New Experience #98: Little Merry Sunshine Joins ChicagoNOW!

Image from ChicagoNow.com

Effective today, November 17, 2013, Little Merry Sunshine has joined ChicagoNow, the blogging platform of the Chicago Tribune Media Group.

Writer Jessica Gardner describes this move as an enormous honor and opportunity. "It has always been my dream to become a published writer and this opportunity to partner with ChicagoNow is the first step towards making that dream a reality. I am thrilled and honored to be associated with such a notable publication. Little Merry Sunshine will be exposed to a much wider audience and that presents endless opportunities."

As you may recall, Little Merry Sunshine has previously been recognized by the Chicago Tribune. In March 2009, LMS was named one of Chicago's Best Blogs and then appeared on the front page of the Tribune online on April 17, 2009.

These were enormous honors and and joining ChicagoNOW is the logical next step.

The original Little Merry Sunshine site will not disappear. The articles and all of your comments will continue on into perpetuity. New Little Merry Sunshine blog posts will appear at ChicagoNow.com/Little-Merry-Sunshine. Please bookmark the new site.

This will be the last post on the original Little Merry Sunshine blog. The first Little Merry Sunshine post on ChicagoNOW will appear on Monday, November 18th.

What does this mean for current Little Merry Sunshine readers?

• If you receive LMS via email, your subscription has been moved to the new blog on ChicagoNOW. You don't need to take any action.
• If you read LMS via a reader, you'll need to grab a new feed. You can do that by visiting the new site here.
• If you read LMS on the website, please update your bookmarks and visit the new site.
• If you link to LMS on your website or blog, please update your links to direct readers to the new Little Merry Sunshine.
• And if you haven't done so already, please like Little Merry Sunshine on Facebook.

What does this mean for Little Merry Sunshine and me?

• I still own all of my content. It will simply live on the ChicagoNOW site.
• Being part of the ChicagoNow network means that I will be exposed to many more readers.

I make this promise to you: You've been a loyal reader since I began blogging on July 1, 2007. You've stuck with me during my down periods and times when I had no idea if I could write anymore. You have always come back. That means the world to me and I'm grateful for each and every one of you. I will not forget you and I will not let you down. 

Little Merry Sunshine will continue to be all the things you love. I'll talk about my 100 New Experiences, what inspires and/or amuses me, politics, sports, dreams, Sammy and Zoey, and much more. Hopefully, I'll continue to be funny sometimes. At least for a little while, however, I'll probably cut back on some of the more personal things I've written about here. At least until I get my footing.

I hope you'll follow me over to ChicagoNOW and continue the conversation.

BTW, that's 73 of 100 New Experiences completed!

LMS Receives 1st Celebrity Endorsement!

As you know, Little Merry Sunshine was named one of Chicago's Best Blogs in 2009 by the Chicago Tribune and even appeared on the front page of the Chicago Tribune's website in April 2009. That publicity has created quite the buzz for LMS in the blog world (well, mostly in my imagination) and probably helped increase our international readership, not to mention the requests for me to review such products as baby food and diapers and give you my hearty endorsement in exchange for free baby food and diapers (yes, really).

All of that is terrific. But the crème de la crème came today when Little Merry Sunshine received it's very first celebrity endorsement! That's right, Gary, Indiana's Greatest Writer, Milo Samardzija, posted the following about Little Merry Sunshine on his Facebook wall yesterday:

Despite a complete lack of foul language, criminal attitude and despicable behavior, I am growing very fond of the Little Merry Sunshine blog site.

Ya, I know, it doesn't get any better than that. Yes, you can be jealous.

Haven't heard of Milo Samardzija? Well, then you must be living under a rock. As I said, Milo is Gary Indiana's Greatest Writer. He also writes for one of the wittiest blogs I've ever read called The Third City. Plus, he's written a fantastic book called Schoolboy. Simply put, Schoolboy is a must read.

The writers here at Little Merry Sunshine (that'd be me) are incredibly honored to receive this endorsement and hope it will result in boosting readership from 7 to 8. Thank you Milo!

