Every week, Norm over at NormBlog profiles another blogger. So far, he’s done 23 profiles of mostly high profile bloggers. This past Friday, he profiled James Joyner of Outside the Beltway fame. In that I’m probably not on his radar, I thought I’d answer his questions on my very own blog. Hopefully, he won’t mind too much.

Why do you blog? > I want to be heard. I want to be validated. I want to be loved and adored.
What has been your best blogging experience? > Being profiled by the Chicago Tribune last summer. More importantly, meeting people through my blog who could potentially become long term friends.
What would be your main blogging advice to a novice blogger? > Just go for it; but be true to yourself. Don’t do or say anything outside your comfort zone to get readers, those will come in due time.
What are your favorite blogs? > Tough question. There are so many that I like. But I will list three diverse ones that I started reading during my initial months of blogging. They include: American Idle, Bookslut and Oliver Willis.

What are you reading at the moment? > Lanark: A Life In Four Books by Alasdair Gray
What is your favorite movie? > Lawrence of Arabia.
Who is your favorite composer? > John Williams (is he too mainstream?)
Can you name a major moral, political or intellectual issue on which you’ve ever changed your mind? > 10 years ago I was for civil unions and against gay marriages. Now I’m completely in favor of allowing gay couples to marry.
Who are your political heroes? > Martin Luther King, Jr., Pre-2000 Jesse Jackson, Sr., John F. Kennedy, William Jefferson Clinton and the honorable Senator from Massachusetts Edward (Ted) Kennedy.
What is your favorite piece of political wisdom? > Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country (JFK).
If you could effect one major policy change in the governing of your country, what would it be? > Try to bring and bring about real campaign finance reform. The cost of getting elected to any political office — be that local, state or federal — has become almost unreachable for the common man.
What would you do with the UN? > Make the diplomats pay all the parking tickets they owe the city of New York. On a more serious level, I’ll like to try and bring about real change, but I’m not sure that is possible. You’d almost need to disband it and start over again.
What do you consider to be the main threat to the future peace and security of the world? > Religious zealots who believe that their way of life is the only way.
Do you think the world (human civilization) has already passed its best point, or is that yet to come? > I’d like to think that the best is yet to come. I want to be here when scientist discover the cure for diseases such as cancer and AIDS. I’m optimistic that those will come in my lifetime.
Do you think you could ever be married to, or in a long-term relationship with, someone with radically different political views from your own? > Is he rich? On a more serious level, absolutely not! Political views are usually based on core values and beliefs. And if those are at odds, then we’d be butting heads all the time. That would be just too frustrated.
What do you consider the most important personal quality? > “Honesty” followed closely by “integrity.” For a fascinating read on this subject, check out Stephen Carter’s book: Integrity.
What is your favorite proverb? > Words are like bullets; if they escape, you can’t catch them again.
What commonly enjoyed activities do you regard as a waste of time? > Television. Yup, I said television. Lord knows I spend alot of time infront of my own. I often think of other productive things I could be doing, yet I find myself being a couch potatoe for hours on end. I justify it all by saying that I’m mutli-tasking. Truth be told, I’m always doings something else like reading while I’m watching television.
If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything you’d do differently? > I’d like to say yes, but knowing that everything I’ve gone through has made me the person I am today, I’d have to say no.
What would your ideal holiday be? > Six months in the South of France. In case your wondering, no I’ve never been, but it looks lovely from everything I’ve seen.
If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to? > Tina (after Tina Turner). When my family moved across town my sophomore year of high school, I told many in the new neighborhood that my name was Tina. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but at the time, I really hated being called Ursula. I have since grown to love my name.
What would be your ideal choice of alternative profession or job? > President & CEO, Ebay.com. Yes, I want Meg Whitman’s job. Since that is sort of stretch, I’d settle for owning a bookstore or an antique shop.
Who is your favorite comedian or humorist? > Chris Rock.
Who are your sporting heroes? > Bo Schembechler and Muhammad Ali
Which football team do you support? > College: Michigan Wolverines; Pros: New England Patriots.