, and I like my iTunes Card enough to deal with the non Simple interface. Second bit: a Pizza Hut opened up relative close to where I live again. So been waiting for a chance to get it, and hoping lunch on Sunday will be it. Looking forward to a medium pan Supreme. Didn't see a line at the Lincoln Park Apple Store for the iPad mini release day today. It was kind of cold, but interesting nonetheless. Have to hold myself back for the hopefully future Retina one in the future. Maybe at some point I'll do a whole hog replacement to get rid of 30pin dock iOS devices.

I declared RSS bankruptcy last week. Was spending too much time just trying to stay current, that I myself was no longer current. As in I was doing too much reading, and not enough doing. Next step is to curtail Facebook, Twitter, and App.net reading. Maybe once or twice a day. I've already moved the apps off my iOS home screens. Been able to start going through my Instapaper backlog too. Which is nice. Had stuff in there from August 2011. Yikes. Also feel more inclined to write, via Day One. Hoping this keeps up. Want to start plowing through some personal projects. Found out back catalog of Ludlum is available as eBooks. Bought a couple off iBooks, but just last night found out that I can no longer strip out the DRM, which means I can't, if I wanted to, put them on my Kindle. Which is annoying. And considering my reduced online info consumption, means I might look into a Paperwhite sooner rather than later. But I'll be switching to FeedBooks instead for purchasing. Just annoying for the steps to take to get into iBooks. DRM+Ease of use vs. any device+hassle. If only I could put iBooks on some sort of e-Ink device. Probably means I'll repurchase the first 2 Ludlum books so they will be available. Last last weekend went to the French Fall Market in Lucy's school building. A Lycée Français de Chicago fundraiser. Interesting. It was in the school, so kind of cramped. After nap went up to Northbrook Court. Got to handle an iPad mini. Want one, but can hold off until they go Retina. Didn't think the size made sense, but then I handled it, and it's perfect. And I do agree that it's probably what the iPad was supposed to be. Voted on Tuesday. Finally got my Pizza Hut Super Supreme pan pizza on Friday. Gone by Saturday morning. Sad that Lucy didn't seem to like it. Hit up the indoor Green City Market this past Saturday for the first time this season, when it was unreasonably warm. Successfully used Dark Skies to get home before the rain. Lucy had a little bit of a fever, but was fine by Sunday, when we went to Oakbrook Court. I got to play with a Surface at a Microsoft Store. Got the touch UI to crash by trying to rotate the device. Otherwise, interesting. I don't understand the 16:9/9:16 screen ratio. Maybe I'm just used to the iPad 4:3/3:4. Maybe because I mostly use mine in portrait. Also finally threw out the broken coffee/espresso machines and got an Aeropress. Made a cup last night, and it was good. Not amazing, but then again I sometimes like gas station coffee/cappuccinos. Also saw a dodocase at the J.Crew. Would be great if I ever carried around my iPad all by itself, and not in a bag.

Flatted. Again. Monday night, came out to ride home, hopped on, rode a block, realized my rear tire was flat. Ended up digging a little piece of glass out of the tire. Was the final straw to get some puncture resistant tires. My Marathon Pluss are too tall to fit under the fenders, so I'm on the lookout for something else. Going to try out some Marathon Supremes. Hoping they fit. Also loving the hood on my Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket. Covers up like a balaclava and it's windproof. I stay pretty warm when I scuba up like that. Even if it looks pretty dorky. Couple weeks ago got a pair of Bogs Hawthornes for winter riding. Work pretty well, except that I need to stiffen up the soles a little bit. Monday morning it was below freezing, so bundle up with armwarmers, long johns, and neoprene socks. Was pretty warm.

Hard to believe it's Thanksgiving already. Part of it is that the weather's been so mild. I'm all excited about cold weather biking, and we did have a week there when I got to break out some gear, but now? A little bit of overkill. Almost getting too hot on the rides in to work. Still only getting a a comment or so a week about the Revolights. Does sound like I'm pretty visible with them. I do wonder how the rear lights look with the fender. On Sunday took Lucy to a couple playgrounds, and then lunch with the grandparents at Soupbox. The ride back was the first one where Lucy cried the whole way home. She started because she wanted to keep eating, even though we went through that process a couple of times. Then she pulled her feet out of the shoes which were strapped in. Then on the way home she was crying because she wanted a kleenex to wipe her tears. Then she cried because she wanted to give me the kleenex. Then she cried because she wanted a kleenex again. Then she cried because she wanted to put her shoes on. So that was me, riding up Halsted, with a crying baby in a plastic weather shield on the back of an Xtracycle. Good times. Finally got a haircut too. Needed it. Picked up dinner Sunday night from Mia Francesca. Took maybe 40 minutes from calling in the order to putting it on the table after picking it up on my bike. So easy. Tracy's working Thanksgiving, so my parents are having it at their condo.