Breaking Boy News: A Review

Over the last few weeks, I've fallen head over heals in love with a new blog, Breaking Boy News. I've fallen so hard, in fact, that it's often the first blog I check in the morning, and usually the last blog I check at night. I even receive tweets from BBN on my cell phone, just in case there should be Breaking Boy News midday.

Written by Cute Boy Chicago, Breaking Boy News shares the adventures of a newly single man learning how to date again in a world of text messages, Facebook, Grindr, and Gay.com. He's discovered that while many of the old rules have been tossed out, good old fashioned romance and sometimes a good old romp in the hay are always in style.

You might think a blog about dating tales written by someone having to relearn all the dating rules might have an air of bitterness to it, but in the case of Breaking Boy News, you'd be completely wrong. Cute Boy Chicago writes with great candor, sharing the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. But above all else, he writes from a place of gratitude. Gratitude for the time he had with each man, the love they shared with him, the lessons he learned, and the knowledge that with each man, he's one step closer to Mr. Right. He not only shares the wonderful highs of falling in love, but all the stumbles along the way and even the lows of a broken heart or unrequited love, as well. His vulnerability is apparent, as is his frustration and confusion sometimes, but never any animosity. He feels sincerely blessed by each man he encounters and the joy they bring into his life, if only for a brief moment. Some of the tales have made me laugh, while others made me cry, but each one has left me feeling hopeful for Cute Boy Chicago.

Cute Boy Chicago tells the tales I wish I had the courage to tell, but don't because I don't write Little Merry Sunshine anonymously and want to protect the guilty innocent. But if I did, I'd give the men in my life names just like Cute Boy Chicago does. Mine would include The Tennis Pro, Gordon Gecko, The Greek God, The Alter Boy, The Naval Officer, The Player, The Rock Star, The Singer-Songwriter, The Chef, The Farm Boy, The Politician, and The Swimmer.

Reading Breaking Boy News has opened my eyes into some of my own relationships and given me a paradigm shift in my thinking about some of them, and I'm certain you'll find some of your own past in Breaking Boy News too. I wish everyone viewed their past dates and relationships with such humor, thoughtfulness, and appreciation. The world would be a better place and the dating world would be easier and more fun. In the meantime, I'll keep reading Breaking Boy News and rooting for him to find the love of his life and I encourage you to do the same.

Beth Dunn of Social Climbers Was LMS's 30,000th Visitor!

Beth Dunn, a friend from our days at Lake Forest College, who writes a fun, preppy blog titled "Social Climbers" and has written a delightful book by the same name was the 30,000th visitor to Little Merry Sunshine! Like me, Beth's mission is to make the world a better place through good deeds, spreading the love, and one preppy monogram at a time. Go visit her blog! I'm so glad we're friends!

Congratulations Beth!

Beth, email me (don't post it on the blog) your address! I've got a special little gift for YOU to say thanks for your support! XOXOXO

As for the rest of my readers, I simply adore you and truly appreciate your support and hope you'll keep reading! I've got lots more to say!

Do You Read Margaret & Helen?

You should. They are terrific. They write a little blog titled "Margaret and Helen: Best Friends for Sixty Years and Counting . . . " I love it.

I've been reading Margaret and Helen since before the election, thanks to the amazing blog roll of Dr. Monkey von Monkerstein.

The other day, Helen wrote a brilliant post titled "I Remember An America Where Black Men Didn't Grow Up to Be President." It's a must read. So just go do it.

No Socialized Medicine!

Okay, I completely stole this from AMERICAblog, one of my absolute favorite liberal political blogs. Because I said that, I know that some people won't read this post, although I hope you will.

Remember, this is NOT my original work and I have no idea who originally wrote it and neither do the good guys over at AMERICAblog. If you know, let me know and I'll happily give credit where it's due.

I have so much to say about this whole health care debate, but it's going to have to wait for another post. Too many untruths are being spewed as facts. For now, I'm going to let the piece below speak for itself.

