UNCLE MICHAEL CHECKING IN

Nicola, I'm shocked! I thought you were well on your way to being CEO of Neck to Back.

I'm having drama at both jobs--as some of you may know, I was called to Macy's in the middle of a workday to cover for some MIA employees and we learned as the day went on that one of them had been murdered in her home! She was seven months pregnant and her beau was a former Chicago Bear. Very sad. Although all the news media reports say he's not a suspect, I am guessing the boyfriend will eventually be linked. I am also taking Thursday off from my day job to work at Macy's--I had to switch around my schedule to accommodate a visit from Molly and Wes this weekend. Yay! We have lots lined up already--the "Eleventh Hour" (a mega haunted house, for which he have R.I.P. passes), Mysteries of the Paranormal and Chicago's Ghost Past at Excalibur, and a campy send-up of "The Birds." It got rave reviews years ago when it opened and they actually traveled to NYC, LA, and other haunts. I still chuckle at the bewildered looks of the strollers on the bike path when, during the schoolyard scene, screaming adults dressed as children were being chased by people carrying birds on fishing poles.

Meanwhile, my co-worker Carrie staged an intervention of sorts at the courthouse to confront my boss, whom we've been carrying for two years now. She basically told us to deal with it, that she likes the job and has to keep the job to pay for her sons' school.