Libby Says...
When I started Notesgirl.com, my goal was to market my book(s), participate in the Lotus community, and use it as a jumping off point for my contract work. Since then, I've been in various careers, in multiple fields, but I've kept my Notesgirl persona. Actually, I'm not sure persona is the right word - a persona implies that it's not the real me, and it is - there was a long-ago conversation with vowe and others that convinced me (if I needed convincing) that being as genuine as possible online as I am in person is the right thing. But as I've grown and changed, I've changed the content here to fit more what's appropriate for what's going on at one time. Right now, for example, I'm writing my little fingers off for a few clients and job hunting and enjoying being a newlywed and worrying about a multitude of personal issues. In the past, I might've written about those personal issues - when I was confident that my employer and I had a meeting of the minds about personal blogging versus my professional duties. When your primary job is job hunting, however, you look at blogging completely differently. If I were looking only in one field, I might try to spend more time writing pertinent content for the site. Since my search is more broad, I have to look at the site as a potential early impression (yes, I know I need to revamp the color/layout). I hope that people will read what I write and see a person they're interested in working with. I hope to have them see me - the real, genuine person - and want to work with that person. But thinking of various interviews and conversations the past weeks, I have to consider: what if my admission of problems and issues - among other blog entries of course - comes across the wrong way? Should I keep those personal preoccupations to myself? Does it help anyone, myself included, to write about them here? When I had a specific place in a community, my occasional forays into writing about my personal life were a way of keeping my personal connection to a community that has been wonderful to me. Most of the readers of my blog knew me in real life, and actually cared when something was on my mind. When some others have posted about their problems and processes, we have felt as though we were not alone, and understood ourselves and our friends better (thanks Duff, and others). Of course, when I write, my thoughts become more clear, so I write at least partially to help me work through things (and just writing a diary doesn't work the same way - we think differently when we we write knowing there's a potential audience), So, the questions are on my mind at the moment: who reads notesgirl.com, what are they (you) interested in, for whom do I blog - myself or my readers, when does my blog help me and when does it hurt, how do I best balance all the things I'm interested in writing and thinking about with what readers might be interested in reading and with a changing professional life... All of you who blog and write for public consumption have dealt with these issues in one way or another - and some of you have changed what you share over time, as I have. I don't think I have a conclusion right now, but thanks for letting me think aloud with you. And for a few personal tidbits:
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
NOTE: This is a continuation of the "Web Of Deception" round-robin story. If you're late to the party, please start with Chapter 1 on Ben's site and go from there. You can also follow the RSS feed hosted at http://www.andthentheboilerburst.com/WebOfDeception.rss. After dinner that night, Callie examined Mike’s leg again. He had calmed down from the afternoon's excitement, and didn't seem to think much of Callie's story about the strange little man in the garden. She wasn't sure whether to be pleased or upset that he dismissed even Dufay's sneaking down the driveway. On the one hand, it meant Mike wouldn't get in her way – he was just as enamored and blind as he'd been from the start. On the other hand, it might've been nice to have some help for a change. Still, he'd been getting progressively cranky all afternoon and when she put her hand on his leg she understood why – his leg was burning with fever. What had seemed like mere scratches that afternoon were deeper than they had looked at first and the wounds had not closed at all, but were still oozing slightly. She shook her head, worried and wondering, fingering the piece of black wool that she still had in her pocket. "Callie, it really hurts," Mike muttered. "Do you think we should go to a doctor after all?" "Well, if we can find one who can help, maybe we should," Callie replied, washing his leg with witch hazel. She was thinking quickly now and wondering how to try something without completely freaking Mike out. "Why don't you let me finish bandaging this and I'll go to the pharmacy to see if that strange Mr. Dufay can recommend a clinic nearby. You just rest here, drink your beer, and read your book, er, Schmoops." As she spoke, she turned slightly away from Mike's gaze and pulled the wool scrap from her pocket. Reaching down to pat him reassuringly on the leg with one hand, she let the wool fall onto his leg with the other, leaning forward to kiss him and block it from his view. "Well, that sounds ok – although maybe you should ask him what he was doing in the yard and running off like that. You're no just trying to get me drunk to take advantage of me, are you?" he teased in reply, pulling her down to deepen the kiss. "You're sure you can find the way on your own?" "There's not enough beer in the house get you inebriated, my wee laddie," Callie laughed back at him, lapsing in the soft burr she spoke with when she wasn't paying attention. She frowned at the piece of wool, which had looked fragile and had now shriveled even smaller, and lightened in color, turning grey while she watched. Smiling grimly at the one, tiny healed spot on his leg, she nonchalantly scooped the wool up with one hand, kissed Mike again, and promised to bring him another pint before she left. "I just have to find a few things from one of my boxes, first, and I'll make sure you're doing alright before I go." She pulled her black sweater out of a box in the back bedroom, and, looking furtively around, although she knew Mike was still on the sofa, she also pulled out a blue velvet pouch, and sniffed to make sure its contents were still fresh enough. "They'll do, if they must," she grumbled to herself, "but I really have to get a garden started here soon. I got out of that city just in time." Pocketing the pouch and slipping the sweater into her knitted bag, she picked up her keys and dropped a fresh pint off next to her sleeping husband. "Oh, aye, you'll sleep for a wee while, then, won't you? The healing will do that, and just as well; you won't worry if I'm gone for a while." Quietly, Callie slipped out of the house and, grateful that the recent equinox meant that the days were long enough that it was still light out, walked down the path toward town. Slipping her sweater on and keeping one hand in her pocket, she whistled a peculiar tune and, although she appeared to be paying no attention to her surroundings, listened intently for noise in the brush. "I know you're out there, grimalkin," Callie whispered