...is when i am stuck behind a half-broken-down Dodge Stratus for the entire ride to work--about 15 miles highway rush hour. And it has its blinker on the whole way.

What grinds your gears?

After having 3 teams in the Elite Eight, and 2 in the Final Four, and 1 that should have won it all, the Big Ten is not about to go away any time soon. Both experts at ESPN have declared the Big Ten the best conference in football. But, inexplicably, they neglected to mention how good Illinois will be under the Ron Zook era. Space limitations most likely to blame.

A bank was robbed in Brazil in much the same manner as a movie like The Ladykillers or, to a lesser extent, The Italian Job. (And those were both remakes, so the idea's been publicized for a while now) $67.8 million was stolen from a bank using an underground tunnel leading from a house across the street to a spot directly under the bank's vault. Inside the tunnel, police found a bolt cutter, a drill, an electric saw and a blowtorch, which were apparently used to cut through the vault's 3 1/2-foot-thick steel-reinforced concrete floor, the federal police spokeswoman said. Ironically, police suspect a man who had previously robbed a bank using a tunnel and was caught. The man later broke out of prison -- through an escape tunnel he dug. Somehow, the vault's motion sensors were not triggered. So somewhere in Brazil is the filthiest rich man in the world.

dave writes: "I've loved deep dish pizza for many years - Gino's East was my first experience in Chicago in recent memory, about 3 years ago. Since then i've had Giardonno's, Lou Malnati's, Pizano's and a lot more Gino's East. They were all good, but either the crust wasn't perfect, it was too runny, not deep enough, or too crispy... I had yet to have a perfect Chicago deep dish pizza. Until today perhaps. I only had a little piece but man, it was so good. Deep and cheesy with a great sauce. Where you ask? From Bella Bacino's. But I haven't had everything out there, including Pizzeria UNO since when I was 5. So what is your favorite deep dish pizza?"

Yahoo's got an article about this guy from Texas who is trying to have a coffee at every Starbucks in the world. He started in 1997 and has since hit up nearly 5,000 of the 5,700 or so current locations. A Nebraska attorney found out about his goal, and is making a documentary about it.

Great quote: "On the day he hit 29 stores he wasn't feeling too good," Tangeman (the attorney) said. "He was a little nauseous."

Tangeman wants to complete "Starbucking" (the documentary) by the end of the year in hopes of submitting it to the Sundance Film Festival, which begins in late January in Utah. What a nut.

Welcome to the new nirajsanghvi.com! This site has been under development for a while now, and it is nearly complete. The page is dynamic, meaning you can post content in the form of stories and comments. You have to register to do anything cool (vote, comment, post stories) but it takes 2 seconds and that way you have a username. Take a look around, and read on for a list of current features.

Read More...

Adam Corolla's new show premieres tonight on Comedy Central at 10:30. I haven't caught a preview of it, but if Loveline and The Man Show have been any indication, this ought to be good. As reported by the futon critic, the show's about his unique comedic take on the events of the day, with a focus on pop culture, all in front of a live studio audience. Read on for the show's format.

Read More...

dave submitted an ESPN page of funny quotes, primarily from the world of sports. A few notable ones: "If you throw at someone's head, it's very dangerous, because in the head is the brain," and "On a scale of one to 10, I would say 60 to 65 percent."

dave writes: "The Fighting Illini will never be in the NCAA tournament again. Read here. If you look at the top 5 offenders - Illinois and Bradley make the cut (top right)"

Today, Katie joined the Buy Two Club, making her part of the exclusive site preview and also yet another recipient of about 300 emails per workday. Welcome to the club!