Leaving the world a little better than I found it by sharing my passions and dreams, what inspires me,
and maybe you too, and furthering the discussion about how we can listen to our better angels.
Do you read Make It Better? It's a wonderful magazine with the sole mission of making it easy for people to make the world better. In fact, to date, the magazine has made 67,173 lives better and helped to raise $1,464,657 for its partner non-profits, according to the Make It Better website.
I enjoy reading Make It Better, follow the magazine on Twitter, and am a fan on Facebook.
A few months ago, the magazine posted the question "Who or what on the North Shore makes you happy?" on its Facebook page and I commented that I love "sitting on the swings on the beach in Lake Forest."
It's true. I do. I love swinging on the swings at the Lake Forest Beach. It's been one of my favorite activities since my days at Lake Forest College. Looking out over the water while swinging always brings me a sense of calmness and allows me to release all my stress. Swinging on the swings is a simple pleasure from childhood that I think most adults don't do enough of, but put a swing set in front of me and I'll hop on. I don't care where it's located, but it's it's on the beach, I dare you to try to get me off the swings.
Anyway, this month, Make It Better selected nine of its favorite responses to print in the magazine. One of my co-workers brought my new fame to my attention a couple of weeks ago. I honestly had no idea my happy place was being shared with readers all around the North Shore.
Frankly, I'm relieved they didn't shorten or revise my quote. Just think how "swinging on the Lake Forest Beach makes me happy" would have sounded! ;)
You can read my quote on page 86 below. And yes, that's Julia Sweeney formerly of Saturday Night Live on the cover. She lives in Evanston and writes a delightful blog.
TribLocal had a Twitter chat tonight. You can find it by doing a hashtag search on Twitter for #TribLocal. It was a pretty interesting chat about how to build an audience for your blog. For the most part, I was a lurker, reading the comments of other participants, but question 6 really piqued my interest and I jumped in with my opinion.
@TribLocal: Last question! Q6. What is your favorite blog that you have written? #TribLocal
I thought for a second because I have a number of favorite blog posts, but there are two that are my absolute favorites and based on the feedback you gave me and the number of hits LMS received on the days these posts ran, they are two of your favorites too.
Yes, it's true. I got married my senior year of high school and my husband and I had a very healthy baby boy. Like most high school marriages, ours did not last and I'm honestly not sure what happened to our son. Most likely, he ended up lining a cat litter box somewhere.
What? You're confused? Okay, let me back up a bit.
Two fantastic teachers at John Hersey High School developed a class for seniors designed to teach them about life in the real world called "Marriage & Family." It was a semester-long class and a major part of our grade was based upon our ability to work well with our spouse, who we got married to in a wedding ceremony, complete with cake. We got to choose our spouses and mine was my friend Mark. A few weeks after the "wedding," every couple had a baby - either a 5 lb. sack of flour or a 10 lb. sack of cat litter. Mark was a pretty tall and well built soccer player and I'll never forget Mr. Hannon handing me that sack of cat litter and saying "your husband is a bigger boy, so you get a bigger baby." Ugh.
We had to dress these "babies" up to look human and carry them to each and every class, equally sharing the parenting responsibilities. Gym class was no excuse to stick the kid in our locker. In fact, we had to find a babysitter. Parenting responsibilities didn't end when the school bell rang either. We were required to take our child everywhere (or find a babysitter) and if we got caught without it, we would fail the class. Mark was a soccer player and I was a cheerleader, both with after-school practices, and I have no idea what we did with our "son" during that time.
Other class assignments included finding & furnishing an apartment, grocery shopping, making a budget, etc. No money actually exchanged hands, but we had to go learn about what things really cost. It was eye opening, although not nearly as eye opening as the video we watched of a woman giving birth.
Years earlier, when the program was still in its infancy, the Today Show had done a feature on this revolutionary class. In 1988, the Today Show came back, wanting to talk to high school seniors about their views on what love, relationships, and marriage would be like in the year 2000. I was one of the lucky students to sit in front of the Today Show cameras all day long answering questions.