to herself. "Of course I'm out here." The cat was riding the woman's shoulders, looking for all the world like a very old, very filthy, witches' familiar. "But knowing how to call me doesn't change anything. For you or that bloody fool fence post you live with." "Are you sure of that, then?" Startled, JC thought fiercely to himself, "Damn certain I'm sure. You smell like them, you sound like them, you look like them. I don't trust you. You can't be her and you can't help. You'll only be in the way." What he said was: "He won't heal." Then he started to jump off her shoulder. He found his claws stuck in the webbing of the coarse black sweater she wore and started hissing and cursing. "Damn you, you...fae, witch, whatever the hell you are... I..." "Not so fast, grimalkin." Callie almost purred at the snarling cat who was hissing and spitting, back raised with the instinctive anger of a cat, although she guessed he'd prefer to be yelling at her in his own form. "I won't hurt you now, grimalkin, unless you make me." "What do you mean 'now'? And stop calling me grimalkin. You called me, I'm here. My name's JC; not grimalkin. I'm warning you, stop arseing around with me before I get really mad." "Well, now that you've told me your name, why don't you tell me why you attacked Mike, and why you're here – with all those others." Silence, and then more hissing came from her shoulder. She fingered the now fragile piece of wool. "Perhaps you'll also tell me why that fool Dufay is providing Web to that little... what is he anyway? And why in Mab's name are you going around as a cat?" "Hrmph. Say 'in Loki's name' instead and you'll be closer to the mark. Bastard was trying to help Freya – she needed a new cat to pull her coach after one had an accident. I suspect Loki caused the accident and was trying to cover it up, but either way, I'd been a bleeding idiot and trusted him after...well, never mind. So, here I am. Stuck working for them. Of course, you could tell me how you managed to even smell different." The cat grumped a bit, hissed, and tried again to either claw her or retract his claws. Sniffing, JC said, "I know you've got some." "I do. Can you handle it?" Suddenly standing straighter, she said quietly, "Someone else is out there, but I can't tell who. Can you?" There was no noise from woods – not even birdsong or the sound of the brook – as she sniffed the air, continuing to walk toward town. "Hm. If you'd let me free I could go check, you know. I guess it is a bit too silent, but it's not Dufay; he said he was going to –." The cat broke off, moaning and growling low in its throat. "It's her..." A few notes: A grimalkin is a cat - but not a completely normal feline: it's usually old and evil-looking, grey, and associated with demons, witches, or fae. Freya is a Norse goddess, associated with fertility, sensuality, and love, who is often also connected with elves and faeries. She is reputed to drive a carriage that is pulled by two large cats. Loki is a Norse god - most often a shape-shifter who likes to play pranks of varying degrees of cruelty. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
After finishing the presentation over the weekend, I decided to do some catch-up reading of blogs and twitters and etc. When I happened upon Ben L.'s awesome idea for writing a shared story - round-robin style - with a bunch of friends, well, it sounded like just what I needed to fill all that copious spare time I was going to have after I finish the thesis-y writing. Actually, it's more something to clean my writing palate, if you will -- too much thesis, not enough fun. So, I'm on board with the Web of Deception crew -- illustrious folks (so far, the list includes: Duffbert, Julian, jonvon, Francie, Gabriella, Wild Bill, Andre Guirard, Steve McDonagh and Rob McDonagh, and Jess, Ben wrote the first chapter and tagged Julian for the second - let's see what Julian makes of the somewhat spooky first chapter and the need to include the word "equinox" in the second. Fun! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, I'm more than halfway there now. I gave my capstone - a capstone is our program's version of a thesis - presentation on Saturday. I spoke about my project, my conclusions, and my primary sources for an hour, with fifteen minutes or so of questions. In some ways, it was easy - after all, I'm used to public speaking, right? On the other hand, it was higher stakes than much of my speaking. Still, everyone told me I knocked it out of the park, including my adviser. Now all that's left is to do some rewrites and finish writing a few sections of the paper. While there's still a fair amount of work to complete, I'm feeling so much better and less stressed now that the BIG deadline is done. Ahhhhhhhhh. Perhaps now you'll actually see some writing here from me as I finish one chapter and look for what the next chapter will hold. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Thursday was a good media day for English teachers and other language geeks. I know you're always looking for clips to play in class to enhance the multimedia experience for your students. This morning on they way to work, I was lucky enough to be running a few minutes late. When I run late, I sometimes get to hear my favorite NPR show - Engines of our Ingenuity. Today's Engine's episode (transcript or audio of episode 1926) was a discussion by guest Andrew Boyd on the topic of rhetoric. Rhetoric's original meaning is persuasion, although it has come to mean any complex writing. English, humanities, history, and philosophy teachers probably have a good background in discussing rhetoric's origins - popularized by the sophists in ancient Greece, sophist rhetoric was attacked by Plato as not leading to truth. Take a listen to this episode and consider Aristotle's belief that "logic is required to find truth but rhetoric is necessary to communicate truth." This clip would be a good introduction to rhetorical writing or speaking, dissecting persuasive writing (ads or marketing), or convincing students that "persuasive communication isn't an unpleasant afterthought, it's a vital part of bringing ingenious ideas to life." Then on The Colbert Report - the Colbert versus Sean Penn "Meta-free phor all; Shall I Nail Thee to a Summer's Day?"(video)... Who does metaphor-offs? I love Colbert! "Love is a full-length mirror?" lost out to "love is a battlefield" in the human emotions category. Of course, if you want to show this clip, you'll need to be comfortable showing/discussing George Bush's dirty and blood-soaked underwear and its metaphorical meanings, because that was Penn's metaphor-of-choice for the evening. Still, he beat Colbert 10,000 to 1 in the contest, moderated by former poet laureate Robert Pinsky. Giggle. Colbert closed with promises of a hyperbole-off with George Clooney in the future. I can hardly wait! Some links of interest regarding rhetoric or metaphors: Read Aristotle's Rhetoric as hypertext. Then, take a look at some links for rhetoric and composition - from definitions to blogs and writings. You might also want to familiarize yourself with some rhetorical terms, from alliteration to zeugma, with examples. If you're thinking about producing some rhetoric yourself, you might look at some examples, first, from this archive of speeches, sermons, lectures, debates, etc. What's a metaphor? Here's one answer. And some suggestions for using metaphors in creative writing. Some metaphors we live by and with. And some metaphor poems: I taught Fog and Fire and Ice and The Eagle when taught metaphor and simile in poetry a few weeks ago. So much fun! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
