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The most contentious news fit to print: politics and Justin Timberlake.

Monday Jan 08, 2007.     By Jessica Herman

Who's Who Feed

If you whittle away the workday searching for Mayor Daley corruption trials, chances are you've stumbled into Rob Mentzer's AMillionMonkeys. Blogging was initially a supplement to Rob's music writing, but after falling hard for the form—particularly its unfiltered content and direct line of communication with readers—it's become his primary outlet.

The Medill grad student is currently spending a quarter in Washington, D.C., working as a Washington correspondent for the St. Joseph News Press. By and large, AMillionMonkeys boasts a bevy of political commentary, but Rob leaves some room for random musings, which might be just contentious as the latest political drama...Care to argue about the deserved ranking of Justin Timerblake's "SexyBack" on a Best Songs of 2006 list, anyone?

What's the gist of your blog?
The gist of my blog is coverage of Chicago politics and hip-hop music. I cover a lot of different stuff: political coverage, national and local, with an emphasis on corruption trials and glossy pop rap music.

If I read your blog today, gimme me one thing I'd learn.
You would learn that there is a secret subway system beneath Capitol Hill that is for congressional aides that no one else can use.

How do you pay the bills?
Well I'm student now, so through student loans. Previously, [I did] this and that: worked for a PR media database...but hopefully [when I'm done with this program] I will pay the bills being a journalist.

Your computer is surrounded by…
Um, cups of coffee and crossaints...I'm often found in a coffee shop.

When you aren't loving blogging, you're loving BLANK in Chicago
I am loving Quimby's bookstore.

Name a local blogger extraordinaire.
Well I will go with my wife's sister's husband. Dominic Armato. He does a food blog called Skillet Doux.

Jessica Herman likes peeking into other folks' lives, which sure helps when she's grilling hip Chicago bloggers. If you'd like to shower a little love on a local blogger whose antics and anecdotes are your favorite flavor of procrastination, shoot her an email.