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   Whatever it is, you've got some tough competition if you want to top this story.  How do you beat My First Date with The One?  Perhaps the sweetest one-minute story ever.

   Props to RashanahB for reeling this one in.

OK, who's next?  888-635-1112.

Over this weekend, the Chicago Transit Authority is cutting a whole bunch of service-- longer waits for more than a hundred bus and train lines, fewer late-night buses, and the elimination of nine express bus routes. 

So:  When was a time you had to face something you knew would just completely bite?  And how did you deal with it when it happened?

888-635-1112

You can tell us.  888-635-1112.

To get us started, here's three JUICY ones, collected by our new intern, Gabby:

"Caught with the Other Woman" may be my all time favorite vocalo story yet.  It's two killer minutes, and my favorite part is Gabby's relationship with the guy telling the story, whoever he is.  I kinda like to think he's her grandpa:

In the next one, Dizz's credit-card bill rats him out.  No, he wasn't where he told his girlfriend where he was going.  My favorite part is how he responded when he got caught:

Finally, a 30 second tale in which Marcus tries to lie his way out of a blunder at work.   

And yeah, that John Edwards story just won't quit-- especially since there's cash on the table. Former campaign aide Andrew Young published a book over the weekend and has been making the rounds. 

An ABC news story quotes the newly-minted author Young saying

1. He's been offered "gigantic" amounts of money for a sex tape he says involves Edwards and mistress Rielle Hunter.
2. The Edwards campaign spent upwards of a million bucks to cover up the affair.
3. After he quit the campaign over the cover-up, he spent a few months actively fearing for his family's safety.  "For several months, I used to get up at 3 a.m. and walk around the house with a baseball bat and a knife." 

With today's primary elections in Illinois-- including hotly-contested races for governor, Cook County Board President, and for Barack Obama's old U.S. Senate seat-- and with President Obama making lots of headlines in the last week, this seems like a good time to ask:

Hey, 15 months later, what stands out in your memory from Election Day 2008?  What's the first moment, the first image that comes to mind?

And how does it feel to look back on it now?  888-635-1112

Our threadies are already on the case:

From Superfrye:

  And hotsilvadolla1:

Here are a few more pictures to jog your memory, courtesy of WBEZ listeners.

On the broadcast, we'll have election judges-- who also happen to be high school students-- reporting in from polling places around the city of Chicago.  They were all at the polling places in November 2008, and ready to share some memories.

John from Gary called in to request "Maxine" by Larry Mason C.E.O. of Sheena Records for his girl to hear. (And "Maxine" is the #1 most requested song on Vocalo, BTW.) I said, for me to play that song, you gotta give me a story. I asked them a variation of  the Daily Thread: When have you felt frightened for your life? Shirley grabbed the phone and answered.