As I recall, Mark was a good husband and father. He treated me well and was not afraid of carrying our "son" around and doing other fatherly duties. That said, at the end of the semester, Mark and I were unceremoniously divorced and our son was taken away, but in our defense, every couple faced the same fate.
In honor of our 20th high school reunion this weekend, I thought it would be fun to revisit this video to see just how big our hair was, how skinny we were, how incredibly youthful we all were, and to see if any of our predictions panned out.
Enjoy! (I'm at the end.)
One note: Please do not make fun of my big ass hair. You had it too. It was 1988 after all. And for the record, I stand by my statement in the video about money and happiness.
You know my all-time favorite book is The Book of Lies by my good pal Brad Meltzer. Of course, one huge reason it's my favorite book is because of the super small part I had in it and the mention of me on page 9 of the Acknowledgements. Yes, really. (Read my previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).
Anyway, it's out in paperback now with a new cover. If you didn't buy it when it first came out last September (and you should have), now you have absolutely no excuse not to rush out to Barnes & Noble or Amazon or wherever and buy yourself a copy plus one for your dad for Father's Day. Dad will thank you. Frankly, since it's got a new cover, even if you have the hard cover book, you should buy the paperback because then you'll have the complete set.
One of my favorite things about my blog is checking out my Site Meter site stats and learning what brings you, my loyal readers, to Little Merry Sunshine.
Quite a few of you find me by doing Google searches for "little merry sunshine," "wheeling township food pantry," "arlington heights," "Marshall Field's" and a variety of searches for information on the current local elections in Arlington Heights and I'm incredibly grateful my blog appears in the results for all of these search terms. I'm also grateful to my blog buddies Monkey Muck, Gourmet Goddess, Boxer Rebellion, She's An American Girl, Living Oprah, Ellen of the Tenth, and Fran I Am for their links and the readers who find me through their sites. I could never write this post without showing proper appreciation to Chicago's Best Blogs for the new readers they've sent me. Truly it's an honor being one of Chicago's Best Blogs.
But many of you visit LMS as the result of some more interesting Google searches . . .
An employee at one of the country's largest banks and recipient of tons of bailout money, spent some valuable work time searching "I get off on you getting off on me" and found my post iPhone, Therefore I Get Off.
Numerous state employees in states such as Nebraska, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana (on state time!) and folks at some very esteemed higher education institutions have visited LMS as the result of searches for "stripper poles" (finding I'm Gonna Install A Stripper Pole!)and "prostitute names" (finding The Name Game).
More than a few folks are curious about "pregnant women wearing braces," which I find interesting since there are no pregnant women on this site. Really. No woman on this blog is pregnant. I swear.
Many of you are searching for food pantries in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and it's my wish that you're doing these searches because you want to donate, but probably some of you need some extra help these days. So this gives me a good opportunity to say to everyone: Donate to your local food pantry. They desperately need your help. The demand is greater than ever and if you set aside just a couple items each week, in no time you'll have a full bag of groceries that will really help someone. That someone could be your neighbor or your best friend or someday it could be you.
Many of you seem to be interested in recycling and tax credits for greening your home and installing solar attic fans. Visit my brother's website, Crystal Skylights. He'll take great care of you.
However you ended up here, I truly thank you and I hope you come back often. Without you, I'd just be talking to myself.
I can't wait to crack open the spine. Inhale that new book smell. Hear the pages turn. I just know it will be everything I've been anticipating for the last 2 years.
Why am I so excited you ask? Well, you see, this isn't just any book. And as I've mentioned before, Brad Meltzer isn't just any writer. He's my friend. I've known him for about 10 years and was at his first book launch party for The Tenth Justice at The Mansion on O Street during the summer of 1997. What a crazy and fun party. I'm still not sure how I finagled that invitation, but I'm sure glad I did.
I've been keeping a BIG secret about this book.
In January 2007, while working on the character development for The Book of Lies, Brad sent out the following, which he also posted on his blog:
What one word describes your relationship with you parents? When has your mom or dad let you down? Describe an incident where your mom or dad broke your heart. Describe an incident where your mom or dad made you feel strong. Extra credit: Best or worst memory of mom or dad.
