Message Board Celebrity Of The Day (Part II) - Shameless — Page 114

Oh what a celebration we'll have today!

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What are my favorite things about Chicago? Man, that's a hard one. I love the city-- it's a big place, but I have never felt the least big scared or invisible there. I used to love to go to Unabridged Books on a lovely summer day, buy some new book (Preferably out of their huge "gay remainders area") and then take it over to the corner of Halsted and Addison and sit outside at Checkers, drink Diet Coke and cruise as I read. I love the view from Montrose Harbor. I love Brunch at the Signature Room and Tea at the Four Seasons. I love to go to the Music Box to see a film, but not as much as I used to when they showed old movies and always ran a cartoon before the feature. I love the monkeys at the Lincoln Park zoo. I love to drive down Lake Shore Drive on a summer day and see the sparkling lake on my left and the beautiful city on my right!

If I were in the hospital....hmmm....can I give sponge baths? If so, Jake Gyllenhall. When I was in the hospital my roomate was a comatose chinese man and he was pretty much perfect. If I were recovering from platic surgery and lots of energy to talk, I think Stephen Fry would be delightful. Whenever I am asked about fantasy dinner partners I always ask for Eleanor Roosevelt. She's probably my most favorite human ever. She might be Mankind's greatest accomplishment. Or at least she's a good manifestation of it--I'd have to say that mankind's proudest moment would be when we decided that we had a responsibility to care for one another. (Sappy I know.) It's what I loathe about the Bush administration- they have decided that we no longer need to care about the poor, the hungry, the ecology-- it's all about clearing the way to let people make money. But it all comes back to caring about others-- Why do people make art, why do they plant flowers along the highway, why do they take showers, why do we follow traffic laws....it's all about the love for each other.

Catsup or Mayo? Catsup or Ketchup-- and maybe a little malt vinegar.

The last two get summed up in a story--- I had a job I liked OK last summer. Paid all right, people I liked, good commute, all that rot. I was let go abruptly. I was shocked and had no idea what to do. My boyfriend wanted us to move out of our expensive apartment, maybe move away, cut down our lives and live cheaper. I'm resistant to change I guess- I loved my apartment and I hate to move. I was talking to my sister one day about my thoughts to chuck it all and move to a small town in Michigan and she suggested I instead move to a small town in Illinois where I had grown up. Most of my family lived nearby and honestly, there was nothing but bad associations. I hated the suburbs, I hated the small town attitude, I moved away when I was 18 and went back basically for funerals and weddings. I took my boyfriend out to look at the town house she'd suggested and he fell in love. He wanted to live there so bad, and it was a lot cheaper, I would probably be able to find a job nearby and besides I had unemployment and could live on that for a while....

We moved and I promptly lost my unemployment. (I KNEW it was a bad move!) Lucky it was cheaper out here. I had a line on a job and the more I interviewed the less I liked it. One day, another sister called me (I have a BIG family) and said her boss wanted to talk to me about a job. It was at a social service agency serving victims of domestic violence. It was only half-time. It was for an events coordinator position. I had no experience in any of those areas and needed full-time, but it seemed silly to not talk to her about it. The more we talked the better I felt. I interviewed with the rest of the development staff and felt right at home. Better still, I had ideas, I made suggestions and suddenly my completely unrelated experiences seemed like the perfect training for this job.

Well I got the job. I love it. They love me. Almost every day someone tells me how glad they are I work here. I did well enough to go to full-time. Things are looking great. I love my little home in my small town. I'm enjoying my interaction with my huge family. My Boyfriend & I take a huge passel of kids to the movies once a month. (great-Nieces and nephews, kids of friends-- probably total strangers, I don't really check.) I love my little townhouse in the country. My cat spends hours looking at animals outside the wondows. We have deer who come to the back porch begging for food. My boyfriend got a better job he loves. I love my job! I never realized I wasn't happy before! I really never knew what it was like to go to a job I loved. The air is clear here, the drive to work is relaxing, my shoulders are never tense, my blood pressure is lower.

So I guess that answers the last two questions: What would I do if I were fired? What has given me the most joy in the past year? I guess getting fired gave me infinite joy. Everything happened for the best. If you talked to me a year ago and told me where I'd be today-- in a job I had never thought about, in a place I never wanted to live-- I'd never have believed it. If you told me how happy I'd be I'd have thought you insane.

There's a lesson in there somewhere but I have no idea what: Maybe "Don't worry, be happy?" Maybe "You never can tell." Maybe "You can go home again." Maybe it's "If you find yourself living in the country, buy the Whole Corn at Farm & Fleet when it's on sale for $5 for a huge bag because you might get deer on your patio and you'll want to feed them when you do."

Joe, your last post was one of the best I've ever read. And, your reward is more questions.

