WGN Morning News Blog

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Posted by Diane Yamazaki at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've never understood the logic behind the personalized license plate. What's wrong with a random assortment of letters and numbers? Do you think I'll be OK with you cutting me off because I'm so enamored of your "DAMN IM L8" plates? The answer is NO. I'll just think you're a bigger moron.

The best is when people have their name, followed by 1 or 2 numbers, like TOMMY 19. Usually it's not because the number has any type of significance, but because TOMMY's 1 - 18 were taken. So instead of going with something different, Tommy decides to let everyone know that he was only the 19TH MOST CLEVER person in the state to ask for those tags.

Here's the thing. I'm not completely against vanity plates. I've seen some phenomenally good ones (http://www.coolpl8z.com/top-100-best-vanity-license-plate-ideas.php). Unfortunately, most of the creative minds in our country spend their time writing books, composing symphonies and painting masterpieces.

Not thinking of 8-character witticisms.

Posted by Pat Tomasulo at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I write this as one of our photographers is sitting next to me checking his account. These guys are like a bunch of chatty schoolgirls when it comes to Facebook!

Listen, I use Facebook. I LIKE Facebook. It's a nice way to promote our show, keep in touch with old friends, and get a sufficient background check of strangers- you can learn a lot about someone by looking through their "Wrigleyville 2008!" photo album.

But a number of users out there are a little too into Facebook, and they need to know about it.

Posted by Pat Tomasulo at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a bit of an oddity at the station (and perhaps in this city as a whole), in that I'm not very passionate about the weather. I'm passionate about 80 degrees and sunny, but not weather. Sure, I'm curious why it's deathly cold here, and people are surfing in Hawaii. But if I never learn why, I'll live.

So when it's time for the weather report on TV, I only want to know 2 things- what the weather is like now (in case I haven't stuck my head out the window yet), and what it's going to be like for the next 3 - 5 days. I'm not interested in jet streams, high pressure systems or "mixed bags of precipitation."

As you can imagine, this puts me at odds with the show I'm on.

Posted by Pat Tomasulo at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I admire people who ride their bikes instead of driving. I could never do this, at least not exclusively. I'm too lazy, too sensitive to the cold, and too hurried to spare an extra 10 minutes to save on gas money . . . or the Earth.

But there is a portion of the cyclist population out there wreaking havoc. These bikers run traffic lights and 4-way intersections. They weave in and out of traffic. They go the wrong way on one-way streets.

And they have got to go.

Posted by Pat Tomasulo at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you're a regular viewer of my sports segments, then you're aware that I'm not shy in expressing the way I feel about things. You're probably also aware that this expression usually falls somewhere between bemusement, and rage. Well, it's not just events in the sports world that produce these feelings, but things that happen in the real world, as well.

In an attempt to share more of my angst and bewilderment with you, I've begun a new segment on the show, called "The Pat-down." Basically, it's me investigating or confronting people, issues or events that I feel are ridiculous.

For my first installment, I tackled the salacious advertisements that run in a local newspaper's sports section. I can never show my face in a Chicagoland massage parlor again.

Posted by Pat Tomasulo at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)