It’s 40 days until the Cub’s April 13 home opener against the Rockies. Bonnie Hunt has been counting down for months. A die-hard Cubs fan, she hasn’t missed an opening day at Wrigley Field since 1977.

And Hunt is not going to start now, even though she’s busy producing and hosting The Bonnie Hunt Show in Culver City, California.

“When I took this job, I told them we had to work the job around opening day,” she laughs. “Wrigley Field is a just a smaller, condensed version of what Chicago is all about. Everybody talks to each other, drinks beer, eats a hot dog, and hangs out. It’s just a romantic, great place.”

The Chicago native loves the tradition so much that she has her crew pass out hot dogs and root beer to members of her talk show audience. Ushers on the set wear Cubs jerseys and hats or warm-up jackets to fend off the cold studio air. When talking about her favorite place, Hunt’s voice rings with excitement.

“If I could, I would live in Chicago,” says the 47-year-old who grew up the sixth of seven children in a large Catholic family, “I just love it so much.”

In high school, Hunt worked part-time as a nurse’s aide, later earning a nursing degree and working as an oncology and emergency room nurse at Northwestern University Hospital in the 1980s. It was in the Windy City that Hunt co-founded an improvisational comedy troupe, An Impulsive Thing, and performed at the famed Second City. While still working as a nurse, Hunt auditioned on her lunch break, winning the role of waitress Sally Dibbs in the award-winning film Rain Man. The part launched her acting career that includes roles in box office hits such as Jerry Maguire, Cheaper by the Dozen, and The Green Mile. The two-time Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-nominated actress also has directed movies—the romantic comedy Return to Me, starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver—and voiced animated movies including A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., and Cars, which she helped write.

Hunt is a passionate fund-raiser who, through ventures such as her show’s “Bonnie’s Basement,” has raised money for The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for spinal cord injury research.

The Post caught up with daytime television’s most down-to-earth and approachable host.

SEP: Why are you so passionate about your hometown?

Hunt: Chicago is a big part of who I am. Being in the city helps you to develop lifelong skills. (Laughing) The weather alone in Chicago teaches you teamwork. Everybody has to shovel their cars out to get back on the road or you wait for the buses. You earn spring. When it turns 40 degrees in Chicago, everyone has shorts on. Out here in L.A., it hits 40 degrees and everyone has a parka on. Chicago has always felt like a giant Mayberry to me. It’s all about remembering where you came from and the strength that it gives you. Sometimes life gets cloudy, and remembering your roots keeps everything in perspective, especially when you are trying to survive in a self-obsessed industry.

SEP: Were you always a Cubs fan, and what’s it like to go to games now?

Hunt: I grew up with scrapbooks of the Cubs. It was part of the family tradition. When I moved out of my parents’ house, I had to get reception to Chicago’s radio station WGN. Just having the sound of a ball game in the background is calming. It’s the soundtrack of our lives.

My brother Tom and the guys we grew up with from the old neighborhood always go. Tommy gets the tickets, and we usually sit behind third base. I always end up looking like Neapolitan ice cream—one arm tan, the other white, and I’m mostly bright red. Going to the ball game is just fun. I was born into a team—the sixth of seven children. As a nurse at the hospital, it was all about teamwork. Even at Second City, making an audience laugh and participate is about teamwork. At the end of the day, working together is what life is all about.

SEP: You are so approachable and candid. Is there something people might not know about you?

Hunt: (Laughs) Most people know just about everything about me. I do love gardening —it’s one of my favorite pastimes. I have an herb garden, but I also plant a traditional spring garden, like I’m in Chicago, even though everything grows year-round here in L.A. I plant irises, hyacinths, and lots of tulips. It’s like an orchestra when they bloom a couple of weeks apart from each other.

SEP: You have your own personal style as a TV host, but did others influence you?