That was made at the Chronicle's site after the recent blogging story was about the idea that teachers may have the right to blog but not from school computers, on school networks, or on school time. I only wish that meant that teachers were not allowed to grade papers, write lesson plans, write recommendation letters, research projects, answer questions, etc. from home computers, on home networks, or on personal time. Of course, it doesn't really work that way. But it does bring up a few interesting thoughts... First, I happen to agree in principle with the comment, most specifically for blogs like mine, where I can say what I want about any subject I want, without fear (I believe) of punishment, assuming I adhere to the very sensible rules of not identifying my students by name in a way that could endanger them. I've also made a personal commitment to my principal that she won't have to find out anything by reading it here - so that if I have a gripe or complaint, she's promised to have an open door and I've promised she won't learn about something first from another source. Seems fair. On the other hand, if my blog were intended for communicating with my students like one that I read, I would like to think that it would be a different story. Still, embedded in the there is idea of the always-on worker. This idea isn't new, technologists especially have been dealing with its repercussions for years - but as technology has become ubiquitous in each given industry, it has become an issue that industry needs to address. It seems that, sadly in some ways, the flood of this type of technology has just hit schools - most teachers now have laptops and cell phones, many of which are provided by the schools. And my school system, for example, provides the phones with the expectation (given up front, of course) that you will almost always be available to answer the phone for your students, their parents, and your colleagues. Now, is this a good idea? Absolutely. There should never be an excuse that a student didn't understand the home work, and perhaps the frustration that goes along with not understanding. Instead, students can call, ask a quick question, and get the issues straightened out. Many times, the call is an extremely quick one and helps the student so much that he or she is a star in class the next day -- winning scenario all around. On the other hand, there is the expectation that you answer your phone, check your email at home, and work, well, much of the time. This always-on attitude that pervades the workplace (not just mine, but many) requires that we, as the workers (both teachers and those in other fields) to decide what our lives will be like and when we will work, then set our boundaries, and then stick to those boundaries. Firmly. It's not something that I do as well as I'd like - I find myself working most nights and weekends and feeling overwhelmed by it -- skipping yoga and my runs because I know that I have work waiting, or because I have responsibilities to yearbook or other school projects. In fact, this week, I was so busy that I didn't get to blog as much as I'd like, since I do only blog from home, on my home network, with my home computers... :-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
One of the many ways I merged my two career callings was to write technology-related haiku in all my copious free time way back when. My good friend Rocky Oliver has, a few times, started haiku threads on his blog - sometimes just for kicks and sometimes in an effort to cheer me up as he long ago asked me to cheer him by sending some haiku (long before we had blogs...). In the last few days before Lotusphere, Rocky's at it again with a Lotusphere-related haiku contest... and he's calling the awards "The Libby." Rocky, I'm truly touched! I'm knee deep in finishing a paper for grad school and finishing an application for a loan for the possible new house tonight, but I'll try to put up a few haiku as the week goes on, just to keep my hand in! For now, I leave you with... Everything changes But our friends are the constant Like trees in the wind Yearly conference Work? Renewal of strength and Imagination. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I know this has already been posted all over the Web this week, but I've had the tab open and just really want to post it. So I will. So there. Via NeilGaiman.com: The super-mini short stories were "invented" when Hemingway wrote what he is said to have called his best work in six short words: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Wired magazine asked some famous writers to contribute their six word short stories and published them in the November issue. Some of them are amazing! I particularly like these.
For a me, these serve some of the same function as some of my other writing favorites - haiku and Fibs (Fibonacci poems) - playful, focused, interesting writing exercises that can really serve to make a good point. I have to find ways to incorporate all of these into my teaching! :-) Here's my first shot at the six words short story: Crying, she closed his eyes. Then... or... What should've been world-changing ended quietly. I've got a long way to go with these - anyone else have one? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
You all know I'm in grad school (probably, anyway). You also know that I love to write and have been an editor for many years. Even editors can improve their writing and editing skills, however, and one of my professors, Dr. Dennis Huston, has helped me to do so this year. Dr. Huston spends at least an hour of the first class (each first class) talking about his specific rules for writing. In working with these rules this year, I've been able to apply them to almost anything I write or edit -- they improve the clarity and style despite some the fact that some of the "rules" are specifically Dr. Huston's pet peeves. The list below is adapted from notes taken in his classes over two semesters. I hope it's useful to help you improve your writing. Please note that there's a lot more to good writing than what's contained in these rules. If you're really trying to learn to write well, the cardinal rule is to revise and edit as many times as you can stand, let someone else with a good eye look at the paper to edit it, and then edit a few more times. I've heard it said that the difference between good writers and great writers can be found in the number of times they edit their work before making it public. Of course, you have to know what to look for when you edit. Beyond the the suggestions in this list, you might also try some books like Strunk and White's Elements of Style, Zinsser's On Writing Well, or Shertzer's Elements of Grammar (just to name a few - if you really want a more exhaustive, annotated list, let me know -- I've got a shelf-full of books on grammar, writing, and editing and have opinions on most of them!).
