Getting Personal is an email Q&A with a local personality. Here, a chat with Farmer City resident Kim Sheahan, a professional storyteller and the assistant director of education at the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois.

Getting Personal appears first in print, in Sunday editions of The News-Gazette. In the Nov. 13 newspaper, we'll have a chat with Lawson Lau of Mahomet.

What time do you typically get up? What do you do the first hour of the morning?

I normally get up at 4:30 a.m., take a shower, get dressed and take my dog, Bonnie, for a walk.

What did you have for lunch today? Where? With whom?

I don't normally eat lunch.

Best high school memory.

I belonged to the choir at Urbana High School. For the Christmas concert, we would sing the 'Hallelujah Chorus.' I always loved that.

Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.

I have a springy, spongy pair of clogs that I wear on my morning walks. They slip on easily and make me feel I could walk forever.

What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include?

The perfect Sunday afternoon is any one that includes my other half, Randy. He's my favorite company.

Was there one book you read as a child that you still cherish? Own? Read?

I fell in love with 'A Wrinkle in Time' in grade school and still own a copy.

Where on earth are you dying to go? Why?

The Athenian Acropolis. To stand in the presence of the Olympian gods.

Tell me about your favorite pet.

My dog, Bonnie. She's half German shepherd, half border collie and full of incredible joy and affection. Our morning walk always starts my day with a smile.

Have you discovered as you matured that you are becoming like one of your parents? Which one and how?

I see aspects of both parents in my personality, for they are alike in important ways. Both have high expectations of themselves and of others. They spent their preretirement years working very, very hard.

What would you order for your last meal?

A thick, cheesy baked potato soup in a crusty sourdough bread bowl.

What can you not live without?

My partner, Randy, my appointment book and my laptop.

Who do you have on your iPod?

Oh, gosh. Maybe it's as much what as who. A little bit of everything. Gregorian chants, movie soundtracks, great vocalists (Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughn, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Roberta Flack, etc.), Taiko drum, disco and more.

What's the happiest memory of your life?

Hearing my partner, Randy, say 'I love you' the first time.

If you could host a dinner party with any three living people in the world, whom would you invite?

If this question doesn't include family, I would invite three men whose work makes me smile and laugh (which is the purpose of a good dinner party): Martin Sheen, Eddie Izzard and Pat Hughes. Who knows where that conversation would travel?

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Make your life's work something you love. And never catch a falling cactus.

What's your best piece of advice?

Never miss the chance to say 'I love you.'

What was your first job and how much did you make an hour?

I worked at the Dunkin' Donuts in downtown Urbana for $1.25 an hour.

What was a pivotal decision in your career and how did you arrive at that decision?

I walked into the World Heritage Museum in Lincoln Hall (the predecessor to the Spurlock Museum) as a schoolchild and knew immediately I wanted to work in that museum when I grew up. I wanted to touch the stuff. I wanted to understand the people who made these beautiful, fascinating things.

Do you have a bad habit? What is it?

I can only talk about one? Probably the worst is taking on too much, not saying 'no' when I really need to slow down and recharge my batteries.

How do you handle a stressful situation?

I'm usually great in emergencies, giving a hand or taking charge where needed. One of the things I'm working hard on as I get older is handling conflict with others more calmly — having conversations instead of arguments.