: About Me

Ever since I could put words together, all I ever really wanted to be was a writer.
Enough about the childhood thing.
I'm deeply concerned about the direction writing and communication in general have taken over the last several years. To put it bluntly, it seems like illiteracy is the new functional literacy. I'm not saying that every professional (or amateur) writer should know the Chicago Style guide inside and out or that people should be punished and scorned for not remembering the differences between "infer" and "imply" or "affect" and "effect." But the trend toward "I don't know, and neither does anyone else, so who cares" is saddening because it reflects a culture that not only can't grasp its own native and primary system of communication, but doesn't even see enough importance in it to try.
Communication is both an art and a science: an art because when it's done creatively and well, and it's a beautiful thing that can stir images and emotions, and a science because when it's not done well, it can cause MAJOR problems such as misinformation, misunderstandings, and all-out disastrous calls to action.
I'm just getting back into the world of full-time freelancing, and my frustration right now is seeing how this craft that some of us rely on for our livelihoods and take pride in doing well is becoming so assembly-line. There appear to be some information brokers out there who offer what is in my opinion a ridiculously low compensation for research and writing that the brokers furthermore claim all rights to upon completion. Please, God, reassure me that "cheap" and "good enough" aren't the new gold standards.
Having vented that tirade, the fact remains that I believe I am one of those writers who is born to write, and as others who feel that way might also attest, that isn't contingent on how well I get compensated or whether I ever get recognition for it, and certainly not because I might think I am one of the best at it. [I do NOT make that arrogant an assumption, not even for marketing purposes!] I just can't not do it. (And - yes - that was an intended double negative. :)) It's nottime to walk away from it when the money doesn't pour in; it's not time to walk away from it when people don't love the creation; it's only time to walk away from it when it's no longer fun and personally satisfying.

My passion is ...

Punctuation, cats and the Red Sox. I bet you wish I were at all your parties!

I know too much about ...

The history of punctuation. I wrote a term paper on it once. Seriously. I got an "A" based largely on my enthusiasm for the topic.

My parents always told me ...

Hope for the best; expect the worst. Is that optimism or pessimism?

My childhood ambition ...

Writer.

My favorite memory ...

Meeting Jeff Fatt in New York City.

Why I write ...

As I said, I can't not write.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Baseball postseason, "Lost," any forensics shows, an Agatha Christie novel I somehow hadn't read earlier, anything by Ann Rule, and still listening to '80s alternative music.

My first job ...

Waitress at Dysart's Truck Stop.

My best moment ...

Any and every day that I have a roof over my head, warmth, and food. These are big deals for freelancers!

My inspiration ...

My husband, son and daughter, and even the eights cats and the dog.

Computers & Technology > Internet Issues The technological hassles of MySpace

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There is no shortage of information available on the potential personal security issues surrounding MySpace. There is far less information available at this time of the technical aspects of using MySpace in other words, what it does to the computer you are on. Ask any technical support person in a public computer hosting setting what they think of MySpace, and watch their faces crack. Yes, it can be a very entertaining site for those who have the basic knowledge to maintain a safe level of privacy. But MySpace is the bane of existence for people who have to maintain and clean up the comput...

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