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I'm off for a few days to help my friend Margo (Philip's sister-in-law) drive from Baltimore to Houston as she moves back here. So, expect some radio silence as we try to do the trip in as few days as possible. I've been thinking about Fibs since my post the other day, so here's one for the road (remember, the format is 0-1-1-2-3-5-8...) Drive Through. Without a real stop. Not to see the world, But to help a friend to come home. Okay, boring? Here's another. Work. School. Yoga. I'm breathing, Hoping to finish With my sanity and a smile. Here's hoping you'll leave some for me while I'm gone... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
As long-time readers know, Rocky and I have had a long-running Haiku relationship. Reading today's NYTimes, I saw not one, but two articles that link to a fun kind of related poetic form that sparked some interest in my brain: the Fib, which refers to a poem that uses the Fibonacci sequence to determine its syllables. Apparently, blogger, poet, and children's book writer Gregory K. Pincus started the current Fib craze with a post about his use of the the Fib as a writing exercise. It happens to have sprung to even more widespread popularity thanks to a post on Slashdot.org. And so, in honor of the intersection of National Poetry Month (something we celebrated quite late around here last year) and Mathematics Awareness Month, here's my post linking you all to the fun. :-) According to the NYTimes, here's how the Fibonacci sequence (mathematicians should feel free to elaborate) and the Fib form work: The Fibonacci progression is a mathematical formula that starts with 0 and 1 and then continues to add numbers that are equal to the sum of the previous two numbers. Thus, the first seven numbers in the sequence are: 0-1-1-2-3-5-8. To write a Fib, a more complicated version of the classic, highly constrained haiku, the poet composes a six-line poem that has the correct number of syllables in each line corresponding to each digit in the sequence. (The real first line of each Fib is silence.) So... here's my first crack at a Fib:
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Interesting article in Slate today about a NYT book critic who is more about the thumbs up or thumbs down judgement -- using all those adjectives and superlatives that don't really mean much -- than she is about telling you something about the book. "But the sour-grapes sniping from spurned authors should not obscure the fact that Kakutani is a profoundly uninteresting critic. Her main weakness is her evaluation fixation. This may seem an odd complaint—the job is called critic, after all—but in fact, whether a work is good or bad is just one of the many things to be said about it, and usually far from the most important or compelling...One has the sense of her deciding roughly at Page 2 whether or not a book is worthy; reading the rest of it to gather evidence for her case; spending some quality time with the Thesaurus; and then taking a large blunt hammer and pounding the message home." As I write more essays about books, plays, memoirs, and movies, I recognize that my opinion on whether the work is good or bad is only a small part of what is to be said about it. Comparing the work to other works in its subgenre is sometimes interesting, but more to see what's similar or different, than to say which one is best. "The core question is how the current piece fits into the oeuvre, and we expect reflective reviews to address it. In this case, I'd be curious to see a critic consider Hornby's oft-stated and almost obsessive pledge to write books that are entertaining and ultimately uplifting—and how such a project could be expected eventually to encounter artistic and philosophical difficulties. You'd want this Platonic critic to touch on other stuff,
too. He or she could share some insights about the nature of novels written
in dramatic monologues, or novels about suicide, or novels, or art, or
life. Kakutani's refusal ever to take her eyes off the thumbs up/thumbs
down prize, or to lay any of her own prejudices, tastes, or tangentially
relevant observations on the table, is dispiriting."
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via I Speak of Dreams, a meme about women authors you've read. Of course, it's not a complete list, by any means, but it's an interesting start... Instructions: Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you have wanted/might like to read. ??Place question marks by any titles/authors you've never heard of?? Put an asterisk if you've read something else by the same author. * Alcott, Louisa May–Little Women * Allende, Isabel–The House of Spirits * Angelou, Maya–I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings * Atwood, Margaret–Cat's Eye * Austen, Jane–Emma ?? Bambara, Toni Cade–Salt Eaters ??Barnes, Djuna–Nightwood *de Beauvoir, Simone–The Second Sex * Blume, Judy–Are You There God? It's Me Margaret Burnett, Frances–The Secret Garden *Bronte, Charlotte–Jane Eyre *Bronte, Emily–Wuthering Heights Buck, Pearl S.–The Good Earth Byatt, A.S.–Possession Cather, Willa–My Antonia Chopin, Kate–The Awakening *Christie, Agatha–Murder on the Orient Express Cisneros, Sandra–The House on Mango Street *Clinton, Hillary Rodham–Living History ??Cooper, Anna Julia–A Voice From the South Danticat, Edwidge–Breath, Eyes, Memory Davis, Angela–Women, Culture, and Politics Desai, Anita–Clear Light of Day *Dickinson, Emily–Collected Poems Duncan, Lois–I Know What You Did Last Summer DuMaurier, Daphne–Rebecca Eliot, George–Middlemarch ??Emecheta, Buchi–Second Class Citizen *Erdrich, Louise–Tracks Esquivel, Laura–Like Water for Chocolate Flagg, Fannie–Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Friedan, Betty–The Feminine Mystique Frank, Anne–Diary of a Young Girl Gilman, Charlotte Perkins–The Yellow Wallpaper Gordimer, Nadine–July's People Grafton, Sue–S is for Silence Hamilton, Edith–Mythology Highsmith, Patricia–The Talented Mr. Ripley ??hooks, bell–Bone Black * Hurston, Zora Neale–Dust Tracks on the Road Jacobs, Harriet–Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Jackson, Helen Hunt–Ramona Jackson, Shirley–The Haunting of Hill House Jong, Erica–Fear of Flying *Keene, Carolyn–The Nancy Drew Mysteries (any of them) Kidd, Sue Monk–The Secret Life of Bees ??Kincaid, Jamaica–Lucy * Kingsolver, Barbara–The Poisonwood Bible * Kingston, Maxine Hong–The Woman Warrior ?Larsen, Nella–Passing * L'Engle, Madeleine–A Wrinkle in Time * Le Guin, Ursula K.–The Left Hand of Darkness Lee, Harper–To Kill a Mockingbird *Lessing, Doris–The Golden Notebook ? Lively, Penelope–Moon Tiger ?Lorde, Audre–The Cancer Journals Martin, Ann M.