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.
I know I've posted this twice before, but don't you think it's the cutest picture ever?
I'm 40. I'm in my 40s. For-ty.
I'm getting used to saying it. I can't say "I'm in my 30s" anymore.
But WOW! I'm 40! Wahoo! It's MY birthday! This is my favorite day of the year! My birthday is better than Christmas because it's MY birthday! And I'm so excited about MY birthday!
Yes, I know I'm like a little kid about it, but seriously...it's MY birthday!!!! And what's not to love about that? It's a day dedicated to ME!
As I turn the page on this new chapter in my life, I thought I'd give a State of My Life update by checking in with my Bucket List.
This past year I . . .
Stopped biting my nails, have pretty nails I'm proud of and have started wearing rings. Item #42.
Paid off 100% of my debt. I achieved this Tuesday night. Whew! Just in time. You should have seen me doing the Happy Dance in my kitchen after I clicked the button on that online payment. This is a really big deal to me. It doesn't matter how much debt I had. In my opinion, any consumer debt is too much. I will tell you that the average U.S. household has $14,473 in credit card debt. I had significantly less than that, but enough that it took a plan. I followed my plan and achieved my goal. Item #44. Now I can turn my attention to item #67. (You'll have to go check it out, I'm not telling you what it is.)
Ride the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. While you may think that's nothing to brag about, I'm really afraid of heights (and it's 150 feet in height!) and I overcame my fear to do this. Item #60.
Learned to love sushi. I accomplished this in January with a friend from high school that I hadn't seen since high school. Not only was it a great meal, but we had a wonderful, laughter-filled trip down memory lane. Item #62.
Applied for my passport. It hasn't arrived yet, but that's okay. I've applied for it and it should be here any day, based on their 4-week estimated arrival time. Item #63.
Lost 40 pounds. Okay, it wasn't the original 100 pounds that I wanted to lose this year and I also didn't reach my revised goal of 50 pounds, but I'm 40 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. I've lost 2 dress sizes and even a shoe size! Item #22.
If I do say so myself, that's quite the list. I've actually achieved many of my personal goals and dreams in the past 40 years (see the bottom of my Bucket List for items I accomplished previously).
So what's up for the next 40 years? I don't have a crystal ball, but I do have my Bucket List and while I can't tell you with certainty that I'll achieve all of it, I do have a few items I plan to tick off in the next one to two years.
Over on Facebook there's a meme going around that I swore I wouldn't do, but I guess the joke's on me. My dear friend Colleen tagged me this morning, so I bowed to the peer pressure and did it.
To be nice, I'm not going to tag anyone here. You can thank me anytime.
Rules: Once you have been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you!
1. I procrastinate by writing on Little Merry Sunshine.
2. I don't believe in randomness, but that everything happens for a very logical reason. I can't always explain the reasons, but everything happens for a reason.
3. I tend to get stuck in my head where the world is logical and in order.
4. Math was my favorite subject in high school. In fact, I loved it so much, I graduated with 6 or 7 years worth of math credits. Yes, I graduated in 4 years.
5. Ironically, it was my love of math that made me continue to take math courses in college until I took that one high level course with all the math majors and I failed it. Yep, I got an F.
6. Failing Multivariable Calculus was the best thing that ever happened to me. Ever. I learned that I didn't always have to be the best at everything, that risk taking was okay, and how to get up and dust myself off.
7. I always wish I was more touchy-feely, but I'm not. Sometimes I can be, but it's not usually my first instinct. Maybe that's changing as I get older though.
8. I almost gave Betsey and Ross back to their original owner because I was scared I couldn't handle the responsibility of pets. I'm so glad I didn't.
9. I'm blonde and frequently make dumb mistakes (raise your hand if you wore your non-prescription sunglasses for 3 hours indoors today before noticing like I did!).
10. My favorite snack is white grapefruit from Florida. It must be fresh, not in a jar. And definitely not the ruby red grapefruit. Ick.
11. I love that in the last year I've rekindled some really important relationships in my life, but there's one I still miss. A lot.
12. It always makes me sad when I have to let someone go from my life. Even if it's for the right reasons.
13. I hate eggs.
14. Ever since the tuna croissant incident in college, I have a very difficult time even looking at tuna.
15. It is my most fervent belief that the Cubs will win the World Series in my lifetime.
16. Family is far more important to me than I let on.
17. I love country music, but most of my friends pretend not to know this.
18. One of the happiest nights of my life was Election Night 2008.
19. It is really difficult for me to take credit for my accomplishments. I'd always rather let others bask in the recognition, but I have two good friends who loved me enough to show me the error of my ways.
20. I love peppermint ice cream and yellow tulips.
21. I've only been in love once.
22. My favorite spot in the world is a secluded beach where I can just be quiet.
23. It took me a long time to feel like I'd found MY place in Chicago and it wasn't just the place I grew up and where many of my family members are located. I think I've reached that place.
24. I believe in that eternal wisdom of the Rolling Stones: We can't always get what we want, but if we try sometimes, we might find, we get what we need.
25. Jimmy Buffett taught me to swear.
26. BONUS: 9 years later, I still miss my hair stylist in DC. He was the best there ever was and ever will be. The first time I walked in he asked how I wanted my hair done and I couldn't describe it, but I wanted a relatively radical change. I sat down in the chair and he got to work. When I left, it was the exact style I had in my mind and had been unable to describe. He's still there though, so go see him: Christopher Rosenthal at Salon Nuance.
Little Merry Sunshine received the letter below from sources close to the Queen of England. They say it's an early draft of a letter she will send to all Americans should McCain somehow steal, um, win the election.
Pay attention people. Life as we know it will obviously change significantly and not for the better.
There's only one way to prevent this. Vote for Obama.
Internal Draft #2 DO NOT DISTRIBUTE Privileged & Confidential
To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
In light of your failure in recent years to elect competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.
(You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).
Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.
Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').
2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'
3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.
5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.
8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season. God Save the Queen!
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.
Asked why they are taking a stand in 2008, when they were apolitical in 1996, 2000, and 2004, Ross replied, "As members of the feline race, Betsey and I believe it is our patriotic duty to not simply sit on the sidelines when so much is at stake." He continued, "In previous years, we believed that our voices were insignificant, but after studying Cats for Obama, we realized that when united, our voices are loud and they must be heard. Cats have issues that are important to them including the environment and food. Betsey and I believe that Senator Obama will work to protect the environment so we always have fresh, safe drinking water and will ensure a mouse in every food dish."
Betsey chimed in, "We were against the War in Iraq going back to 2002 and Barack Obama has a solid record of being the peace-loving candidate. We appreciate his solid judgement and fiscal responsibility. Finally, given our historical past, Ross and I felt speaking out was simply our patriotic duty."
So there you have it. Barack Obama picked up the endorsements of 2 new superdelegates (oops, I mean dele-cats) today.
I know I've posted this twice before, but don't you think it's the cutest picture ever?
