: About Me

My writing background began with poetry and sonnet-like verse at age 13, led to journalism, high school and beyond, and more serious poetry, including real sonnets, in college.
I became an award-winning editor in high school, and have edited for the Department of Justice, rewriting Counter-Terrorism Training manuals for police, firefighters, and other First Responders all over the U.S.

Most of my work has been private for several years. Helium is my new beginning, a start to public writing again.

My passion is ...

living life to the fullest.

I know too much about ...

nothing.

My parents always told me ...

you can be whatever you want to be

My childhood ambition ...

missionary or Middle-East correspondent.

My favorite memory ...

the endless expanse of the ocean.

Why I write ...

It comes easily to me, and helps me to organize my thoughts better.

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

how-to manuals, Colbert Report/Daily Show, and a hearty mix of all kinds of music, from Alicia Keys to Third Day.

My first job ...

Cleaning house for a blind lady.

My best moment ...

Jumping off a cliff into a lake at 2 a.m. under a full moon.

My inspiration ...

underdogs who triumph.

Relationships & Family > Newlyweds Should married women keep their last name or switch to their husband's?

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The question of keeping one's own name strikes at the heart of the unequal social relationship between men and women. Marriage seems to illustrate the failures of a clear set of rules or guidelines in questions like whether to keep the maiden name or switch to the husband's. Unfortunately, it is more than a matter of preferences. There are risks to women who change their name, especially if the husband is not trustworthy or is retaliative during a divorce. Trust is a key issue, and losing a marriage is bad enough without being completely ruined as well. Husbands have legal rights which the...

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