–The Babysitters Club Series (any of them) McCullers, Carson–The Member of the Wedding *McMillan, Terry–Disappearing Acts ?? Markandaya, Kamala–Nectar in a Sieve ?? Marshall, Paule–Brown Girl, Brownstones Mitchell, Margaret–Gone with the Wind Montgomery, Lucy–Anne of Green Gables ? Morgan, Joan–When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost * Morrison, Toni–Song of Solomon Murasaki, Lady Shikibu–The Tale of Genji Munro, Alice–Lives of Girls and Women Murdoch, Iris–Severed Head * Naylor, Gloria–Mama Day Niffenegger, Audrey–The Time Traveller's Wife * Oates, Joyce Carol–We Were the Mulvaneys * O'Connor, Flannery–A Good Man is Hard to Find ?? Piercy, Marge–Woman on the Edge of Time * Picoult, Jodi–My Sister's Keeper * Plath, Sylvia–The Bell Jar * Porter, Katharine Anne–Ship of Fools * Proulx, E. Annie–The Shipping News * Rand, Ayn–The Fountainhead * Ray, Rachel–365: No Repeats * Rhys, Jean–Wide Sargasso Sea ?? Robinson, Marilynne–Housekeeping ?? Rocha, Sharon–For Lac Sebold, Alice–The Lovely Bones Shelley, Mary–Frankenstein Smith, Betty–A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Smith, Zadie–White Teeth Spark, Muriel–The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spyri, Johanna–Heidi Strout, Elizabeth–Amy and Isabelle Steel, Danielle–The House * Tan, Amy–The Joy Luck Club Tannen, Deborah–You're Wearing That? ?Ulrich, Laurel–A Midwife's Tale ? Urquhart, Jane–Away * Walker, Alice–The Temple of My Familiar *Welty, Eudora–One Writer's Beginnings * Wharton, Edith–Age of Innocence * Wilder, Laura Ingalls–Little House in the Big Woods * Wollstonecraft, Mary–A Vindication of the Rights of Women * Woolf, Virginia–A Room of One's Own Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Ran into this fantasy novelist's exam recently (I think it was via Will Shetterly, but I'm not sure anymore) and since I know that I'm not the only one around here who loves to read SF/Fantasy, thought you might be interested in this exam. All fantasy writers should take this exam as they're planning their story -- it might be a good way to avoid some of the more obvious derivative plot devices that sometimes sneak in. I'm not quite as snarky about the rules as this exam is -- I admit to reading and even enjoying many books that wouldn't have passed this exam, but avoiding these problems is still a good way to write a better book. Beyond this, it's a good thought process to improve your writing for almost anyone, whether writing a creative story, novel, poem, or even essay (or blog entry?!) -- can you trace your ideas? Are you just following someone else's pattern, or have you modified the ideas so that they are not only your own, but also not a too-used cliché? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Yes, I'm a copycat, I admit it. When my friends Ed and Chris do something cool, I'll often follow along. In this case, while I was trying to fix the fact that you can't see my archives by month correctly (anybody know what's up with that in the DX Template, btw?), I thought I'd add in the Plazes finder that they added in a while ago. So, on the left, if I'm logged in and I've found a plaze, you can see where I am. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Bloggers vs. Journalists... One of my favorite topics and Amy Wohl has a new couple of points to make about it today. I like Amy's idea in this entry about how to categorize a blog...
But. I think at least three or four of those would apply to me and this current blog... Journalist's personal blog, techincal, personal, maybe opinions... Does that mean that I should really separate my blogging out into separate blogs to be more of interest to separate audiences? Hm. Your thoughts, oh, bloggers amongst us? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
FYI -- thanks for those of you who've been commenting. The comments are working, folks, but the count for comments is still not fixed. Sadly. :-( So, keep up the conversation! The referrers is broken too -- all alpa order, for no apparent reason. Chris has rebuilt the darn thing a bunch of times, but I guess we need some help from the template designer himself... Oh great template designer? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
The Dominoblog upgrade to 2.1.3 on Friday seemed like it was quite refreshing -- the comment counts on previous threads were accurate, the RSS feed fixed. Unfortunately, it seems like it may have been a momentary gratificiation. Duffbert left a comment on Friday's new posting, but the counter remains affixed at zero. The other predicament resulting from the 2.1.3 upgrade is that the referrers view is stuck in alphabetical sort order, rather than most recent first. Thus, two quandries to examine ... will apprise of any updates. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
It's kind of funny that during the last couple of weeks, while there haven't been any new entries to this blog, it hasn't exactly been quiet here. From April 13th to 21st, the most common referrer to this site was from Popdex. Somehow, Popdex became convinced that this site had something to do with a woman named Libby Hoeler, and sent over 300 people here looking for this other Libby. Well, writing about this might not be such a great idea, since it means that Google will of course associate notesgirl.com with the other Libby, but it seemed funny enough to share with all of you. So who is Libby Hoeler? Well, not somebody this Libby wants to be associated with, methinks. According to an article on kuro5hin, Libby Hoeler was the "star" of some leaked private home videos. The story is over two years old, but apparently, even with everything available on the web today, some people still want to find out all about the story behind these grainy videos and the girl dancing in them. If that's why you are here, please follow this link back to Google. You're most definitely in the wrong place! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Hence the colors. ;-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
There's a Scobleizer blog entry linking to another blog about blogging boundaries. I find this pretty interesting. When you talk to people or do things with people who you know write a blog, do you think about whether they might blog what you discuss? Do you consider whether you want them to or not? What about your personal blogging boundaries? Most people have boundaries somewhere, with how personal they get, especially in a "pseudo-work" blog. I think some people's families control their blogging boundaries, with concerns over what they might blog. How do you decide what your own boundaries are? Looking at it another way, I know that some journalists have requested people they interview *not* blog the topic they're discussing. I guess they don't want their thunder stolen, or maybe they're just worried that they'll get it wrong and will be chastised by the blogger. I guess it's fair -- they can ask a person to do whatever they like as a condition of choosing to talk to them -- but it seems like they're trying to control the push of blogging into journalism... Which I suspect is both foolish (wouldn't they like to have the hits that a busy blog might generate for their story?) and futile. As we've discussed before (although sadly the comments that used to live at Ed's site for this topic are gone -- I guess they were lost in the move from vowe.com to PSC) blogging has an advantage over traditional journalism in terms of speed and agility, but some differences (although I won't necessarily call them disadvantages) in terms of editorial control/responsibility/trust. