State of Illinois to citizens: "Help wanted"

Ever wanted to run for public office? Well if you live in Illinois, now's your chance.

With the nominee for Lt. Gov dropping off the ticket, the state's Democratic Party officially opened up the nomination process to anyone who wanted to fill out the form last week. Of course I started writing my answers as soon as I heard about it Friday morning. Here's some of what I had to say:

Why are you a Democrat? I'm a Democrat b/c I believe at its core the party fosters a true sense of community in that people of all backgrounds are welcome to come contribute to the effort for progressive change. The party's focus on social change issues within the context of responsible fiscal management is one that can still make positive change happen.

What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing the State of IL and areas of greatest opportunity? The greatest challenges facing Illinois are the same facing the entire nation; can the public stay positive enough to ensure economic recovery in the face of still increasing unemployment and deficit? Will the gap between the people and the officials elected to represent them remove any chance those officials might have to make any progress towards addressing issues like healthcare reform, economic recovery programs, or campaign finance reform? And in Illinois, these issues are all compounded by the public's lack of faith in what's seen as a corrupted and ineffectual system of government. That perception is truly the greatest challenge facing the state, because if the people of the state don't buy into the system, it doesn't matter what programs and progress come out of that government. But this also presents the state with its greatest opportunity--if the state government can turn this perception around and bring back the people's faith in their elected officials, then there's no argument that the same can't happen on the national level. I believe Illinois really does have a chance to set an example for the rest of the country.

Blah blah idealistic crap blah.

Go to the party's page at http://www.ildems.com/ltgovnominees.htm to check things out for yourself.

Is this a completely ridiculous idea? Of course it is. But I think I would regret not at least answering these questions and submitting to the process. From a certain perspective it's just one more job application I've got out. So why the hell not.

Current beer-scale: 3.3

Group outbreaks of cabin fever

There are more and more people out in the mornings while the dog and I are running. And even though doesn't seem like things are getting noticeably any nicer out than it's been lately, it makes sense to see spots that have been empty all winter start to fill up as February runs into March. Most days, we run and we're the only living things in sight along the lake. I let her off the leash and she tags along but is free to take any quick side trips until I yell for her to catch up and she tears ass past me. Occasionally we'll see the recurring people also out with us. But if we head to the golf course, we'll be the only two out there.

Lately though there have been more and more people showing up. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I own the lakefront and I'm happy to share. If anything, I shouldn't be letting the dog off leash when it pisses me off so much to see it happen at other times (although running in an empty park is slightly different from walking in Lincoln Park). And even though it makes running a little challenging I welcome more people coming out, if only b/c it means spring is almost here and we'll be done with snow soon.

Ultimately what it boils down to is I need to find a job so I don't have time to run everyday, even though I have settled in to a nice run-bike-insanity dvd routine. It always boils down to the job search.

What do you mean stop?

Current beer-scale: 7.1

google me? google you.

the headless man in the gray flannel suit

The job search continues, albeit with a few just-misses and some less than uplifting interviews. Let's just say the paranoia starts to set in sometimes when it comes to potential employers mentioning googling candidates and what someone could find. So that explains my lack of posting and the virtual desert my facebook page has turned into. When employers say they want you to talk about yourself, they don't mean they're impressed that you drank a guiness in five seconds last weekend.

Today was the first of two back-to-back interviews. Unexpected highlights included an improv session, rapid fire Q & A with multiple candidates, and the chance to sit in a corn thresher.

What can I say, it's about as interesting as the bike trainer. Which is not very, but at least the trainer gets the job done. Not really anything to write home about though. Thank god for 'Chuck' on dvd. 'Supernatural' is on its way.

The dog is getting too used to my being home to make me want to find a job. She lost her mind when I came in today after picking the wife up on the way back. I had been gone all of four hours. What a sweetheart.

Current beer-scale: 8.2