Over at AMERICAblog, this is titled "I'm An American Conservative Shithead," but I thought that title would scare too many people off, so I changed it for the title of my blog. I also found other titles used as I searched the internet for the author including "I'm an American Conservative Shitheel" and "A Day in the Life of Joe Republican," so I feel comfortable using my own blog post title.

This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy.

I then took a shower in the clean water provided by a municipal water utility.

After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

I watched this while eating my breakfast of U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time, as regulated by the U.S. Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank.

On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the U.S. Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

And then I log on to the internet -- which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration -- and post on Freerepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right.

Too Much On My Mind

I have a lot on my mind and it's prevented me from writing the last couple of days. It's not that my brain is stressed because it's not. In fact, this is a good kind of "a lot on my mind." My brain is simply overflowing with ideas for blog posts. It's truly fantastic. I feel blessed to have such an overabundance of ideas.

So what's the problem, you're wondering?

Thanks for asking.

The problem has been that I've also had a bit of ADD. I start one post and then start thinking about one of the 12 others I've got bouncing around in my brain. And then nothing gets written.

So then I go get in the shower, where I always have my best ideas and attempt to flush out one entire blog post. And I'm wildly successful. I write the perfect posts out loud. Until I get back to my laptop and try to put all that brilliance down on LMS. Then the whole process repeats itself. I completely forget all the brilliance I developed in the shower. And I'm back to thinking about all 12 of my posts again.

I have a new idea. I need a waterproof laptop or I need someone to follow me into the bathroom and write down my every word. Of course, this someone would also need to scrub my back. I wonder how much a secretary would cost.

I'm Feeling the LOVE!

Just days after I announced the new Little Merry Sunshine Pay to Play policy, I walk to my mailbox and what did I find? Beautiful Christmas cards from three of my favorite men!

Dr. Monkey von Monkerstein sent along a beautiful card of a snow covered farm house with a full moon up in the sky wishing me a "Happy War on Christmas"! Dr. Monkey you are too cool and you know I may soon become spoiled with all of these wonderful gifts from you! If you haven't already done so, you should add Dr. Monkey's blog to your daily reading list. He is hysterical, timely, well-thought out, and will always put a smile on your face.

Tim and Tony of Balancing Boyfriends, Anthony's Chicken Tracks, Morgan Terrace, and What's Cooking In the Frisky Kitchen fame penned a lovely personal note on a card with snowy trees. Very festive. Their blogs fall into the must read category as well because they both paint the most beautiful pictures with their words and are amazing photographers, as well. Whenever I need inspiration or a swift kick, I turn to Tim and Tony and they lovingly provide it.

Congratulations gentlemen! You are today's favorite bloggers! One of you wins a shiny new Senate Seat from the great state of Illinois! Runners up can divvy up the Big 3 for themselves. You'll have to decide amongst yourselves who gets what.

Anyone Remember When You Opened a Bank Account And Got A Free Toaster?

Well, times have changed . . .

Thanks AMERICAblog!

Let's Talk About Joe the Plumber

So we all watched John McCain carry on last night about his new role model Joe the Plumber.

But it seems that McCain and his esteemed campaign operatives forgot to do one little thing . . . to do a basic Google search on Joe.

What might some rudimentary 8th grade level research skills have shown? Glad you asked.

First, it seems that Joe the Plumber, real name Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, doesn't really need to worry about how he'd be affected by Barack Obama's tax plan. Joe doesn't pay taxes. According to Bloomberg News, Joe has a lien against him for almost $1200 for taxes owed to the State of Ohio. Really.

Next, we learn that Joe's not such a fan of Social Security. In fact, he calls it a "joke." That's not really so bad, I mean many of us in my generation don't really believe we'll see a penny of what we contribute to Social Security. But let's watch Joe tell us Social Security is a joke anyway.



Third, Joe may work as a plumber and may want to own a plumbing business, but according to the New York Times, "An official at Local 50 of the plumber’s union, based in Toledo, said Mr. Wurzelbacher does not hold a license. He also has never served an apprenticeship and does not belong to the union." It seems that Toledo and other cities require plumbers to be licensed. Oops. Jess Wundrun over at I Was Just Wondering gives a great explanation of how big of a deal this is. Go read it.