As always, feel free to reply and post here, or send them directly to me at [Brad's email]. Yes, this may show up in a book (so goodbye to your rights), but of course, no names will be named. We're not that crazy. :)
Thanks for playing and sharing. It means more than you realize.
Love, B
I'll be honest, I looked at the email (which he sent to a ton of people) and wanted to respond because Brad's my friend and who doesn't like to help their friends, but I had a great deal of trepidation because the truthful answers to some of the questions were things I rarely, if ever, spoke about. And I just wasn't sure I could.
My memory is that I sat on the email for a day or so before finally responding, but I didn't think it would go anywhere, so I responded. Imagine my surprise when a day or so later, I received an email from Brad asking if we could talk in further detail about what I'd shared. I think I threw up a little in my throat imagining talking about things I just didn't talk about (and, no, I'm not going to share them here either), but told him to call me. And we had a great conversation and he made it easy for me to share some really difficult and painful parts of my life.
In the last 18 months, Brad has shared bits and pieces of the plot, but I really haven't known what part, if any, of what I shared, made it into The Book of Lies. And I haven't thought about it too much.
And then last week, I read the prologue and first chapter on Brad's website and I was floored. I'm in the book! And there's a rumor (from Brad, himself) that I'm in the Acknowledgements too! I haven't seen that for myself yet, so for now, I'm just calling it a rumor.
So go buy the book and enjoy it. I promise you will.
And go see Brad at one of his book signings. He'll sign anything. His comics, books, anything. Just do it. Oh, and tell him I sent you. He'll love it. And then you'll know just what an amazing guy he is too.
Author Gets Slammed by Grandmother, the Press, the World
Save the Superman House
From an email last night from Brad:
So, as you may know, The Book of Lies goes on sale today and in honor of that, we're officially unveiling OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com. This is my core belief. This is what I stand for. And this is what every project I've ever worked on has been about: To remind us that there is greatness inside all of us.
We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day.
The fact that you're reading this means (I hope) that you believe this too. So I put my dream in your hands. I put my book in your hands. And I appreciate anything you can do to share the above videos with the people you love and know. Some of you love Superman and will focus on the last one. Some love the novels, so you prefer the little kids and my grandmother. Some of you will love all three (hi, Dad!).
In this tough publishing world, where sales of ALL books are down in double digits, it does really matter if you can share these on the places you go (email, blog, myspace, facebook, message boards, etc).
And now it's midnight, which means we can let all of these loose on the world. Take a few minutes...share it with those you love. Then make an enemies list and share it with your foes. Wherever you put it is appreciated.
And for those who want even more details on Saving the Siegel House and the auction, please see below.
I'm headed off on tour, but please do come say hey so I can thank you personally. I know this sounds so pretentious, but I truly think we can change how books are sold. As I've said to many of you before, I know every author has family and friends, but they don't have our family and friends. Thank you for always being there. Always.
Much love,
Brad
ADDITIONAL SIEGEL HOUSE INFO
As you can tell from the video, the goal of The Siegel & Shuster Society is to save the house where Superman was created. It would be ideal to post something in your own words, but you can post this FAQ as-is if you would like. Your choice.
The most important thing to do is to mention and link to the auction, encourage people to buy a shirt, and post the video (see below for link) on all the places you frequent. The video shows the state of the house and tells people about the auction starting today. As you'll see from the list of people involved, this isn't about DC or Marvel. This isn't about competition. It's about the comic community as a whole, pulling together for a place that launched so many of our best dreams.
I just hope you know how much I and everyone working on this project appreciate you being involved with it. And while we know it's just a house, it matters.
Attached are also two signatures for people to download or see on your sig. Feel free to share them. Below, is the full FAQ. And of course, lemme know if you have any questions.
FAQ (feel free to edit as you need)
What's this all about again? Today is the official launch of The Siegel & Shuster Society, with a celebrity charity auction that'll raise money to preserve the home of Jerry Siegel, creator of Superman. When you go to Brad Meltzer's charitable website OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com, you can: - bid online for original Superman and comic book art and items by top writers and artists - buy a Siegel & Shuster Society t-shirt (designed by the legendary graphic designer Chip Kidd) - or just donate to the good cause. The best way to show it is here: Save The Superman House. All proceeds of the auction go to the restoration of the Siegel house.
