CHERRY-PALOOZA, WITH SOME CHOCOLATE FOR GOOD MEASURE!

Happy National Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day! Cherry cordials used to be my mom's favorite sweet treat; they may still be, but I haven't shared a roof with her in many (many, many) years, so who knows? Maybe some upstart confection has unseated the champ since I've left the nest? We may never know!

Today is also National Write To Congress Day. Do with this information what you will. 

LOL, the older I get the more I feel like Congress is where dreams go to die, both for legislators and constituents. Prove me wrong and send a polite missive requesting an attainable goal to your elected representative today!

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OK, birthday time! Let's have some celebratory cherry cordials in honor of:

• Abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer Lucretia Mott, born this day in 1793!

• English writer, poet, and academic John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, born this day in 1892! He wrote some popular high fantasy novels about short people with hairy feet and robust appetites, apparently.

• Film director, producer, and screenwriter Sergio Leone, born this day in 1929! Mr. Leone is credited as the creator of the "Spaghetti Western" genre. Every time I see those words together I think of pasta with barbecue sauce, which is probably fine but also sounds utterly revolting.

• Writer, producer, actor, and comedian Dan Harmon, born this day in 1973! Mr. Harmon is probably best known as the creator of the NBC sitcom Community, as well as co-creator of the Adult Swim animated series Rick & Morty. 

• Actress and mathematics nonfiction writer Danica McKellar, born this day in 1975! Ms McKellar is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Winnie Cooper in the original family dramedy series The Wonder Years from 1988 to 1993.

• The great state of Alaska, admitted as the 49th member of the Union on this day in 1959! Alaska is far and away the largest US state, with a total land area greater than that of the next three largest states (California, Texas, and Montana) combined. 

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Alrighty! Scroll on down to learn more about fellow Boredwalk fan Christina F.! If you'd like to be featured in our Monday Q&A segment, reply to this email and let me know!

We'll be back in your inbox on Wednesday morning with links to fun distractions! If you're in a shopping mood, be sure to use the code YAY10 at checkout to save 10% on orders of $100 or more! Until next time...

Peace, love, and chocolate-covered cherries,

Matt

Christina looking erudite in her I'd Rather Be Reading hoodie!

1. What's your actual day job and what's your dream day job?

My dream job would require me to spend all day on my couch reading while drinking tea and wearing comfy pants. My actual job is as an office manager, which I do remotely from home, usually while drinking tea and wearing comfy pants — so I'm not too far off from my dream job.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve?

Inconsiderate people, like those who leave their shopping carts in the parking lot instead of bringing them to the designated cart area, or don't use their turn signals.

(Editor's note: OMG I feel the same way about those people! We're trying to have a society here!)

3. What's the most useful piece of advice you've ever received?

Work to live, don't live to work.

4. If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

Teleportation because I am lazy AF and also because I could use all the time I save on travel to read instead — win-win!

5. You can curse your nemesis with a minor annoyance for eternity; what do you choose?

They will always pee just a little bit whenever they laugh, cough, or sneeze.

6. What experience do you most want to cross off your bucket list?

To stay in one of those beautiful hotel-huts above the water in Bora Bora, possibly forever.

7. Clear up a misconception (about your job, where you are from, some other topic you know a lot about).

Introverts aren't necessarily shy or socially awkward. For the most part, they just need more alone time to recharge and feel "normal." But also sometimes we really just are shy and awkward.

(I think I am at my most shy & awkward when I don't get adequate alone time to recharge. So it's not them, it's me. But it's also them if they aren't giving me that time. It is a conundrum.)

8. Where can the rest of the Boredwalk community find you?

I'm a shy and awkward introvert, please don't try to find me.