I’m back. You didn’t even really know I was gone, did you? That “rare opportunity to disconnect” that I wrote about on Sunday evening? That was me being away from home for five days, alone with my husband (that means no kids). Jim and I flew to New Mexico and stayed just south of Santa Fe for a much-needed break, and in fact when I wrote that post, I was still “sitting in my southwestern office” at our Bed and Breakfast: It is going to take me a couple of days to assemble a proper post (or two) with pictures (I took about 550, but don’t worry: I won’t share…
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How I Met My Publisher.
So you know how–two weeks ago–I was all, “I still have to tell you all about how I met my publisher in person for the very first time!” and then I continued to be busy and I didn’t want to do a sloppy little post about it because I wanted to combine that story with the review of the awesome 2011 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid that General Motors was kind enough to let me drive all the way down to Tennessee (and Virginia) and back so that my nine cases of books (oh, and my family, too) could ride back to Chicago in comfort? I finally wrote about it on Reviews…
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Cruzing Chicagoland: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwestern Indiana
One of the great things about General Motors (major sponsor of my Chicago book launch event) is their involvement with various charities. It was inspiring to me, and when I started planning my event I decided to “hook up” with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwestern Indiana. They do beyond-wonderful things by providing a “home away from home” for families with hospitalized children, and I’ve been involved with them in the past (not to mention my close ties with the McDonald’s brand), so it was a great match. My friend Margaret and I took a Cruze (literally) to the Lincoln Park neighborhood to check out the House…
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Cruzing Chicagoland: Threadless Headquarters
I had heard that the Chicago headquarters of the Threadless T-shirt company is one of those epic, must-see places. I’ve seen a couple of pictures in magazine features about it, and was thrilled to take a ride over there in the 2011 Chevy Cruze that General Motors loaned me for a week (Disclosure: GM is the major sponsor of my Chicago book launch event), to record a tour for your enjoyment. What struck me about the headquarters is how extremely laid-back the place was, even way more than I expected. The place exudes a vibe of “Fun” rather than “Work”, and had I not actually witnessed employees busily doing their…
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Cruzing Chicagoland: KeyLime Cove Water Park Resort
Chicagoland is known for brutal winters, during which 95% of its residents (