It’s Monday. Okay, you know the drill—hold up both hands and count them out. All ten? Congratz! You survived the 4th without losing any of your digits.

Here in Illinois, the holiday weekend was a little of everything: oppressive heat, flash flooding, heavy thunderstorms, and enough rain to make you wonder if Noah was taking reservations. Many suburbs wisely canceled their fireworks displays, but Chicago decided to press ahead despite a thick blanket of fog rolling in off Lake Michigan. The fog was so dense that the city’s iconic skyline completely disappeared from view at Navy Pier. Millions gathered along the lakefront expecting an expanded fireworks show celebrating America’s 250th birthday, only to watch much of it vanish into the soup. Mother Nature can be a bitch sometimes.

NASCAR was at the Chicagoland Speedway over the weekend. It was weird watching the race from home knowing they were only a short drive away. I chose not to get tickets due to my recent hospital stay and surgery. I’m still on the mend and the antibiotics are still taking their toll on my stamina. I just didn’t know if I was going to be up for spending the day & night out at the track. I think I made the right choice and if they return next year, I’ll definitely be there.

NASCAR rolled into Chicagoland Speedway over the weekend, and it felt a little strange watching the race from home knowing the track was only a short drive away. Normally, that would’ve been an easy decision, but I passed on buying tickets this year because of my recent hospital stay and surgery.

I’m still recovering, and the IV antibiotics continue to zap my energy, so I honestly wasn’t sure I’d have the stamina to spend an entire day and evening at the track. As much as I hated missing it, I think I made the right call. If  NASCAR returns to the track next year, I’ll definitely be out there.

-keep

It’s Friday! The Fourth of July weekend is finally here, which means fireworks, backyard cookouts, cold drinks, and plenty of excuses to spend time outdoors with family and friends. Whether you’re firing up the grill, heading to a parade, relaxing by the lake, or simply enjoying a long weekend, here’s hoping you have a safe and fun holiday. If you’re lighting fireworks, remember they’re meant to entertain the neighborhood—not send you into the emergency room. Have a great weekend, and try to come back on Monday with the same number of fingers you started with.

And in keeping with the holiday, I put together a special gallery of babes for today. Enjoy!

-keep

It’s Thursday. It’s not often you get to dust off the word sweltering, but over the past few days it’s probably climbed into everyone’s vocabulary. Here in Illinois, we’ve been getting cooked under temperatures in the upper 90s, with humidity so thick you could practically spread it on toast. Step outside and it’s like walking straight into a hot, wet blanket that someone forgot in a sauna.

Of course, this happens every summer. The only mystery is how long Mother Nature plans to keep us simmering and just how much humidity she’s going to dump on us for good measure. Right now the forecast says relief won’t arrive until Friday, but forecasts have been known to lie. Summer has officially arrived, and it’s kicking down the front door.

And just for fun, here’s my top 10 uses of the word sweltering:

01. It’s sweltering outside. Perfect weather if your retirement plan involves spontaneously combusting.
02. Today’s sweltering forecast is brought to you by the surface of the sun.
03. It’s so sweltering the mosquitoes are asking for sunscreen.
04. The sweltering heat hit me like opening the oven to check on a frozen pizza.
05. Nothing says “summer fun” like sweltering through your shirt before 9 a.m.
06. It’s sweltering enough that even the squirrels have called it quits and gone inside.
07. Whoever said, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” clearly wasn’t standing in this sweltering soup.
08. It’s so sweltering my air conditioner just sighed and filed for workers’ comp.
09. This sweltering weather is Mother Nature’s way of reminding us that free saunas aren’t always a good thing.
10. The forecast says sweltering, but I think “the devil left the oven door open” is a little more accurate.

-keep