Who's involved in the auction? This is a coming together of an entire community. The full list includes: Stephen Colbert, Jim Lee, Brian Michael Bendis, Brad Meltzer, Geoff Johns, Richard Donner, Joe Quesada, Neil Gaiman, Alex Ross, Dave Gibbons, Jeph Loeb, Murphy Anderson, Ed Brubaker, John Cassaday, Gene Ha, Greg Rucka, George Perez, Michael Turner, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Judd Winick, Frank Cho, Eric Powell, Tim Sale, Walt Simonson, Joe Staton, Eric Wight, Dave Mandel, Mike Mignola, Rags Morales, Bill Morrison, Ivan Reis, John Romita Jr., Jason Palmer, Amanda Conner, Geoff Darrow, Ron Garney, Renato Guedes, Heroes, Dave Johnson, Chris Bachalo, Mike Bair, Allen Bellman, Dan Brereton, Ernie Chan, Travis Charest, and Ian Churchill, YOU, and even Jerry Siegel (see below).
How did this come about? While researching his new novel, The Book of Lies, Brad Meltzer visited the boyhood home of Jerry Siegel in Cleveland, Ohio, where Superman was created. As Meltzer says, "The house where Google was founded is preserved. The garage where Hewlett Packard was founded is protected. But the house where Superman was born? I was in shock." After contacting dozens of comic book creators -- and thanks to the hard work of many in the city of Cleveland -- The Siegel & Shuster Society was created and is dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the creation of Superman in Cleveland by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. "I think sometimes people take things like this for granted because it started in cartoon form, but this is a house were modern mythology was created," Brain Michael Bendis adds. "Mythology that will never die away or disappear. There is no difference, to me, between this house and Mark Twain's house. We have to honor and exalt such creation."
What are the items in the auction? You can win a walk-on part on Heroes, VIP seats to the Colbert Report, original Superman art (go see the art!), have your name in Bendis or Brubaker or Rucka's comic, or Meltzer's next novel. There's a rare original pre-Superman movie script from Geoff Johns, signed by Richard Donner. And Joanne Siegel told Meltzer that before Jerry Siegel died, he signed six Superman t-shirts that no one ever knew existed -- and then told her that if their family ever needed money, she should sell the shirts. Instead, she donated one of them to be auctioned off here. The signature is on a Superman: Quest For Peace(!) t-shirt. C'mon, baby, it's Jerry Siegel on a Quest for Peace shirt!
What can you do? Forward and digg the video. Go buy a Siegel & Shuster Society t-shirt. They're cool. They're designed by Chip Kidd. They can't be bought anywhere else. Bid on some of the auctions and spread the word by sharing the video, sigs, and OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com auction with your facebook, myspace, and live-breathing friends.
How much is the Siegel And Shuster Foundation trying to raise? Depends on how successful we are. Phase 1 involves working on the exterior of the house: securing the roof, making sure the paint isn't rotting, doing the concrete work. That will hopefully protect the place from the outside. Joe Shuster's house (a few blocks away) was in such disrepair, it was torn down. The first goal is to collect $50,000 to deal with the outside. If we do that, then we'll go and tackle the much-needed-repairs on the inside.
Who lives there now? The house is located in one of the tougher neighborhoods of Cleveland and is currently occupied by an African-American couple who have lived there for approximately 20 years, who have put up with all of us who have come visiting, but who don't have the money to do these repairs. Rather than kick anyone out on the street, the goal is to repair this place for them. Why? It's the right thing to do. In return, The Siegel & Shuster Society has the right to buy the house when it eventually goes up for sale.
Is there a long-term goal to make a museum? The long-term goal is still being decided, and that's why you're invited to join The Siegel & Shuster Society and help us with those plans. Meetings are held monthly in Cleveland -- when you buy a shirt, they'll have your name. But one of the dreams is that one day, buses full of students will drive from all over Ohio, from Michigan, from any nearby state, and come to the fully-restored house -- covered and decorated with children's artwork inside -- and see where one of the world's greatest dreams was born. Go to OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com to make it happen.
Nope, that picture never gets old.
