Rick and I met for the first time when he ever so graciously agreed to be my very first on-camera celebrity interview back in 2006 right before his performance at The House of Blues here in Chicago. You never forget your first.

Twice a week, I drive 30 minutes in rush hour traffic to pet three, delicious doggies for about fifteen minutes. And why not, it’s the only fifteen minutes of pure unadulterated loving I get without fail each week. Before I even get to the door, the barking and howling begins. “YAY, she’s HERE! She’s here to love us!”

Just before tip off, the singing of the national anthem takes on a more meaningful feeling during wartime. I notice a feeling of pride and determination especially during the last few bars when Bulls fans’ cheers drown out the rest of the song.

Of course one of my New Year’s resolutions was to cut down on my smoking - it’s the same resolution I make every year! And I have cut down, I probably smoke half what I used to. I hate that sometimes my mind is telling me it doesn’t want to smoke right now, even as my hand is reaching in my purse to light another cigarette.

Christmasukah also brings out the best and worst memories for every dysfunctional family (is there any other kind?), so I have learned to rely on my good friends for comic relief during the holidays to keep the good times feeling good. And with funny new friends like Scott Thompson and Taylor Negron...

Well, 2007 flew by and had lots of amazing developments for us here at Buzz, including our brand new partnership with NBC5.com’s “Chi Town After Dark”. The New Year always makes me wonder what the numbers mean so I looked it up and it turns out the number seven is the number of investigation...

I used to love Valentine’s Day. I remember in grade school buying boxes of those cute little cards and candies that said “ I Love You” and “U R the 1” and excitedly giving them to everyone in my class, including the girls. I always got at least as many as I handed out and felt a little sorry for the kids who only got one or two...

Wow! What is it about my birthday (March 5th) that brings up such conflicting emotions for me? Even more than New Year’s, birthdays make me feel that I must take stock of my life and somehow give it thumbs up or thumbs down and make life-changing resolutions to affect my future...

Since its invention, the telephone has always been a favorite way for lovers to connect. How exciting it must have been for couples to stop relying on mail carriers whose message took days or weeks to arrive, or the telegraph, which delivered your brief but urgent message dictated through the chilly third person of a telegraph operator - I love you - stop - see you in New York - stop - kisses and hugs - stop.