Sometimes you think you've lucked out in the travel department, only to have things Take A Turn. To wit: When I flew home from Minneapolis two weeks ago, everything was going great. The long check-in line moved quickly and efficiently, the long line through security moved quickly and efficiently, and I didn't have to wait very long to board the plane. I had an aisle seat, close to the front. The flight was uneventful. I... Read more →
Last Friday I went to an ENT doc to see if he could tell me what the hell is going on with my snoot. I've complained before about my rotten sinuses and tendency toward dizzy spells (shut up!). I've always attributed them to allergies or sinus infections or otitis media or the Hand of God smacking me upside the head, mostly because the various medicos I've consulted about it/them have steered me in that direction.... Read more →
Busy, busy, busy... let's start with Thursday afternoon! (More pictures here.) I'm really fortunate to work for a company that encourages employees to volunteer and give back to the community, so I spent Thursday afternoon at the Capital Area Food Bank packing up bags of food for some of the 633,000 hungry people who live in DC. Our job was to assemble 160 bags of food for a local food distribution center - the Food... Read more →
I have been very remiss. Over a month ago, Cassie gave me a Thinking Blogger award and I'm just now getting around to (a) thanking her - thank you, Cassie! - and (b) participating in the associated meme, wherein I'm supposed to name five blogs that also make me think. So here goes! I don't really expect any of these folks to participate, because they're either portals or they aren't the sort of blogs that... Read more →
I woke up yesterday morning to the delightful smell of coffee wafting up the stairs, followed shortly thereafter by the equally delightful smell of pancakes and fake-maple syrup. Joy in the morning! I stumbled downstairs just as Joe put the plate of perfect pancakes down at my place. How's that for timing? After breakfast I did a whirlwind tidy-up around the living room, because a Federal Investigator (dun-dun-duuunnnn) was coming to interview me. See, one... Read more →
Joe has dipped his toe into the journalistic pool with this fabulous story from his murky past. It happened before I met him, but at least I've seen the scar. Isn't that a great picture? He looks very, um, mellow in it, doesn't he? Read more →
After being in a convention center all week and walking between it and my hotel on the skyway, I decided to walk outside in the fresh air and sunshine this afternoon. I smelled it before I saw it - a great big lilac bush in full bloom. I did what I had to do; don't judge me. The perfect end to a wonderful conference! Read more →
It's a beautiful day here in Minneapolis. Minneapolis!? Wh, yes -- didn't I tell you I was going to Minneapolis? I didn't? Sorry about that. The View from My Room Yes, it's time for the annual STC conference; this year it's called the Technical Communication Summit. I got here close to lunchtime, so after I unpacked (for I am one of those travelers who unpack and place things in drawers) I mosied on over to... Read more →
I went to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown College in 1975. Among the subjects I studied were mime (Shut up. It was cool in 1975.), juggling, makeup, circus history, and clown gags. Oh, and acrobatics. You know, stuff like tumbling, vaulting, trampoline, and other life-threatening activities. I was absolutely terrible at acrobatics. In fact, I hurt myself on the very first day of class. We were lined up to do vaulting... Read more →