So, with my first blog post being in October, the 11th to be exact, I have made no progress toward my goal. I wanted to begin freelance writing for magazines, work on a book, and generally leave behind my newspaper job.

But, little did I know that Illinois was going to become embroiled in yet another political scandal. Nothing stirs the ink in my veins like a good political scandal. Even more interesting to me than Governor Rod Blagojevich being arrested is the fact that Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been implicated in the governor's attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Jackson is claiming innocence, but knowing him, I have my doubts. This has all been the subject of my blog at http://chblog.ozarkattitude.com I've long had issues with Jackson, who is obsessed with building a new, but unneeded airport on prime and important farmland outside his own congressional district. I've been opposed to and writing about the project for 20 years. So, I guess now isn't really the time to give up news writing.