Hunt: I learned a lot from Johnny [Carson], from how to welcome a guest to a show to respecting who they are and their story. He always did that. There was nothing desperate or anxious about him. That is sometimes a lost art in television. David [Letterman] has always been so supportive and encouraging to me. He’s had me on his show and has been a business partner. He’s a friend —someone I call if I need advice or to bounce an idea off someone. Johnny and David knew and understood me. We are all from the Midwest. With that comes a certain sensibility and humor. We are all grateful for the opportunities, and it’s been a great honor to work with both of them.

SEP: Why did you decide to bring your mom, Alice, on your show for the “Ask Alice” segment?

Hunt: I’ve talked about my mom, like David Letterman has, for so many years. Everyone can relate to a mom. I’m lucky to still have my mom in my life. I just want to share her with everybody. She is still very much the same mom I had when I was 7 years old. She genuinely loves and cares about people and is very funny, which is why I have quite a sense of humor.

SEP: How did you make the transition from nursing to acting?

Hunt: It was a hobby. Growing up in my neighborhood, I didn’t really think it would be possible to act, but my dad always told us to go for our dreams. I was really lucky to be a nurse first, because it’s given me the gift of perspective. One of my patients told me, “When are you going to go out to L.A.?” I said, “I’m not going to because then I’d fail and have to come back and explain myself.” He told me, “Bonnie, facing the end of my own life and one of my biggest regrets is not going out and failing a few times.” So he made me promise I would. And I’ve failed many times, but I’ve learned from them. You always learn more from your failures than successes.

Teaming Up with Bonnie Hunt The Saturday Evening Post

It is a balmy fall day just a few weeks post-Beijing Olympics. Inside the historic Hilton Hotel on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, guests and fans are swirling in a frantic frenzy like worker bees preparing the hive for its queen.

Milling around the hallways are the biggest and best names of last summer’s Olympic games: NBA’s Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and WBNA’s Lisa Leslie; pitcher Jennie Finch; decathlete Bryan Clay; volleyball queens Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh; swimmers like Jason Lezak and Aaron Peirsol; tae kwon do’s Steven Lopez and Mark Lopez; and the women’s water polo team. The excess of athletic star power is the result of Oprah’s season kickoff show at the nearby Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Of the more than 150 athletes brought in for the show, most have ended up here.

Included in the mix is 41-year-old Dara Torres, the record-setting five-time Olympic athlete who made news for competing in the 2008 Olympics as the oldest swimmer in the history of the games. Torres stands nearly six-feet tall. Her striking pixie-cut hair, megawatt smile, and toned frame are the essence of athletic power. Her left wrist and hand are bandaged in a brace — the result of her smashing her hand into the pool wall during one of her three silver-medal races where she tried to out-touch her nearest competitor, Germany’s Britta Steffen, in the 50-meter freestyle, only to lose by 1/100th of a second.

“I was bummed I lost by a fingernail,” she says. “But it was just an awesome feeling to be back there, having that adrenaline rush to be competing and racing the best in the world.”

At this particular moment, Torres is concerned about getting a table at the now-packed Pavilion, a casual hotel-based restaurant that has a long line trailing into the hallway. With Torres is a posse of friends and trainers, including Anne Tierney, one of Dara’s two personal stretchers. Our group is told there aren’t any available tables. Taking control of the situation, Torres wanders through the restaurant. Seeing a few empty spots, she returns and implores the hostess to combine a few tables. Within a minute or two, we are seated.

Torres starts scanning the menu. Around her neck are two chains she wears for good luck when traveling. On one is a pair of her father’s World War II dog tags. The other — a necklace with an angel — is a good luck charm.

“All I ate while I was in China was McDonald’s,” Torres says with a laugh while ordering a sandwich with fries.

Beyond Beijing

These days, Torres is concerned with being a mother to her 2½-year-old, Tessa Grace, and trying to make a living through post-Olympic endorsements.

