(UPDATED 6/04) My first foray into journalism came in the summer of 1977, after my freshman year of college. I was an assistant to the chief investigator of The Better Government Association, a Chicago non-profit dedicated to rooting out corruption in local government (yes, somehow, they're still at it).

I still recall fondly public records research. And undercover photography (with a telephoto lens) of a ghost payroller who ran a hot dog stand at Cicero Ave. and Palmer St., when he was supposed to be on the clock working for the City of Chicago.

Later that summer I was part of a special undercover investigation by the BGA and The Chicago Sun-Times, running a bar fittingly named "The Mirage." It was at the corner of Wells and Superior (and is now an Irish tavern).

The purpose was to document long-standing complaints from local businesses of shakedowns by city and state inspectors (i.e. "you give me an envelope filled with twenties, I forget all about that leaky pipe/exposed wire/broken exhaust fan/other violations I could invent at any time").

I was a junior member of the undercover team, helping get the place in shape to open, and helping staff it afterward. (I still remember then-"60 Minutes" producer Barry Lando yelling at me for briefly commandering the bathroom to make a private phone call).

My brush with fame.

The reporters and investigators nailed down first-hand evidence of shakedowns, and accountant-driven sales tax fraud to boot. A very colorful, month-long newspaper series resulted, along with a book, and a "60 Minutes" episode (classic hidden-camera Mike Wallace "gotcha" stuff). I seem to vaguely recall a Pulitzer Prize nomination for the paper's reporters.

In retrospect, I am thankful the drinks I mixed for a U.S. postman who came in every day at 11 a.m. didn't blow our cover. His elixer of choice was a screwdriver, which I mixed as follows: one part orange juice to three parts vodka (look, I didn't know, really, AND he covered his postal route on foot. Alright?)

I went back to Northwestern U. to read Marx, Durkheim and Weber. Later dropped out; drove a limousine (I'm saving the Grateful Dead, Mel Torme, and Ed McMahon stories for later) and then a Yellow Cab in Chicago; went off to Brandeis; actually graduated; and served time on Capitol Hill.

Then, from late-'83 to early-'88, I was a reporter, columnist and editorial writer for Pulitzer-Lerner Newspapers, a major chain of Chicago-area community weeklies. I then spent six years working for suburban governments advocating a new ex-urban airport as an alternative to O'Hare Airport expansion. Similar work brought me to Seattle in 1994, but a year later, I moved on to political and communications consulting.

In 1998, I returned to my first and greatest love (work-wise, that is), journalism. I began doing freelance pieces for The Puget Sound Business Journal, then a variety of pieces on all kinds of topics for Seattle Magazine, Metropolitan Living, Washington CEO, The Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Washington Law and Politics, and The Seattle Times. I've also placed pieces with The Weekly Standard and National Review Online.

In April of 2001, I began as a Seattle Times opinion section guest columnist with a regular, alternate-Wednesdays slot. As of early June '04, I'm taking a break from the column to focus more on national and regional magazine writing. I have really enjoyed hearing from Times readers via e-mail. It's a kick too, having had my newspaper work cited by various bloggers such as The Wall Street Journal's opinionjournal.com, realclearpolitics.com, Instapundit.com, buzzmachine.com, and many others.

Lately, Rosenblog has also been starting to garner some attention, and traffic has grown. My thanks to Seattle blogger Howard Hansen for helping me get started.

My family and I are lucky to have landed in Seattle. True, the kids had no choice. They were born here, and now can each claim the coveted status of "Washington Native." (They already understand they will be asked to leave the state post-haste, by me, if they ever, ever, get one of those silly license plate holders that says "Washington Native").

As for Seattle's screwy politics: a) what material! and b) there's more here than meets the eye.

I enjoy working out, hiking, walking, listening to music, playing guitar (mostly in alternate tunings), reading, cooking, and exploring the great Northwest.