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I read an article this afternoon that made me think and, appropriately, smile a bit. On MediaBistro.com, a site dedicated to journalists, writers, editors, freelancers, etc, a freelance writer named Melissa Marshall wrote an essay (free site registration required) about how even the most joy-inspiring job can turn humdrum, frustrating, and old... And then, it can turn back again. Her job is travel writing. She splits her time between Houston and New York. She goes to all kinds of interesting, if not A-list, places, and writes about them. And when she first started getting paid to do it, she was thrilled. Then the "work" part of work started to weigh on her. And then she had one of those great experiences that reminds you why you like a job you like. I suspect we all go through days where we don't like our jobs and want out. Sometimes this is because we're not in a job (or career) we like, but sometimes, even in a job we like, we have interpersonal issues with people we work with, we reach crossroads where we need to re-evaluate what we want out of our lives and our careers, we get burned out on the stress and frustration, or where we just have a few bad days. Hopefully, if it's the former, and we don't like our jobs or careers, we are smart enough to recognize it and fortunate enough to find something we like better. As she mentions in the article, it's been advised that you find something you love to do and then find a way to make a living out of it. If it's not the former, hopefully we're open to the kinds of experiences that can reinvigorate our enjoyment of our jobs/careers. Lotusphere is one of the things that does that for a lot of us in the Lotus industry. Conferences in general may serve that purpose for other kinds of careers as well, I suppose (unless, of course, you're a conference planner!). Sometimes, just taking on a new project, having some success in a particular area, getting a pat on the back, or meeting an interesting person can serve the need. What reinvigorates you? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, it's been a year of blogging. (Well actually, it had been a year yesterday, when I started this entry. That seems to be the story of my blogging life -- I keep getting way to freaking busy to blog effectively on a daily basis. Ah well. A day late won't kill anyone.) So. Yay. Thanks for sticking with me and being part of Notesgirl.com. Just over 200 entries in the year -- clearly there have been some months and items that inspired me more than others. As with many blogs, some of the most interesting material on the site hasn't been in the main blog, where I can link to it, but has rather been in the discussion that has taken place in the comments. Some of the more commented-upon blogs include:
Lots of other things have happened over the year -- lots of travel (here's the overview) and lots of conferences. A half-marathon and a move. Friends getting married and having babies. Making new friends. It's been a hard year in a lot of ways, but it's also had some high points, and I've learned a lot about myself and what I want out of life. Hopefully this next year will have more high points and better opportunities. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Do you write your blog for yourself or for your readers? Or a combination? How much work do you put into your posts, and is that related to who you envision as your audience? Jess made a comment not too long ago about why you should post your solutions when you've asked a question -- so you can find them again later! This relates to blogging because often it sounds like those who are posting really technical stuff (especially them, at any rate, although not *only* them) are using their blogs as a kind of notebook -- saving snippets of code or solutions to issues via their blog, rather than saving them in some private Notes db that only they can see. Then, Joi Ito wrote a blog a few days ago talking about a previous post he'd made (and a comment on that post) that was a "superficial" treatment of a topic, rather than a more 'in-depth with sources' kind of post -- but justified writing the post, rather than writing something in a journal to post later, with the idea that his blog is his notebook. And the idea, of course, that if you don't write it down and talk about it while it's fresh, you may never get around to it (of course, this may be the blogosphere version of Darwinism -- if it was important and interesting enough, you *would* come back to it, but, then again, maybe not, considering how overloaded and busy we all are... anyway, I digress). My point, though, is that those of us who write blogs all write for different reasons and for different audiences. And the discussion of whether it's ok to treat a difficult topic with a shallow vs. rigorous post is an interesting one. I think that sometimes I don't post when I don't have time to really think out what I want to say, and create all the links, and etc, because I don't want to appear not to have journalistic (or blogolistic) integrity -- especially considering my profession -- however, this means that many times I don't post something I'm thinking about, either because I forget or lose interest or get too busy or someone else posts something about it first and it's no longer appropriate for me to post. And then I get frustrated at not having blogged, so I end up blogging something "light" or superficial *anyway* because I'm hoping to get a quick blog up while I have time. In any case, the discussion on shallow vs. rigorous, Rational Ignorance, and their attendant ideas, both at Joi's blog and at Lago's, was interesting to me. Of course, this post itself is an example of what frustrates Lago, I suspect, being at most a question and certainly not a well-thought out, researched, organized treatment of the topic, but, like many, I'm posting a note about it here so that perhaps I will go back and think on it more deeply later. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
"I could be a writer" or anything remotely linked to that thought, you have to read this (via Neil Gaiman). Not only is it giggle-inducing funny, but it's capital-T Truth and therefore could be, if you let it, quite useful. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
So, not only am I still in the midst of trying to put the house together after the move (we have a lot done, but my office is still covered with boxes and other assorted crap from when we cleaned out the rest of the house to have a party -- my office became a great place to hide stuff), but I also got sick (head and chest cold for the past 3 days...). So, I owe many of you things from Lotusphere, including copies of my slides, my impressions from the show, thank you notes, photos, etc. I'm afraid most of it will have to wait. The sad part is that I did actually write some blog entries while I was at the show, but never quite got them finished and edited, and so didn't post them... And now it seems a bit silly -- so many of you did such a great job at keeping the blogstream going from the show. I will, of course, cover some of my impressions from the show in my March e-Pro Magazine Take Note column, but I may just kill the blog entries. Do you have any of those? Entries that you wrote and saved as a draft and then never published? I have e-mail like that too -- things I wrote and then thought better of, or they got stale, or the situation changed before I got around to finishing my thoughts on the matter. Anyway, a couple of thoughts that have been pending for blogging for a while:
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well if Jonvon and Ed can do it, so can I... Recent interesting googles include.... (drumroll please...)
