...BECAUSE I AM TOTALLY OUT OF MY ELEMENT

Happy National Periodic Table Day! Thank goodness for chemistry enthusiasts, because I am not one of them. I do appreciate the puns, though! I had an inkling as a teen that honing my expertise on covalent and ionic bonds was not going to be an important skill in the future, and so far so good.

I often think about what I'd do as a Plan B if Boredwalk crashes and burns, and being a chemist has come up exactly zero times. Alternate careers I've considered

• Cat nanny
  
  
• Private investigator, but not of people. I will investigate things — like which joint has the best empanada in town or which tab in your browser that sound is coming from
   
• Eccentric recluse in an old West ghost town (okay that one isn't really a career, more of a fantasy really, but I might make a weird documentary about it and try to sell that to an unsuspecting cable network)

I have reviewed my proposed career changes with my cat and he votes for ghost town recluse. The feline has spoken.

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Notable birthdays for February 7th:

• Writer and social critic Charles John Huffam Dickens, born on this day in 1812! Dickens is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, but my favorite story involving him is the time his buddy and fellow author Hans Christian Andersen came to visit and would not leave. At one point Andersen collapsed sobbing on Dickens' lawn after receiving a negative review of his writing. I enjoy this story because I can imagine both being exasperated with a house guest overstaying their welcome AND sobbing hysterically over a bad review.

• Comedian, actor, writer, producer and director Christopher Julius Rock, born this day in 1965! Rock rose to fame as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and has starred in dozens of films and TV shows. His standup is also top notch; if you haven't seen any of his specials they're really worth a watch.

• Actor and producer James Todd Spader, born on this day in 1960! Spader's acting career has lasted over four decades, with roles in 1980s classics like Pretty in Pink, Mannequin, and Less than Zero. These days he can be found on NBC's The Blacklist.

Also celebrating birthdays today are comedian Eddie Izzard, country singer Garth Brooks, and Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Alrighty! Scroll on down to learn more about fellow Boredwalk fan Anjanette M.! 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 chemistry,

Meredith

Anjanette looking full of steely resolve in her Haunt In Retribution tee (and with her Grievance Journal lurking in the background, no doubt full of vengeful plots)!

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

I'm a ghostwriter. I was telling stories, reading stories, and then writing them as soon as I could talk, read, and write. I'm very lucky to be all in my dream job.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve?

I have several, but first to mind, people who talk a lot and do little. When somebody tells me they'll do something and then doesn't, especially if this is a repeat behavior, it is maddening for me.

3. What is a life pro tip the Boredwalk community needs to know?

When writing an important email do not put in the email address in until you have composed, thought about, and edited what you need to say.

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

I want the ability to teleport. I love the journey, traveling off the beaten path, but there are times I really just need to get quickly from one place to another without the fuss of travel.

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

When they are in the presence of anyone they're attracted to they can't stop audibly farting, or talking nonsense.

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

I want to visit the remaining US states that I haven't yet visited, and really explore.

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

When I tell people I'm a ghostwriter some think I write ghost stories, or write about ghost hunting. I do not.

People who want to write something but don't have the time or the desire to go through the process — but do have an idea — hire me to write it for them. They get all of the spotlight, I have no interest in that. No, I can't tell you what I've written because I am legally bound to not share that information.

8. If you drink: what's your go-to drink? If you don't drink: what's your go-to dessert or snack?

I love cake. Tea, coffee, grape Olipop. Did I mention I love cake? Yes, I love cake.

9. What is a surprising fact about you?

 I'm not at all a people person. I'm very much an introvert, but I love deep conversation with anyone who truly gets that and wants to tell me all about their whole life, their dreams, their hopes, their fears, everything. Hold nothing back. I will happily listen to your whole life story, and your other lifetimes as well if you have those to share.

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

Don't be afraid to say hello, it encourages me to keep the page active which is one of my goals for the year. You can find me here.