If you could live any time in history, what age would you choose?

If you could be anyone you wanted to be today, who would you be, and what would you do?

If your house were on fire, what would you grab on the way out?

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A great big confetti toss for joe!!! I hope you are having fun on your special day. Now for my questions...
1, Favorie cookie
2, Hero as a child
3, Favorite book as a child
4, Way to spend a rainy Saturday

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Joe, I have to tell you...I was going to make a crack about your saying yesterday that a movie about me would be like a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. I mean, A) she was always OLD B) she wasn't the most physically gorgeous woman on earth and C) she's DEAD! Then I read what you posted today:

Whenever I am asked about fantasy dinner partners I always ask for Eleanor Roosevelt. She's probably my most favorite human ever.

Now I feel like I'm going to cry. I am so touched by your comment.

And guess what, even though I am not actually Eleanor Roosevelt, I would be happy to be your dinner partner!!! (Are you guys coming to DC for Mame, or what?????)

Eleanor does have some of the all-time best lines attributed to her, that's for sure.

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Joe - Just have been catching up on all my reading. I loved your job story. I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason and we just don't realize what that reason is at first.

Joe
1. What is you favorite season and why?
2. What are some of your favorite or not so favorite memories of being raised in a big family.

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Grizz, seriously that is the lesson I learned: You have to act. It's hard to leap, especially when you don't know where you'll land, but you have to do it. And as Bway points out, we never know when we've set a chain of events into action-- My new (wonderful) boss thought of me for this job because I'd met her years ago when I'd planned a big trip to see "It's a Wonderful Life" as a Christmas outing. Little things become profound in ways no one could imagine.

OK lemme run off these: If I could live in any time? I'm a big WWII buff- so much changed so fast socially, politically- and who knows I might run into Eleanor Roosevelt! But I think I like it now.
If I could be anyone? I'm pretty happy being me right now.
If the house were on fire: I'd make sure Dan & the cat got out. Another thing this bizarre year has taught me is that things don't really matter. I have a lot a really great stuff I love but nothing is irreplaceable.
Design a Coat of Arms: I guess it would have to involve a flapping tongue. I talk a lot.
Favorite star? Like Bette Davis? Or like Ursa Major? Either way I guess I answered
Favorite Cookie: If you're baking I love good old chocolate chips. If I'm at the store and depressed it's Mint Milanos.
Hero as a child: well as I got older I really admired Elton John. As a small kid, probably Julia Child. I know, how gay, but really I remember watching her cook when I was very small and thinking that she had it all under control. There really was nothing that got her flustered. I really liked that.
Favorite Book as a child: I remember really getting Curious George-- and I'm still Monkey Crazy. I loved all the fairy tales-especially the gruesome Grimm ones.
How to spend a rainy afternoon? A good book and unlimited Diet Coke. And while I hate to admit it, I can watch a COPS marathon all day.
How's the Burbs? I realized after we moved that while I loved Chicago, living there is hard. Everything takes planning and patience: Parking, getting a table in a crowded restaurant, washing the car, everything. In the Suburbs, everything is easier. I think it makes the people soft, actually, but I love it this way. I'm old & tired-- I love drive up dry cleaners. There is a certain sameness that creeps me out, but you seek out the unusual and the unique this way.
Favorite season? Probably Fall. I don't like a hot summer and there is something really great about that first cool morning in September....
What about growing up in a big family? Well I was the last of six kids. My mom was just worn out when I came along, plus she was in her 40's. I realize now that she pretty much said "I hope you can do this all yourself cause I'm exhausted!" It made me grow up fast. I pretty much took care of myself. I didn't have many friends my age as a kid-- I hung out with grownups. It was all good though, I turned out OK. Now I'm older it's nice to have a lot of relatives. I can't imagine a holiday dinner with 5 people. We'll have about 30 people for Easter dinner. It's noisy but fun.

Sorry I missed your day Joe..just wanted to say CONGRATS !!! Hope you enjoyed it and I'm glad Girly crowned you in my absense.

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I trust that, being the MBCotD thread, our posters to keep it positive in here...


On that note, CONGRATS RATHY!

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Updated On: 3/17/06 at 07:22 AM

Joe, your posts were wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing so much with us! I hope you enjoyed your day.

And, now, congrats to the new Celeb of the Day. I hope she returns for this honor... it will be nice to see her again!

It seems fitting, too, that someone with an Irish name should be the St. Patty's Day celeb!

Congrats, Rath!
I'm pouring a beer for you!

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Updated On: 3/17/06 at 07:59 AM

Congrats, Rath. You're going to have an exhausting weekend!!!!!

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Holy cow.

Not just a day, but a whole weekend.

Holy cow.

This could be problematic in another way - she has company arriving from overseas today.

Updated On: 3/17/06 at 09:04 AM