I recently had my addiction recovery memoir published. I’m very honest and vulnerable in it, and readers feel super-connected to me because of it. Most just briefly thank me for how it changed their life, etc. However, a few have really latched on to me via social media. I respond to their first message, and […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
C-U offers lots to see and do
Driving east on I-72 on a crisp fall Saturday, you may encounter carloads of orange-clad Illini fans, heading to Champaign-Urbana to tailgate outside Memorial Stadium or cheer the football team inside. While fall can be fun on the University of Illinois campus, the twin cities offer a multitude of treasures in spring and summer. Several […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A brief history of tame
I’m a 45-year-old single guy seeking a long-term relationship. My problem is that when I’m interacting with a woman I’m attracted to, my ability to read whether she’s interested in me goes out the window. I suspect I’ve missed out on some great women because I couldn’t read their signals quickly enough. – Disappointed Where […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Backbone to the future
I’m a man in my 60s. Looking back on my romantic life, I was always the guy women spent time with when their husband or boyfriend wasn’t paying attention to them or while they waited for the right guy (status, power, money) to show up. I’m good-looking, but I realize from reading you that I […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Restoring the Dana-Thomas House
The glorious Dana-Thomas House – built in 1904 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Susan Lawrence Dana, owned by the Thomas Publishing company for over 30 years, purchased by the state in 1981, and restored painstakingly in the 1980s – will be open for special behind-the-scenes restoration tours on third Saturdays, April through July. The tour […]
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Hipster replacement
I’m a 57-year-old lesbian, and I’m only attracted to much younger women (very early 20s). We’re obviously in very different places in our lives, and these “relationships” don’t last very long. I also get a lot of grief from my friends. I can’t change whom I’m attracted to, but I would like a long-term relationship. […]
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Presidents with Illinois roots meet at ALPLM
Four presidents with personal ties to Illinois left an indelible mark in American history. Thanks to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM), these presidents’ legacies are recognized in a new exhibit. “From Illinois to the White House: Lincoln, Grant, Reagan, Obama,” opened at the ALPLM on March 23. The exhibit honors Presidents Abraham […]
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Flee-bitten
For three months, things were going really well with this man I was dating. He’d introduced me to his daughter. We’d even planned a trip together. And then he just disappeared. I eventually texted him to find out what happened, but he simply texted back, “Really busy, all good.” This isn’t the first time this […]
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Pontiac is museum central in central Illinois
David Estes should ask Ancestry.com to check his DNA for a museum-founding gene. His mother, Betty, late tourism director for Pontiac, Illinois, founded the town’s popular Route 66 museum in 2004. Not to be outdone, David’s father, Dal, built the Livingston County War Museum upstairs in the same building a few months later. These days […]
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Whim chill factor
A guy I know through mutual friends finally asked for my number, claiming he’d like to see more of me. I was elated, but he never called. After a month I gave up hope, feeling puzzled and, honestly, kind of hurt. Why do men get your number if they’re never going to call or text? […]
Posted inArts & Culture
This old house of worship
Early Illinois settlers established sites of worship, first holding services in someone’s home and later building a church. Each year across Illinois these early churches reach a milestone, their 150th year, and the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS) holds a luncheon to honor them every three years. This year 28 churches will be honored in […]
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Haunting accident
What do dreams mean? I was dumped 10 months ago. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Now I barely do, but last night I dreamed I broke in to his apartment, found him in bed with this gorgeous girl, and punched her in the face. Does this mean I’m not over him? – Wanna Start […]
