: About Me

It all started in Long Beach, California where the ocean faces south and the distinctive odor of refineries collide into smoggy, orange, sunsets mingled with the sound of rush hour commuters maneuvering for position on the 405 freeway. Home.

A Baby Boomer and a product of the Los Angeles City School District, my only claim to fame was knowing that the movie "Grease" was filmed at my high school. But wait this is suppose to be a bios.( Tell me I don't have to submit a urine or blood sample.)

You want degrees? How about 125 of them. It was the record temperature in Arizona during the month of July. How do I know this? I relocated. No, it wasn't an act of insanity on my part. It was a matter of economics and since I do like to eat and prefer a shower to a garden hose, moving into a state of perpetual heat and fire ants became a necessity.

Published? If you consider that I spent most of my adult years writing for illiterate bosses, forgetful kids and unappreciative church people, then the answer is a definitive, YES! Corporate correspondence, weekly bulletins, term papers, letters of complaint and editing a master's thesis, puts me under the listing of,(do I dare say it?)Ghost Writer. So much for notoriety.

You want my credentials? Domestic Engineer and Research Consultant. In other words, I'm a wife and mom who can find darn near anything. Oh sure, I could tell you that in my former single life I was once an auto reposessor, performer and dog groomer. But you obviously want to know what is happening with me now. In truth, menopause. Do you have any idea what it's like to survive hot flashes during an Arizona summer? Now that's something to write about.

My passion is ...

My husband. He's all mine and I refuse to share. (It says so in the pre-nup.)

I know too much about ...

Things that normal people don't bother to think about.

My parents always told me ...

Never let them see you cry. Snotty noses are never socially acceptable.

My childhood ambition ...

Being able to sit on an adult-sized toilet without falling in.

My favorite memory ...

What memory? I'm over 50.

Why I write ...

So I can go to work in my pajamas.

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

Helium articles, Masterpiece Theatre, Norah Jones and Jimmy Buffett

My first job ...

Schlepping grilled cheese sandwiches at a local dime store snack bar in Culver City, Ca.

My best moment ...

Singing, " I'm Back in the Saddle Again," during my first visit to the gynecologist.

My inspiration ...

Erma Bombeck, Bill Engvall, dark chocolate and uninterrupted moments in my bathroom.

Celebrations & Holidays > Christmas Ideas for getting back the true Christmas spirit in Christmas

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"And so it is Christmas and what have you done?" John Lennon Did you find yourself in the ER needing a dose of oxygen after opening up December's credit card statement? Duked it out with the old lady who grabbed the all important video game your kids couldn't live without, or kicked the dog when he left a present of his own under the live tree you spent 6 hours decorating? Did you wonder if the guy in the checkout aisle was referring to you when he said "fruit cake?" If you are nodding your head to any of these, then you might be suffering from a case of Scrooge-itis and may need a good sh...

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Writing:

• Marketplace Approved Writer
• Helium Charter Member