My one year anniversary

January 10 marked my one year anniversary at my current place of employment in the Windy City. Here are 10 things I am proud of accomplishing since arriving here.

10. I was able to be here a whole day before having the CD player stolen out of my car.
9. I was here two whole days before I got my first parking ticket.
8. I no longer have a car.
7. I have figured out how to use the public transit system and how not to get on the wrong color "L" train line - a trial and error lesson.
6. Sampled excellent pizza across the city...
5. And still lost weight.
4. Bought a house plant and it's still alive.
3. Took my teenage daughter shopping all day at a mall with more than 100 stores the day after Thanksgiving.
2. Took my teenage daughter and son shopping all day at a mall with more than 100 stores the day after Christmas.
1. When I did have a car, I refrained from giving the "horn response signal."
(Confession: I almost soiled my record in this city of honkers when at the last second I remembered the previous owner of my vehicle had affixed one of those Jesus fish stickers. I knew they served a purpose.)

Here's to a second year at a job I love and living in a city that has become "Sweet Home Chicago."

Where have you gone, Ted Koppel

Actually, he's been discovered. After leaving Nightline, he's found his way to the Discovery Channel to do documentaries, which I will never see because I don't have cable.

I miss Koppel. The new Nightline isn't awful, but not particularly good or interesting either. It has all the depth of a People magazine article on the Simpsons (Nick and Jessica).

Loved his comment on why he didn't even talk with the major cable news networks, which was because they seemed, "preoccupied with a 'desperate race to be the first with the obvious.'" Bet his daughter, Andrea, who is a CNN correspondent loved that one.

To do a little name dropping: Along with several other people, I had a late night meal with Koppel and Jerry Brown, who were speaking at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where I got my degree. Long story about how that happened, but I remember two things from the evening. Jerry Brown was no longer dating Linda Ronstadt, but some wise guy played her song Someone to Lay Down Beside Me on the jukebox. Returned to the table and said, "Jerry, what's that song." He laughed.

The other was a kid coming up to Koppel and asking if he would speak with his mother, who was a big fan. He spent 10 to 15 minutes talking with her.

I only wish that Koppel and Jon Stewart would team up to do a show. How cool would that be. And then put it on network TV so that I could actually see it.

Ashlee Simpson tribute

I saw on the CD rack the other day a tribute album to Ashlee Simpson. Of course, no one actually sings on the album.
I've included the picture lest you think I'm kidding. If you should want to buy the CD, I encourage you to go through Amazon by first going to Brad Boydston's blog. Brad gets a few cents to help out his church with each purchase. Besides, he'd be glad to know that he is helping to spread the best of American culture.