Interests

Chuy Valencia, one of six Chicago chefs to compete on Season 9 of the Bravo reality TV show"Top Chef," is taking a “sabbatical.” Valencia said he is selling his shares of Chilam Balam (3023 N. Broadway), the seasonal, small-plates Mexican restaurant where he's been co-owner and chef since 2009, to pursue other interests, which include a new restaurant and a book project. Valencia is teaming up with coffeehouse entrepreneur Philip Tadros (Dollop, Kickstand) on a new concept that he describes as “a really hearty, Midwest, but kind of modern-day Chicago take on diner classics and cafeteria food.” The spot will fresh-roast coffee up front, operate a two-kettle brewery in back, and serve up old-school dishes like buttered noodles, lasagna, patty melts and meatball sandwiches, cafeteria-style (and undoubtedly updated)

For a meaningful comparison of the Dream Team and Redeem Team II, do an image search of "LeBron Michael Redd hug. " You'll find a picture of an ecstatic LeBron James hugging Michael Redd as the final seconds of the 2008 gold medal game at the Beijing Olympics tick away. Then enter "Dream Team medal stand" and you'll see Nike men Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, gold medals around their necks, American flags draped over the Reebok logo on their warm-ups. Not exactly Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

This year the flu has struck so hard, local hospitals have had to turn away ambulances because they're so busy treating patients who have the flu. While avoiding the flu all season would be ideal, preparing for the event is important. After all, there's nothing worse than having to venture out in search of supplies when you're already sick. Whether or not you've gotten your flu shot, taking a few preemptive cautions could be in your best interests this year, as the flu seems almost unavoidable.

The founders of a Chicago-based online matchmaking service say the art of courtship has evolved as technology has become more pervasive in our lives--and that's not necessarily a good thing. "We think things have went a little bit too far with Facebook, with online dating where you're just interacting with your computer," said Sarah Press, CEO and co-founder of Project Fixup. "We wanted to create a fun way to bring single people together to meet in person at a fun bar and have a conversation and see if they hit it off. " Project Fixup aims to bring together compatible singles that share similar interests at venues throughout the city that will be conducive to conversation all while protecting their privacy in the process.

With the looming glass skyscrapers, metallic office buildings and tightly-packed brick houses, Chicago doesn't look like a city that would easily embrace Earth Day--a holiday designed to promote environmental awareness, nature and sustainability. But Lincoln Park is one step ahead, finding ways to put a city-life twist on this year's celebration. Environmental discussion at DePaul 6:30 p.m. April 19 Room 154 of Schmitt Academic Center 2320 N. Kenmore Ave. DePaul University is attempting to involve its neighbors with some of its Earth Day celebrations.

When it came to online dating, Old Town's Sarah Press found that Cupid's arrow missed its mark more often than not. “There's something kind of off about online dating where you're paying a subscription for each month but there's really no guarantee you're meeting anyone, you're having any fun,” the 26-year-old said. Now, she and fellow University of Chicago grad student Alan Illing are out to turn the industry on its ear. The pair joined forces to co-found Project Fixup, a pay-as-you-go online dating startup that Press said is designed to make online dating a more personal experience.

My boyfriend and I have been together for almost two years and have been best friends and roommates for many years before that. In the past, I've found evidence that not only is my boyfriend interested in transmales (specifically young men who can pass as young, model-thin girls), but that he's had some success at hookups with these types in the past, and keeps a large amount of trans pornography on our shared laptop. I realize many men are interested in trans sex, and some even experiment before settling into heterosexual relationships.

It wasn't what the Lady Gagas and the Jimmy Fallons of the Twitter world see when they tweet, but it was a response nonetheless. "Just saw @FiorettiChicago with a can of spray paint covering graffiti on Halsted. He said it was faster if he did it himself. Awesome. " So tweeted one resident about Robert Fioretti, alderman of the 2nd Ward, when he saw the Chicago politician taking a neighborhood problem into his own hands one night in October. The feedback - like everything on the site - was swift.

When I head to Iceland, it's becoming increasingly probable that I will get to interview Reykjavik's comedian-mayor and an expert on Europe's largest ice mass - in other words, covering all of my primary interests not basketball-related. (Do they have basketball in Iceland? This would be a good investigative report. What if I could just show up in Iceland and become the LeBron James of that entire country? Damn, I gotta look into that.) But then I said to myself, “You know what else I like?

I have met this girl a couple times and I find her to be very cute. The last time I ran into the girl, I got tongue-tied and didn't want to make myself look dumb. Now I was thinking that I could go and search for her on Facebook and see if I can do introduce myself that way. What do you think? Or should I go about it in another way? - Lost and confused It's not the most direct route, but Facebook is a perfectly acceptable gateway to your crush's heart. I know because I've done it m'self a few times.