Blue Ridge Gal asked, and I will answer. Her questions are interesting in that she doesn't know me very well, and went back through my blog to find topics for questions. Hey, it's probably what I would have done!

So, here they are, BRG's questions, and my answers:

1. You have had a hard cold winter in the Chicago area and I see that not only have you had water in your apartment but also a parking lot full of water and ice. Has the weather taken a toll on your social life as far as getting out and seeing friends and family this winter or have you all just skated to and from one another's homes? Skates, sleds, or has it been e-mail only as far as staying in close touch with those you love?

Fortunately, there hasn't really been much water in my apartment since last February. But yes, my parking lot has had the worst of it, flooding in September and then again in December. In September, I was able to get out, barely, to go spend the day with my aunt. I was sort of adopted by that family years ago, and I go spend Sunday afternoons with her, have lunch, see a movie, that sort of thing. When it flooded again in December, I was completely cut off from my car, and was stranded at home all weekend. Of course, that's not a bad thing when there's football on tv! As far as the weather in general, it hasn't prohibited me from getting together with friends or family too much. One day I was stopping by a friend's house after work to pick up some candles I had ordered from her, and it just happened to be our first big snowstorm of the season. That was a very long drive home! Other than that, I really have no social life anymore, so staying at home after a storm or flood doesn't bother me too much.

2. Last November you had a post on your blog that mentioned Sunshine and Lemonade and a the prize of Betty Crocker Warm Delights? Are you a Betty Crocker type of gal that enjoys cooking and if so do you have a lot of cookbooks and which one is your favorite and why?

Too funny, because I so totally do not enjoy cooking! I mentioned the Warm Delights because of the giveaway Kat was having, and because I LOVE chocolate. I am a self-described chocoholic. I do know how to bake, and can do it if I need to, but I much prefer the premade stuff you just put on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven. Surprisingly I did keep some of my mother's cookbooks, but I think I've only looked at them maybe twice in 10 years? The joys of living alone and being a picky eater: Finding foods that don't have leftovers, that you'll eat and that don't require an hour in the kitchen.

3. You mentioned last October that one of the careers you would like to try would be to own a winery? If the opportunity arose to buy a winery, what state would you hope it was located in and why?

Well, I love wine. I belong to a wine club that sends me two bottles of wine every month. I thought it was a perfect way to get introduced and learn about the varieties and flavors of wine. As for the winery, I don't remember posting that, but if you say I did, I must have! If I were to own a winery, I'd probably want it to be in CA, so I would be closer to my family. They are always wanting me to come visit and asking me to move out there. I wish I could afford to live there, but I'd need to win the lottery first. But then I'd either need to hire some really knowledgeable people or teach my tongue really quickly how to tell the different flavors apart, because I can't tell tannins from oak flavorings.

4. One of your blogs is about keeping an eye on our government.... Without revealing your political party, tell us who you think was the most crooked politician to walk this earth.

There have been so many crooked politicians, and they seem to be multiplying every year. And Illinois has had our fair share of them, including our current and previous Governor. Without doing a lot of research on it, I would say the most crooked politician that I know of would have to be former President Nixon. He held the highest position in government in this country, and abused that position by authorizing tape recordings of the opposition. The smartest thing the House did was to impeach him and he was fortunately smart enough to resign. I could keep going here about all the different politicians that have done crooked things, but being the president, you're representing all of America, and should be above all that. The governors and senators, while important to our form of government, can be removed from office more easily and with less damage to our reputation and way of life than the president.

5. Would you ever run for a political position, if so, which one? Mayor, Governor, Senator, President? And why?

I'm not sure if I would want to run for a political office. Maybe a city council position, but definitely not senator or president. There are too many hands wanting things, and in today's world, unfortunately, you don't get anywhere without putting something in those hands, and getting support for them. I don't see enough people getting into government that believe in less involvement by government and more honesty in the officials to have me make a difference. I feel I'm better off out here, informing the masses, helping to tell those elected officials what the people want and to persuade them to make the right decisions for our future.

So there you have it, my answers to Blue Ridge Gal's questions.

Now it's your turn if you would like me to interview you just leave a comment and I will email you the questions!

Here's the directions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.