Got laid out by a migraine on Wednesday, Tracy's birthday. She even came down and had lunch at the French Market too. I think it's because of too many buttermilk old fashioned donuts from Do-Rite. Which sucks, because those donuts are awesome. Not sure if I want to experiment to verify, because that headache sucked. Only had it once before, and I think I also had donuts that day. Either way, made it home, went to Whole Foods with Lucy and Tracy, then went to bed. Thanksgiving took Lucy to the pirate playground for an hour, before getting her a hot dog for lunch. Surprised she ate almost the whole thing. After nap and when Tracy got off work, went over to my parents condo for Thanksgiving. Lucy was running on the way over, in a pretty good mood, but got worse as the night went on. Had a little fever, and a running nose all day. She did sleep through the night, so that's good. I got to do some work on the bikes, putting on my BarMitts, new Marathon Supreme tires, and tried evening out the Revolights and mounting the front light on the fender, both of which I failed completing. I also got the fork light mounts on the Xtracycle, Was excited about a 32° ride in this morning, but was a balmy 37° instead. Still, I was sweating in my gloves and BarMitts. They are awesome. And since Lucy didn't have school today, she's hanging out with my parents, who were thinking of taking her out to Woodstock to see the holiday lighting of the Square, but since she's sick, they're sticking around. But Tracy and I made plans for dinner and movie when we thought we would go out tomorrow to get her. We're trying the ShowPlace ICON down on Roosevelt, which is like a Muvico, seeing The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2. Then getting dinner at Gilt Bar. Been a while since we've been there.

So much for the ShowPlace ICON. Next time, which will probably be for Catching Fire next November, we'll just go back to the Muvico. Much nicer. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 was alright, and the twist/change they made? Very well done, and completely fits. I liked it. Definitely added a lot. Actually better than the book. Saturday met with April for breakfast at 2 Sparrows. Ok this time around. I forgot what I had before, but this time I had the pork belly sandwich. Not sure if I had it before. Either way, didn't have to eat lunch. Went to Fox & Obel for dinner and shopping. Tracy's on the lookout for some burrata like she had at Gilt Bar. Sunday went out to a playground, then Noodles & Company, and Lucy kind of threw a tantrum while leaving, so had a screaming/crying child trying to get out of a stroller as we walked down the street. Awesome. Last night met up with the Cases at Rainforest Cafe. And now I understand why places like that exist, and why we'll be going to places like that in the future. Been cold. Didn't realize how cold it was this morning, which I guess is good. Also realize that I need to have a real coat at work. The warmest part of my body on bike rides? My hands thanks to the BarMitts. The coldest? My toes. Definitely need to figure out a better way to keep those warm. Also received another Kickstarter reward, a Supr Slim Wallet. It's actually pretty nice. Now thinking I should have gotten a white one to match my iPhone 4S, iPad and stuff. And besides RSS bankruptcy, I've declared the same for App.net and Twitter. I'm newsless now.

December tomorrow. And then before you know it, 2013. If you believe some people, maybe not 2013, and there's only 21-22 days left in the world. Wait and see I guess. So even though I've declared RSS, App.Net, and Twitter, I've started using Flipboard again as almost my sole source of online news, besides when I hit websites to get my fix. But I've moved any kindling sites on Fever into sparks, so no longer have anything to check all that often. Also figured out how to use Fever to see what's hot for a day, so I can check at the end of the day any new hotness items on the web. But still need to tone down my habit. I still check way too much. But I am still plowing through my Instapaper backlog. That's kind of nice. Making a little progress on personal projects. Headed out tonight for a couples date night with the Cases and hopefully the Riveras too. Lucy's in Woodstock with my parents. I'm taking the train out tomorrow to hang out with them before coming back in with them on Sunday. Been dealing with a cold/congestion all week. Hoping the night of revelry doesn't set me back. Also, since we're going to Au Cheval tonight, I didn't bike and took the Brown Line in. That was easy. But I missed biking, that's for sure. But again, after a night of revelry, biking home doesn't seem like a good idea.