“You just have to find a balance, like any working mom,” she says. “At first it was hard. My biggest fear was doing my training and being away from my daughter. You just have to realize you have to do your thing and also be a mother.”

The fifth of six children and oldest of two girls, Torres spent her youth in California. As a Beverly Hills teenager, she attended Westlake, a private girls’ school in Los Angeles. A self-proclaimed tomboy, Torres ran around in tube socks playing soccer with her older brothers. Years later, she earned 28 All-American swimming honors at the University of Florida.

She competed in her first Olympics in 1984 at the age of 17, followed by stints in 1988, 1992 and 2000. It was after her third Olympics that Torres became the first athlete model in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She also spent time swimming with sharks and jumping out of planes while hosting “Extreme Step,” a segment of the Discovery Channel’s former science and technology show The Next Stop.

After a seven year-drought from competitive swimming, Torres started training for the Olympics in the spring of 1999. In five months, she dropped her time to best the previous world record she’d set in the 50-meter freestyle more than 15 years earlier. At the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Torres, then a 33-year-old, competed as the then-oldest member of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team, winning five medals — three individual bronze and two golds on relays. Befitting her past, Torres took time off once again, opting to commentate for NBC at the 2004 games in Athens, instead of being in the pool.

“You have to do it when you are ready,” she says. “At that time, I was glad I wasn’t swimming.”

Torres was taking time off from swimming when, after struggling to have a baby, she became pregnant. Torres and her partner, David Hoffman, gave birth to their daughter in April 2006. Torres didn’t waste any time trying to get back into shape. Her well-documented comeback started just hours after giving birth.

“I was a little too embarrassed to ask before I gave birth,” Torres says.

But Torres says she promised one of her coaches she would swim a week and a half later, to help him garner publicity for a meet. Lying in the hospital with her newborn daughter, Torres stopped the doctor after he congratulated her.

“He started to leave, and I grabbed his white lab coat,” she says.

After telling him she wanted to work out again, Torres says he told her she could go to the weight room the next day but would have to wait six weeks to do anything aerobic. But when she ran into her doctor in the gym a week and a half later, he told her she could start swimming again.

Now, Torres spends much of her time at her home in Parkland, Florida. Her daughter enjoys watching Torres swim — even if it means Torres’ friends rewind their TiVo many times over.

“She says, ‘Oh I want to watch Mommy on TV. Play it again, play it again,’” Torres says.

As for the medals, at first Torres’ daughter didn’t want anything to do with them.

“Because she’d say, ‘Those are Mommy’s,’ but then when I started showing them to other people, she started taking them and putting them on herself,” Torres says with a laugh.

Torres says the 2012 Olympics in London are a possibility, but it also depends on how her body handles the next few years. At the time of this interview, Torres was one week post-shoulder surgery to correct a rotator cuff problem that has bothered her since 2000. She also had knee surgery last year and a bone spur removed from her shoulder. Still Torres plans on continuing to swim.

Torres’ key to keeping fit is working her core, especially her abdominals. With her trainers, Tierney and Steve Sierra, Torres recently released a workout video — Resistance Stretching — the cover photo shot in Torres’ daughter’s playroom. The video gives useful tips on increasing flexibility and strength while removing muscle tension.

“She resists while we stretch her,” says Tierney, who has trained other Olympians like gymnast Nastia Liukin. “It’s not like she is just lying there. She is kicking down as we are taking her leg above her head, so she’s working the entire time. It’s about creating strength in your entire range of motion.”

Torres, despite all of her success, is still amazed by all the attention she’s received, calling it a “surprising ride.”

“I’m so used to kids coming up and asking me for autographs, and now I have middle-aged people coming up to talk to me,” she says. “I like hearing their stories. I hope what I’ve done has helped inspire other people to do things they thought they were too old to do.”

Dara Torres: Life in the Fast Lane The Saturday Evening Post

Navigating the web for the first time is like visiting a new city, like Paris, for the first time. Everything is new and different, wonderful and amazing, and you’ll soon be asking yourself why you didn’t get here sooner.

