Joseph H. Brown Editorial writer Phone number: (813) 259-8003  E-mail Joseph H. Brown

Age: 55

Years at the Tribune: 10

Hometown: Chicago

Marital status: single

Self-portrait: Laid back for the most part, but energetic when necessary

Bad habit: Procrastination, but I'll worry about that later.

Pet peeve: People who leave shopping carts in parking spaces

Worst part of the job: Receiving hate-filled phone calls, mail and e-mail

Best part of the job: Getting readers to think differently about familiar issues

Something people don't know about the editorial board: We're not all in ideological lock step.

What I worry about most is: How and where terrorists will strike next

Favorite expression: Age ain't nothin' but a number.

Something about me that would surprise people: That I'm a member of the AARP

I'd most like to improve: My tennis game

Favorite vacation spot: Rio de Janiero

Books at bedside: "Is Bill Cosby Right? (Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind)" by Michael Eric Dyson

Best advice I would give a 20-year-old: Learn the concept of deferred gratification.

My best asset is: I'm pragmatic.

I'm happiest when: Watching a good football game