I first started hearing about this “lizarmstrong” person about three or four years ago. I was getting to know a group of kids around the Wicker Park area at the time and lizarmstrong was a part of that scene. And that’s just the way they referred to her: “lizarmstrong this, lizarmstrong that,” and it started to annoy me. I mean, no one else I knew got their whole first and last name included with every reference. When I finally met her, it turned out I’d seen her around for a few years previous. Once even as “Misty,” where she would prance around in her underwear doing some kind of performance thing.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
I had to admit that lizarmstrong had won me over. I had to admit that there was something there in her column which always seemed to contain a hint of mockery (and sometimes more than a hint) that hit a chord with me. We share that mocking take on all levels of society (and, I think, the ability to mock oneself, and to take good-natured mockery in stride) and antisociety she covered in her brief time here. She still annoyed (and annoys) me consistently, mockingly, with a wink to my annoyedness, but I was also consistently drawn to her column as the first thing to turn to every week and missed her when she wasn’t there.