I remember the first time my grandmother emailed me, back when I was in college. My father — computer engineer that he is — set her up with a laptop and email. A traditional woman who grew up in the “roaring ’20s,” she was skeptical and hesitant at first. Before long she was instant messaging my siblings, cousins, and me, trying to stay in touch with all of us scattered across the United States.

Whether this is your first time or the 1,000th on the Internet, here are some tips that will hopefully make it easier for you to navigate the web and use your computer more efficiently.

1. If unfamiliar with computers and the Internet, you can go to the library or borrow a friend’s computer. Today’s computers are so user-friendly that you’ll quickly discover how easy computers are to use and navigate. If you decide to purchase a computer, experts offer some simple advice before you buy. First, decide what you want to do on it. This can be challenging initially if you are new at it. Most computers are so advanced that you can do the basics on any model that starts at $500, says Matt Dworkin, a 32-year-old “Double Agent” for Best Buy’s Geek Squad who has installed and set up hundreds of customers in the Washington, D.C., metro area for more than four years. If unsure what you want, go to any of the various “big box” stores and test out several to figure out what you like best. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

2. Once you have a computer, Dworkin recommends setting up bookmarks. You can hire someone for an hourly rate during your initial computer set-up, ask for help from a friend or relative, or do it yourself. Bookmarks (sometimes called favorites) are tabs, just like the name indicates, that “mark” places on the Internet that you frequently enjoy using. Depending on what type of computer you purchase (P.C., or personal computer, used more frequently by the business world, or an Apple brand Mac or Macintosh, used by “creative types” like graphic designers who enjoy editing lots of photos or creating home movies), you will have different web browsers that allow you to navigate the Internet. Most people use web browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Netscape. How to save a bookmark depends on your web browser, but once you know how, it will be easy to do again and again.

3. Secure your network. It’s very important to have several security features while on the Internet, including a firewall, says Jean Westcott, who coauthored with her husband, Sean, the book Digitally Daunted: The Consumer’s Guide to Taking Control of the Technology in Your Life. Buy, install, and use an antivirus program like McAfee and Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus. Just make sure that you don’t use both because the programs will cancel each other out, and you won’t be protected. Make sure you have the automatic updates turned on so your computer will automatically install the latest upgrades. Also install a Spyware program, such as Spybot, that will help prevent advertisers from tracking your movements on the web. Make sure you save all installation CDs and booklets, says Westcott, because you may need them in the future if you ever have trouble with your computer and need to re-install programs. If you need help, I strongly suggest using an A+ certified computer technician.

4. Set up an email account. An email is an electronic message sent from one computer to another that allows you to communicate extremely quickly with people around the world at any time. There are several email services. My favorite is gmail.com, which is Google’s version of email. Just be leery of anyone asking for money. Banks, the IRS, and other legitimate institutions won’t contact you over email or request your personal information or password. If you aren’t sure, don’t open the email. Again, a healthy dose of skepticism is important because, unfortunately, there are many “phishing” emails from people who are looking to get rich quick from the ignorance of others. Even if an email comes in from a friend, if the email doesn’t sound or look right, don’t believe it. Sometimes a virus can automatically send out emails from people you know.

5. Having trouble reading the Internet computer screen? Find the magnifying glass on your computer. On a PC, go to the start button, click on the control panel, and look for accessibility options. You can also enlarge text size. For more information on how to set it up on your PC or Mac, visit the website: www.aging.state.pa.us and click on “Enlarge Text.”