Of course, we all know the New York Times is a liberal rag, so I wonder what the conservatives say about Joe.

Anyone remember Charles Keating of the Keating 5? You do? Well, guess who's an in-law of Charles Keating? Yep. Joe. According to conservative blogger Martin Eisenstadt, Joe is a close relation of Robert Wurzelbacher. Robert Wurzelbacher, of course, is "Charles Keating's son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan."

So that's John McCain's new BFF, Joe the Plumber. And I'm gonna guess that even though John McCain thinks Joe was the "real winner" last night, Joe is probably gonna be the big loser from last night.

Update 11:04pm: For more on Joe the Plumber, read AMERICAblog's latest.

President Sarah Palin

Just in case you need one more reason to go vote early or on November 4th for Barack Obama, click on the website below and once there, click around (make sure your volume is turned up).

You'll throw up a little bit in the back of your throat. I promise.

President Sarah Palin (I said it so you don't have to).

Picture from AMERICAblog.

You Like Me! You Really Like Me!

With all apologies to Sally Field . . . I will continue.

This week has been a busy one here at Little Merry Sunshine. Once again, I have been recognized for my awesomeness with three highly prestigious awards! Well, they're prestigious in my own mind. You may wonder why I waited to share this good news with you and the answer is that I was waiting because I also wanted to announce that I was Barack's VP choice, but we all know that didn't come to pass and I spent yesterday curled up in a ball on my living room floor sobbing.

But now, onto the awards!

First, a huge thanks to Dr. Monkey for awarding me the Patriots for Peace sticker below. You may recall that he had a contest on his site on August 5th. And I'm a winner! (I told all you bitches who called me a "loser" in junior high and high school that I was a winner and I was right!) And my Patriots for Peace sticker arrived on Wednesday! PLUS, it had a super cool bonus prize with it! (See the pictures below) If you're not familiar with this contest, according to the rules, which I evidently followed, I had to email Dr. Monkey and tell him what car I would put it on, and in the event I am the winner (which I am!), once I receive the sticker, I must take a photo of the car with said sticker affixed and post it on my blog. Now I'm a Patriot! Cuz having a sticker on my car makes me a Patriot, just like wearing a flag lapel pin, right?

Patriots for Peace sticker on the back of my 1995 Honda Civic EX.

Bonus Prize! Joshua Tree Bloom postcard. The quote from the back of the card says "Forests of this true desert tree may be found in many regions of the West. From acrid desert wastes, nature produces this delicate and beautiful cluster of flowers each year."

Second, a big old hug to Boxer Rebellion (if that's okay with you Gourmet Goddess!) for awarding me the highly esteemed "Kickass Blogger Award." That's right. I kick ass! So don't mess with me!

I apologize for not thanking you sooner, but I was out of town when you awarded me this prize and my people evidently failed to inform me. Heads will roll. I am eternally grateful.

Because it's no fun to hog the awards to myself, here's the deal (well, okay, these are actual rules according to Boxer, but we can pretend that I want to share the wealth) . . .

1. Pick 5 bloggers I think kick ass . . .
I can't possibly pick just 5 bloggers. So here's my modification to this rule. If your blog appears on the Sidebar on the left, I think you kick ass. If you're not on the blogroll, but you read my blog, I must not know you exist. Please let me know.

2. Let them know they've been selected to receive this highly prestigious award.
I just did.

3. Link back to the person who awarded you the Kick Ass Blogger Award (thanks Boxer!) and also to http://www.mammadawg.com/.
Done.

4. Visit the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky and leave a comment.
Done.

And now, the last and most coveted prize I have received this week was from Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder. While at an Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Luncheon at the new Village Hall, Mayor Mulder awarded me with the highly coveted lucite paperweight below, commemorating the dedication of the new Village Hall. Finally, a worthwhile return on my tax dollars. I also received a spiffy pen with her name on it. Please note, because the pen has her name on it, that means that she paid for it, NOT the Village. (She told us that). The award ceremony went something like this:

Mayor Mulder, at the end of her presentation: We have a drawing
today. Is there a Little Merry Sunshine in the room?

