Today we were in Chicago at Mike Ditka's restaurant. Imagine my surprise to see him when I walked in. He was working today, greeting guests and taking coats. Hmmm. Who knew?

I have to admit my Chicago trip did not get off to a good start. I hadn't been in town more than two hours when I became the victim of a pick-pocketer. I had my wallet stolen right out of my bag in the lobby of my hotel. Not good. Suddenly I was stuck in a city I didn't know without a penny to my name and no ID to be able to get on the plane the next day. I put the pieces back together, got a new American Express card (thanks Amex) and had my husband FedEx my passport to me overnight. The saddest part for me was losing the things I can't replace. I can get new cards, and am bummed about the $100 they got but mostly I'm heart broken to have lost the treasures I carried in my wallet. I had a love note from my husband that he gave me after the birth of our child, a valentines card my brother gave me one year when I didn't have anyone else and the priceless photos of my kids I carry with me always. Losing these things is what breaks my heart.

But I did make it to the casting call. It was another interesting group of people today. I think the biggest revelation to me was how much farther along some cities are than others when it comes to environmental awareness. Chicago doesn't have city wide recycling. It's sporadic at best. They are lucky in that they have very accessible public transportation but when I asked people what they were doing in their lives everyday to be more eco-friendly the main answer was "I don't litter anymore." Well, I'm glad to hear that and I believe in baby steps and all that. When people know better they do better. But it was quite a contrast to New York where people are installed solar energy generating panels on their rooftops. It was great to see how energized people were about the opportunity to make a difference. Several people said whether they get picked or not they felt a calling to get more involved after seeing our announcement and really that's what it's all about. Empowering people through grassroots efforts to make a difference in their communities.

I love New York! This city will never disappoint. It brings out the vibrant and vivacious and this casting call was no exception. We saw people from 10am-4pm straight through. Some were incredibly creative. We had songs written just for us, belly dancers, yoga instructors, actors and people just looking for a way out of their daily jobs. What surprised me the most was the passion these New Yorkers showed for the environment. Believe it or not living in New York is one of the best ways someone can live more 'green'. Almost no one owns a car or buys gas. It's easy to walk or take public transportation. Many people we met carried their own bag around town and refuse plastic. Apparently The Inconvenient Truth was showed at several colleges around town for free and drew huge crowds. People are changing their light bulbs and refilling empty water bottles rather than buying new ones. We even got to meet Miss Earth New York! Having said all that there were still the occasional outliers. And if you ever run into me I'll be happy to share some particularly funny ones. We've got video of it all so stay tuned for the B-roll.

One thing we heard loud and clear was people are really excited about the idea of bringing awareness to this cause through grass root efforts. Many people said whether or not they were picked they wished us well and we were doing a good thing.

Today was the first day of a five city tour for me. I'm participating in the Windows Live Spaces Road Trip casting calls all this week. Today we kicked it off in Boston. Let me just say I love Boston. I lived here for a year right after college. The hotel we were at was a block away from Fenway Park and the Red Socks are playing tonight so as we were leaving the streets were flooded with Red Sox fans heading to the game. It's spring, the Socks are winning and it's a great time to be in Bean town.

But back to the casting call... I've been really pleased with the response we got from the advertising we did. I don't know how many people we saw today but we extended the 4pm deadline to 5pm and had to turn people away. I was surprised and amazed by how far folks had come to be with us today. I believe the farthest away was Philly. She left her house at 4 o'clock this morning. We had at least two people we know of who left graduation ceremonies early to make the casting call. I've never been on this side of the 'casting couch' before. I felt strangely unsure about what I was looking for but was sure I would know it when I saw it. Luckily the three of us that were working together today agreed almost unanimously about the candidates. The unknown is how they will work together. We are asking two strangers to get in a car and drive across country spending everyday together for five weeks. How do we know they will be compatible? We don't. I think that's part of the mystery that appeals to folks. The unknown human element that says anything can happen at any minute.  Most everybody we met thinks this grassroots effort will definitely make a difference and really wanted to be a part of it.

I was surprised by the under prepared, the over prepared, the really, really late and the unbelievably charming. Tomorrow is NYC. I can hardly wait.

I launched a new Spaces campaign on Friday that's been a lot of fun to work on. As part of the MSN's Live Earth campaign this summer Spaces will be running a few integrated campaigns. A week ago we launched the Live Earth Space and Friday we announced the Windows Live Spaces road trip. I'll be on the road next week attending the casting calls in Boston, NY, Chicago and LA and look forward to seeing everyone that comes out.