Not really as funny as some of theirs, but still kinda interesting... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I've just started using Categories on this site and have been trying to remember to do some categorizing each day as catch up, but they're a bit "under construction" -- please forgive. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
For the record, since Jake brought it up: when you fill in the Comments form on this site, if you fill in your URL or your e-mail address, both are available on the site as hotlinks. I'll ask our favorite template developer to put some kind of a warning into the Comments form itself. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
My very good friend Jack Dausman has just started blogging. Jack and I met a few years ago at some conference or another, and since then we've spoken together at a conference, he's written and spoken for us at e-Pro Magazine, and I've enjoyed knowing him and having his good great perspective on all things Lotus, education, and certification. Glad to see you blogging, Jack! (thanks to Rich Schwartz for the link) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I can't even count the number of recent complaints I've had about my blog design. Okay, so not even just recent. I'm sorry -- I've just been too busy to get my act together on the design. So, my dear, sweet, wonderful, appreciated (can you tell I'm brown-nosing?) friend Chris used his design and whipped up a little something for me (and yes, he actually did this quite a while ago, I'm the slow one) and I've finally gotten around to implementing it. So, yay Chris! Still a few little wrinkles to iron out, but basically, it's pretty good. And hopefully this resolves in the various browsers somewhat more nicely... At least, I have to assume so, since Chris hasn't been getting the same complaints that I have and this design is based on his. John? Volker? I'll be awaiting your thoughts... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
As with Ed, I'm constantly fascinated by how people Google to my blog (and by how Google has become so many parts of speech!). Here are some of the more interesting recent Googles:
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Yay Steve -- you've made the blog template very nice -- added some great features in the new version. One of those fixes in the new version has finally fixed my problems with the static web pages, which means there are some new features off to the right over there -- the about page finally works (although it's not done -- it needs some editing and some links), and I've put some where I've been and where I'm going pages up there as well. Look for a new visual appearance (I know it needs it -- honest) sometime in the near future, but there's just so much to do and so little time to get it all done in. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, isn't Chris cool. As you can see to the right, he sent me some code for showing my AIM status in addition to letting you send me an IM. I do have MSN and Yahoo, but for some reason those statuses aren't working out as nicely. So, for now. you only get to see the AIM status. Still working on the annoying referrers issue. I know, I know, you'd all be happier if I had a little more talent at Web development. The real problem is just time -- I haven't got any right now and so I'm not spending any making the blog look nice. Sorry! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
So, you may have seen Chris's post (below) about how my blog decided to freak out on Sunday. He blames me (do I look like a stupid user to you?) (don't answer that!). He may be correct. Here's the only thing I did on Sunday. I used the template (the one that's on his server, so that it's got all the right signings, etc...) to replace the design on my local replica of the blog. Then I rebuilt it. Now, here's the trick -- it's all about signing. Steve asks us to sign the db after rebuilding... But if I sign my local one, it will use my ID... not Chris's server... And therein, I think, lies the problem.... In other news -- I tried to update all my stupid fonts. Which mostly worked... Except now my referrers section is trying to take over the blog next to it... Still in progress. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
For those of you that saw Libby's blog just refresh and refresh and never come up...I have taken her out back and flogged her numerous times. She claims innocence in the incident but I am still working on torture treatments. We will break her yet. IdoNotes Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Let's talk about commenting on blogs. Do you make comments when you read a blog that makes you think, giggle, growl, etc? What if you don't know the person at all -- you just happened upon their blog by clicking from someone else's blog or doing a search on some unrelated topic... And what if it's not a "Domino-blog" or even a technology/professional-related blog? I find that I have no problem commenting on blogs where I know the blogger (or think that the person probably knows me). I have also occassionally commented on blogs where I don't know the blogger but it was technical blog or a "professional" topic where I thought I had something to add. Where I seem to have drawn my own line at the moment is on blogs that are more personal -- they're not by someone I know or related to a business/professional topic. It's hard at that point to know if everyone commenting knows the person or is just... commenting. I get comments so far only from people I know or at least know by association... How about you? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I've been waiting for my mail to replicate for about the past 20 minutes and so while I'm waiting, I thought I'd test out some of the features of the new blog template. One feature that Steve seems to think I need with all my travelling is the "held" feature. This should let me blog about something, and then set a date and time when it should be published. I think it's a pretty cool idea. I've created a blog for tomorrow, when I'll be in LA. We'll see if it posts when I want it to. :-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, way to go Steve! There's a new version of the blog template, including RSS (yes, I've heard you all whining about those of us without, but we were all waiting on Steve....). It seems my html pages are a bit broken at the moment (bio, resume, published works list, etc...) -- we'll have to get those re-imported or something, I guess. Bear with me while we figure out the new features... :-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well while Libby is currently waiting at an airport for her flight, I decided to upgrade her blog design to Steve's new template (2.09b) and hijack her site. Little does she know the abuse one could cause from here :-) LOL If anyone saw her page while it was blank, well that was the fastest loading blog I bet you have seen now wasn't it. I just reverted back to 2.08 while we see what this error is I am getting. Steve is taking a peek for me now. Knowing Libby she went and changed something unique in her code. We shall flog her later for such actions. Steve sent the updates!!! So now we have comments working for Libby also. I bet she will let me rest a few now. