Hyde Park is far away.
A lot of people throughout the history of time have attended the University of Chicago.
Many of those people are impressively and intimidatingly smart.
I can go several hours without checking Facebook.
No matter where you work, somebody will be microwaving popcorn.
A cubicle near a window might be better than a windowless office.
My building’s cafeteria has a bar in it.
On Friday, while perusing Facebook, I saw that my friend Bex Schwartz had posted this photo from her childhood with the caption “This photo from when I was three explains a lot:”
Something about that photo rang a bell for me. It wasn’t the bangs or the couch or the baby brother (although those were recognizable to me, too). It was those Underoos. Was it possible that I wore the same underpants as did a friend of mine (whom I’ve never met in person) and who lives 800 miles away? I did a little search through my parents’ slides on Flickr and realized that I too was rocking Wonder Woman Underoos in my youth:
I’d all but forgotten about those Underoos. What a funny coincidence. Was it possible that Bex and I were just sisters from another mister, or were there more of us secret Wonder Women from across the country?
The occasional cold or flu is a fact of life, but every now and then you just don’t have time to be sick. Maybe you’re about to go on vacation, or get married, or start a new job but whatever the case, you just think, “No. Not this time. Absolutely not.” So here are (somewhat facetious, somewhat not) guidelines on how to beat back a cold before it takes control:1.) Start early. Feel that little tickle in the back of your throat? Now is the time for action. Do not hesitate or else the cold will get you.
2.) Be willing to spare no expense. Go to the cold and flu section of the store and buy anything that sounds promising in terms of heading a cold off at the pass. Don’t bother wasting time checking online to see if they work or even if their claims have been reviewed by the FDA. Just get them and be prepared to take them all (according to directions). Blast yourself with Vitamin C, zinc, whatever they've got.
3.) Treat yourself as if you are already sick. Rest. Eat chicken soup. Take hot showers. Sleep. Don't spike the football just yet.
Warmup:
I think this song is really cute. It's about a couple that is in love despite the fact that the guy doesn't have any money which is sort of an old-timey theme for a song.
Yesterday for New Year’s Day we went to visit some friends who have boys ages 2 and 7, which made me strangely sad for the future days when my little baby starts growing up and running around. With that melancholy in mind, I later coaxed the baby into sleeping on my chest as I pursued the great New Year’s Day Channel Surf that everyone who partied too hard New Year’s Eve enjoys. 
“New Year's Eve is for young people,” is my newest motto, because the idea of putting on dress-up clothes (after eating for a week), going out and drinking a lot (after drinking for a week) and staying up til midnight (my god!) is clearly for the kids. Of course, this is said tongue-in-cheek, as I do have some NYE plans and, more obviously, if you’ll turn on any local NYE coverage you’ll see that NYE is actually for the old (“old” meaning “older than I am.”)
Today I chat with a man whose voice you’re probably familiar with if you’re a regular NPR listener, as he’s a frequent panelist on Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!
Also a former Daily Show correspondent, he’s now contributing his corresponding talents to CBS News Sunday Morning. Recently, he starred in the documentary Electoral Dysfunction, which looks at how much there is to know and not-know about the Electoral College. If that weren’t enough, he’s also got a Cooking Channel show called My Grandmother's Ravioli, as he learns to cook from this country’s fine crop of grandparents.
Who have been some of the guests to call in for “Not My Job” on WWDTM that you felt starstruck by?
After nine years, this week is my last week working at my old day job, which was located in 680 N. Lake Shore Drive, a lovely building with some historical significance. Working in that particular building had its particular ups and downs. Here’s what I will and won’t miss about working at 680:
What I Will Miss:
The very kindly evening Polish cleaning lady who always smiled at me and said “happy baby” when I was pregnant.
The cute and nice produce guy who worked in the Treasure Island who always gave me the straight dope on which fruit was good and which wasn’t worth trying out.
The dry cleaning proprietress who was nice to me but who really wanted to see my husband and who always asked when we’d start having kids until we started bringing the baby around to see her.
