Articles written by Jill Martin

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About me - Jill Martin

A former sports writer in college, Jill works full time in Atlanta. She has worked for the St. Petersburg Times, the Birmingham News, the Forsyth County (Ga.) News, and CNN Sports.

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Relationships & Family > Cheating & Trust Issues Your definition of cheating: 7 of 89
To me, cheating is a pretty simple concept. It's when you're continuing to date someone when your heart isn't in it anymore. There are many signs (some more obvious than others) when you no longer love and respect your partner. Obvious ones include blatantly lying and dating someone else or having a one-night stand with some... More..
Relationships & Family > Break-Ups & Exes When being friends with your ex isn't an option: 4 of 31
I'm currently going through the situation where I can't be friends with my ex, but it's not really by my choosing. Here's the story, and I'm changing the names of these people in case my ex does end up reading this online. I don't want to upset him any more than I already have. In February 2006, I met "Mike" through friends.... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: My dog: 16 of 109
May 18, 2006: I lost a brother today - my dog, Ozzie. In summer 1994, Mom, Dad, Chris, and I went to the Wachovia parking lot to find a dog through the humane society. A few months earlier, we had to give away a beagle who attacked my brother all the damn time, so we were looking for a dog who was docile and gentle. At first... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Failure to move on in relationships: 1 of 6
As a junior in high school in 1999, I entered my first long-term relationship. His name is John. John had been a friend of mine before we started dating, and things just naturally progressed to starting a relationship. It was a darn good one for quite some time. John and I genuinely loved each other. Despite eventually going... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball (Other) The beauty of baseball: 5 of 27
There is a ton wrong with Major League Baseball. Performance-enhancing drugs. Bud Selig. Interleague play tainting divisional races. The wild card expanding the playoffs. A boring All-Star week. Skyrocketing salaries. And again, Bud Selig. It's not the first time MLB's been seen in a bad light - see: Pete Rose or the Black S... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Funny pet stories: 13 of 33
I was outside walking Dakota, my 10-year-old spaniel chow mix, sometime after 11 p.m. If it's late enough and I'm pretty darn sure no one else is going to be outside or no one's going to be driving down my street, I'll let her go off the leash. Well, last night, I let her go run off the leash, and we saw some geese in the di... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Football Should fans boycott college football because of the BCS ranking system?: 6 of 13
I'd love to see and hear millions of people not watch the Bowl Championship Series bowls or the BCS title game. I'd be intrigued to meet a huge college football fan who said, "You know, I just didn't want to watch any of the BCS bowls this year, and I didn't read about them at all. In fact, I don't even care who won any of t... More..
Pets & Animals > Dogs (Other) Should restaurants allow dogs in with their owners?: 32 of 66
I have a pet. I love her very much. She's a very sweet, quiet, 11-year-old dog. However, I'm not taking her to a restaurant, and I don't expect others to do this either, and it's because of this story below: I'd like to think that I'm not that neighbor, but there have been times (which I won't delve into at this time) where ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Why atheists can and should attend church services: 7 of 14
An atheist likely isn't close-minded, because most people aren't atheists. Odds are, an atheist became an atheist because he or she never found a connection spiritually - as in, they never found or felt that there was a supreme being. Some atheists - myself included - tried going to church. They tried reading the Bible. They... More..
Jobs & Careers > Managing Your Career (Other) Do you hate your job?: 33 of 64
Do I like what I'm actually doing every day at my job? Eh, I'd say I'm indifferent. But do I love the freedoms I have a result of my job? Absolutely. This outweighs the job itself. I work at CNN. What I do is not glamorous. I joke around a lot saying that I'm a replaceable part, as you don't even need a specialized backgroun... More..