Me: That's me!

Mayor Mulder, leaning across 3 rows of people so she doesn't actually have to get near me: Here you go.

Me: Thank you very much.

It was a moving moment, I assure you. Unfortunately, the awards presentation was over in less time than it took you to read about it, so no pics of me accepting this award from Mayor Mulder.

Lucite paperweight with rendering of the New Arlington Heights Village Hall. The back of the paperweight says "Arlington Heights Village Hall was Dedicated on May 8, 2008. The landmark building reflects the Village's rich architectural history. The Village Hall is the cornerstone of the John G. Woods Municipal Campus. Mayor Woods served from 1961-1969 and again from 1972-1973 during a time of great growth in the Village. His vision and innovativeness significantly contributed to the Arlington Heights of today."

Pen paid for by Mayor Mulder and not with taxpayer dollars.

While I'm still not convinced that $30+ million was wisely spent to build the new Village Hall, it is a beautiful space and the luncheon was lovely. I'm sorry I couldn't stay for the tour. Maybe if I had, I would feel better about the $30+ million. One thing I can say, however, is that it did get completed on time and under budget. Mayor Mulder told us to repeat that too.

Awards season is not over. In fact, I think it's just ramping up. So feel free to present me with as many awards as you want. I've earned them.

No Blog Post Today

God rested on Sunday. So I am taking a day off from blogging.

John McCain Hates Me (and Probably You Too)!

Over on Monkey Muck yesterday, I learned that John McCain hates me (and you too probably). Truthfully, that's ok. I'm not really his biggest fan and wasn't going to vote for him anyway.

But still, hate? John McCain HATES me? Really? Why does he feel the need to put so much of his energy into HATE? This is just my opinion, but maybe if he put as much energy into his campaign as he does into HATING me (and you too!), he might be doing a bit better. I'm just sayin'.



Just so I'm clear, not only is John McCain bad for my sex life, but he also hates me. Well, ok then.

Happy 1st Blog-iversary!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I started writing Little Merry Sunshine!

Tim first put the crazy thought into my head that I should start a blog. And I laughed. But he was kind of persistent. And I laughed some more. But I chewed on it. For about 3 months or so. I have so many friends who write for a living and I couldn't imagine that anything I had to say would be nearly as pretty as their prose or that I'd have any readers, much less loyal readers. Of course, one of the many things I've learned this year is that if Tim suggests it, I should just do it without hesitation.

When I first began Little Merry Sunshine, it wasn't even open to the public. It was only open to Tim, Tony and Brad. And I emailed them and asked for their feedback. That's right, I asked a New York Times Best Selling Author to review my little blog before I published it to the world. I obviously have no ego problems. I'd forgotten that Tim and Tony were in Italy and incommunicado for 2 weeks, but within a couple of days, Brad wrote me back and said "It's you. It's your voice. And it's great." And so Little Merry Sunshine made its world debut.

You know that memorable quote from "Field Of Dreams" of "If you build it, they will come"? Well, that's exactly how's it's been this year. I built it and you showed up. And I'm humbled.

What started out as my way of sharing what I believe in, what inspires me, my gratitude list (here too), adventures in gardening, journeys down memory lane and amusing family stories (they're amusing to me and that's all that counts!) has turned into so much more. We all now know what scares me, what irritates me, what I asked Santa for (and Santa, I'm STILL waiting!), whom I endorse politically, my favorite things (never to be confused with Oprah's), my lust for Rick Springfield, and all of my shameless plugs for my favorite friends and family. I've even made some new friends thanks to blogging! And, of course, Betsey and Ross. Little Merry Sunshine (and I) wouldn't be complete without them.