6. Struggle with typing? Both Macs and PCs with Microsoft Windows Vista programs have a text-to-speech program. This tool can work as a secretary and type what you say, read to you information from websites or simple word documents. You usually can change the automated voice to fit your comfort level. A speech recognition program will allow you to say things such as “open Internet Explorer,” or write down what you are speaking. This program helped a retired Navy man that Dworkin was assisting. “He stormed the beaches of Normandy and wanted to write a memoir but couldn’t because of his arthritis,” Dworkin says. “So he’d sit there and dictate to the computer. He had a friend edit it afterwards to make sure the word ‘meet’ wasn’t written as ‘meat’ or ‘mate.’ The program’s not flawless, but it can really help to minimize the amount of typing.”

7. Consider using Skype. Make calls from your computer to another computer for free, anywhere in the world. Even Oprah uses this now to interview some of her guests. You buy a special headset that typically costs $20 to $50 at any electronics store. You dial the phone number by pressing buttons on your computer and the other person picks up, so it’s just like a normal phone call. You can also call, unlimitedly, a landline or cell phone anywhere in the United States for $3 a month if you sign up for the service.

8. What is instant messaging (IM)? Imagine writing notes back and forth to someone — that’s what IM is like. It’s like writing one or two sentences or phrases on a Post-It type note that is instantly sent to someone else. There are a variety of free programs that do this, including: Google, AOL, MSN, and Yahoo

9. What’s a blog? Blog is short for web log. Most are free. People use them for various reasons — from keeping a public diary to writing about niche topics, such as politics, celebrities, sports, traveling, or dieting. Many people prefer WordPress.com or typepad.com.

10. Social networking. This buzzword became big in the past five to seven years. There are dozens of sites that fit various needs. Think of it as water cooler talk for the Internet. Linked-In.com is a business website where you can post your resume, credentials, and give or receive recommendations. It’s a great networking tool. Facebook.com can also be used for business networking or personal use. Many people use both, keeping one personal and one professional. MySpace.com is also used by many and was originally started as a way to promote bands on the Internet.

A Buyer’s Guide – Consider buying a laptop.

If you have problems, you can take a portable computer to someone else to have it fixed or call for home service. Plus, you can also go to places such as the library, many restaurants, and coffee shops that offer free Internet hookup. Most computers now come with Wi-Fi access that allows for a wireless connection to the Internet — I recommend it. Also, consider a built-in webcam that will allow you to see and talk to your children or grandchildren in real time. When buying a computer, ask yourself: do you enjoy music; want to edit photos; build a social network; create photo albums or home movies?

Noteworthy websites

Bookmark the following sites to make your Web use easier.

• saturdayeveningpost.com – Find fun features, health stories, favorite Rockwell art, blogs, humor, recipes, news that you can use, and much more.
• familysearch.org – Doing genealogy research? Start here.
• flickr.com – View some of the most interesting photographs from around the world.
• youtube.com – Watch Gene Kelly perform “Singing in the Rain” or Bono and Pavarotti perform Ave Maria on this video website.
• cnn.com – Just one of many great news sites. Google your favorite magazine or newspaper (New York Times is nytimes.com or try washingtonpost.com) and get even more information.
• bloomberg.com – Get financial news here.
• weather.com – Want the essentials? This site has been around for 12 years and frequently updates.
• mapquest.com – Type in an address and print out a map. Get driving directions, too.
• sidestep.com – This travel website, along with orbitz.com, travelocity.com and kayak.com will help you comparison-shop for flights and hotels.
• yelp.com – Find information on a restaurant, shop or business.
• overstock.com , eBay.com and amazon.com – Great places to shop.
• stubhub.com – Find tickets for concerts and sporting events.
• earth.google.com – View satellite images of anywhere in the world, even your home.
• craigslist.com – It’s the online version of the classified ad, only it’s free. Find everything from jobs to dating personals. Use it to sell or buy anything.
• freecycle.org – Trying to get rid of something or want something for free? Sign up for your neighborhood and add your request.
• espn.com – By far the most comprehensive sports website.
• charitynavigator.org – An independent charity evaluator.

10 Tips for Navigating the Web The Saturday Evening Post