What's in store for year number 2? While I can't know for sure exactly where life will take me and my blog, I do know a few things. For certain, the political commentaries will continue. It's a long way til November. The Cubs rock this year, so I'm sure to continue singing their praises. Look for more shameless plugs about my super cool friends too. Betsey and Ross are turning 12 this week. Other than that, the universe is my playground and I can't wait to continue sharing my take on it.

What I know for sure, however, is that without you reading and commenting, this wouldn't be so much fun for me. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts with me. I look forward to our continued dialogue in the new year!

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

Let's face it . . . you've missed me and I've missed all of you, my beloved readers, too. It's been a long 4 days since my last post. It's not that I haven't had anything to say or a lack of time to say it. I've actually had both. The truth is, I felt the need to step back for a few days and let your hearts grow fonder, which, according to the daily hits report from Feed Burner, they have.

But I'm back! From outer space!

And I've got plenty to say! In fact, at about 1:00am this morning, I was suddenly struck with a great topic to post about. Unfortunately, I can't post it until July 1st. It will be worth the wait. I promise.

But today's topic is Unity. Not only the fact that we are once again reunited, but also that the Democratic Party is finally uniting. Barack and Hillary are back together again, where they belong. The voters are beginning to rally and show their support for Obama. In fact, in a recent Newsweek poll, he is ahead of Bush McCain by 15 points! Yeah!

Now I'm all for unity, all-for-one and all that, but I'm not sure why they had to be matchy-matchy in their appearance on Friday in Unity, New Hampshire. I mean, we get it - they're BFF now. They don't hate each other anymore. All those nasty things they said about the other are water under the bridge. They were just kidding. But dressing alike? Really? Maybe it was a subliminal message that by uniting, we can all turn the Red States into Blue States.

George Carlin's Famous Seven Word Routine - NSFW!!!!!

In case you've lived in a cave, as I apparently have, and have never seen nor heard George Carlin's famous Seven Dirty Words Routine, I've just ripped this off Boxer Rebellion's blog for your viewing pleasure.

But PLEASE DO NOT PLAY THIS AT WORK or around small children. Truly, it's not suitable for them.

Long Awaited Answers

I know you've been eagerly awaiting the correct answers to last week's meme about me. And finally, you can sleep in peace knowing you know all there is to know about me (hahaha - if only I was really this simple!).

While it appears that only Gourmet Goddess took interest in this meme and actually had the courage to answer on my blog, a few of you emailed me and you know who you are.

1. Where did we meet?
Yeah! Everyone got this correct.

2. Take a stab at my middle name.
No one even tried this and I'm disappointed. I was looking forward to your creativity. It's Lynn. Jessica Lynn Gardner. For those of you who don't know, I was named for my maternal grandfather, Jesse Paulk, who died suddenly on my mom's 13th birthday, and my mom's college roommate, Lynn Ming. UPDATE: I was wrong. One person attempted my middle name and did get it right. I apologize for my mistake.

3. Do I smoke?
The short answer is no. Although I've been known to grab a cigarette (but never pot) in a bar and did so far more in college and through my 20s, than I have in my 30s. I don't think I've done it in 3 or 4 years, partly do to the smoking bans, but more because I always hated it anyway. It was just something to do. Ya, I know. That's a dumb reason.

4. What color are my eyes?
When I was younger, my eyes were bright blue. I've aged (and I'm dealing with that) and my eyes now are more of a blue-green hazel, depending on what I'm wearing.

5. Do I have any siblings.
Seriously, if anyone had gotten this wrong, you'd need to go back to the beginning. I have a brother. Dave. He's the greatest. We are 3 years and 3 1/2 months apart, but I'm older. He's one of my best friends.

6. What is one of my favorite things to do?
The list is long: Garden (this frankly surprises me), follow and debate politics, write, listen to music, read, cook. I could go on. Everyone guessed one of these. Really, I write about all of this stuff, so how could you have gone wrong here?

7. What is my favorite kind of music?
Hint: Read the "About Me" section of my blog. Don't feel bad, no one got this correct. It's country. I also listen to lots of other things, which is why this may have been tough. Here's a list of music that speaks to my soul.

8. Am I shy or outgoing?
Truly this is complicated. The part of me you know best is the outgoing part. It's the part that allows me to work in sales. It's the part that allows me to get heavily involved in my community, my alumni association, and politics. But at the end of the day, I need quiet and alone time. When I hit overwhelm, I have to go be alone. It's why I live for my time at Watervale.

I always thought I was extroverted because I don't have any challenges speaking in public and usually can talk to anyone. But in a work program I was involved in probably 15 years ago, I learned that being introverted vs. extroverted has really more to do with where you get your energy or get renewed, rather than shy vs. outgoing. According to the speaker we had, extroverts get more energy and more renewed from others, while introverts go inward. I go inward. I am always exhausted after I've had to be "on" for too long.

9. Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?
Truthfully, I've never been great at following the rules, especially if I think they're stupid. I don't kiss ass for the sake of it or to move ahead, which has sometimes been detrimental. That said, I do think rules like speed limits are important.

10. Do I have any special talents?
Yep. I do. ;)

11. How many children do I have?
Just two cat children, much to the chagrin of my parents. I think they'd like some grandkids and neither Dave nor I have given them any.

12. If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what's the one thing I'd bring?
No one is going to like this, but I'd bring my iPod so I could have some alone time.

Tag! I'm It! And in a minute, you'll be it too!

That incouragable Dr. Monkey tagged me tonight just as I was going to bed. Since I'm not really tired anyway, I guess I'll get this over with so I can write about what I want to write about later today . . .

Here's the rules:
A) The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
B) Each player answers the questions about himself or herself.
C) At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1) Ten years ago I was: I was working for Hogan & Hartson in Washington DC and had just relocated to Baltimore for a month or so for my last trial as a litigation legal assistant. I can't tell you the client or the case name, but we defended a Fortune 100 company in a multi-million dollar case that we'd worked on non-stop for about 2 years. We we won. Of course, the attorneys I worked for never lost. Good ole American Way . . . Fortune 100 company squashes the little guy and destroys his dreams.

2) Five things on today's to do list: Since yesterday was almost a total loss thanks to a crazy migraine, I gotta get busy today . . . 1. See a couple of clients. 2. Grocery shop. (done!) 3. Pick up my car from the mechanic. 4. Exercise. 5. Write my previously planned blog post.

3) Things I do if I were a billionaire: Give $1million to each of my close friends and family. That should leave me about $990 million left to play with. Give $500 million to various charities including $50 million to Lake Forest College. (Special note to Tim: This is a fantasy here. I don't really have $50million to give to LFC now). Build an entirely eco-friendly house and vacation home. Travel. Buy season tickets to the Cubs (it takes about $1 million for that, right?).

4) Three bad habits: 1. Diet Coke. 2. Too impatient. 3. Driving too fast.

5) Five places I've lived: Washington DC, Alexandria VA, Arlington Heights IL, Ft. Myers FL, Lake Forest IL.

6) Five jobs I've had in my life: litigation legal assistant, salad wench, political fundraiser, Mary Kay Consultant, legal assistant manager

Okay, that wasn't so bad was it? Now I tag the following people: Gourmet Goddess, Balancing Boyfriends, Anthony's Chicken Tracks, and Boxer Rebellion. I know that's only 4, but I've never been one to follow ALL the rules.

If any of you folks don't do tags, then that's fine, no harm no foul, I'll still love you and read you anyway. Maybe.

In Case You Missed It . . .

Since it's not everyday that I get mentioned on the blog of a New York Times Best-Selling Author, go check out the post titled "DB BS" on Brad Meltzer's Blog. Yes, that REALLY is me he's talking about. I sent him an email about the parachute found not belonging to DB Cooper, as had widely been reported (including by Brad).

Oh and yes, that's Brad and me in the pic above. He came to town almost 2 years ago on his book tour for The Book of Fate and we hung out in his tent at Wal-mart. Seriously. It was cooler than it sounds. Really. Trust me.

Oh ya, and if you're new here, Brad and I are friends. I'm not just some crazy fan. I may be, but we're friends. Really. Check out the history.