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Thanks for all who've tried to submit comments, by the way. I can actually read them in the Notes client -- we've gotten far enough that they're being saved and are showing up in the Discussions view, but they're still not displaying on the screen. So far, I've gotten comments from Volker (looking forward to seeing you in NOLA, Volker) and Ben (oh, and Chris -- but he's just been testing to try to help me figure this thing with the comments out!). Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Thanks to Jess for pointing out that while the comments form comes up, it doesn't yet actually let you save a comment. Curses! I've got some things to try and if Chris would stop enjoying himself on his day off, I could get him to re-sign the db, which I think might just fix it (those pesky agents!). So, please stand by -- comments coming (and archives returning) soon! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, Steve released 2.0.9, I guess, and it seems to have fixed comments. So, you now have the power to comment away on whatever it is you want to talk about. I'm looking forward to it -- it seems like some of my favorite parts of the other blogs I read are the comments made by the rest of you! The archives still seem to be a little wonky, but hopefully that'll get worked out soon too. Thanks, Steve! Now it's back to the slightly-panicked-work-really-fast thing I've been doing all week to get ready to go out of town again. Yes, I'm headed off to New Orleans to attend (and speak at) IBM developerWorks Live!. I know Rob and Ed are going, are any of the rest of you? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
One of the 'blogs I read occasionally belongs to John Patrick, who used to be VP of Internet Technology at IBM. He's got interesting perspectives on the future and, well, sort of the edge, of technology, so to speak. I first met him at an IBM Solutions conference a couple of years ago when he was keynoting on The Future of the Internet. It was one of the years when the big fear for all the Lotus people was that IBM was taking over and just didn't understand how darn cool Notes/Domino really is. In his session, I think John talked more about Domino in his portion of the keynote than Al Zollar did in his. So, I liked John immediately. Recently, he 'blogged about 'blogging. Which, although it may be on that old list-o'-sins, is pretty interesting. Especially if you look at the circle of 'bloggers in our extended Domino-related family and think about just how much we affect each other -- regardless of distance, company we work for, or what we actually *do* for a living. These blogs affect how we think about technology, companies, and the other people in our industry, just to name a few things. I don't, as you might have seen, think they replace real journalism, but they definitely offer some great context and insight. If you visit some of the other blogs I read (list to right), you'll find that some of them have been talking about blogging as well, like Ben and Colin, so it's clearly something we do think about as we do it. Since I've just started blogging, the actual act has been on my mind a lot lately. Some random thoughts:
A last point: I think Daypop's WordBursts are related to, but cooler than HotorNot. Just my 2cents worth on blog-rating. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, as Ed and Chris have already pointed out, Steve has launched the new template and DominoBlog.com. I upgraded to the new template this morning and a few things broke -- all the imported stuff, basically, like images and other web pages.... No time to really play with it now, but hopefully it will be fixed soon. Forgive the errors, please. Also finally got Chris to restart HTTP for my virtual server and Brian (that's my husband, btw) to point the DNS to www.notesgirl.com at the new server... Seems as though that's causing some problems too, though. So if you really want to see this blog for the next few days while that all gets worked out, you'll want to go to the long URL format... Hopefully it will all resolve itself soon... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
If you've ever written an article, presentation, thesis, or book, you probably know the process I mean. The slow, grinding, mashing, agonizing process of figuring it all out (the fun part) and then getting it out on paper (or screen, as the case may be) (aka, the less fun part). Oh wait. I'm supposed to like writing, hm? Well, I'm in the midst of writing 4 presentations for the View's Admin2003 show and simultaneously writing the next book (ok, the next 7 books, but hey, who's counting). It means that there are many late nights and much brain sweat as I go through the process again. Ok, Ok, I hear you saying it -- great, we get that it's painful, but what is it that's so painful? I mean, how hard can it be, right? So, here's my writing process... maybe you have something different or easier? First, an outline/TOC. I learned long ago that while I might be able to write without an outline, it wouldn't be an easy proposition. So, everything begins with an outline. Granted, sometimes it's a more detailed outline than others, but that's how it begins. Once I'm mostly happy with the outline, I have to just pick someplace in the outline and start fleshing it out. I used to be all hung up with the idea that I should start at the beginning and write through to the end. I got over that. Now I write the things I know best first. So, if there are parts of a presentation, etc that don't require any research or testing -- that's what I try to write first. This way I get a nice flow going without having to stop every 2 minutes to test a process or verify a setting. The one exception to this is the introduction and the conclusion, which I rarely write before the end. So, once I'm into the writing process I usually have at least two machines sitting next to each other. On one, I have my Domino server(s), Notes client, Web client, browser windows open to any related articles, white papers, or forum discussions, and Acrobat window open to any release notes, help files, or other documentation. Of course, I also have my trusty Paint Shop Pro 6 open too, so I can take screen captures as I go. I also have open anything else I've written on the topic. So, as I work on the chapter of the ND6 Upgrade Exam Guide, I have open the recent presentations I wrote that talk about some of the new ND6 features. Finally, in the case of writing the exam guides, I usually also have open (either in print on the desk or on this laptop) a copy of the Exam Guide -- gotta make sure I'm covering all the competencies, right? On the other laptop, I have my word processor or presentation software open, depending on what I'm creating. The writing process consists of looking at the feature in Notes/Domino and trying to make it work. Then reading what the help or release notes or other documentation has to say about it. Repeat as necessary. Then reading what I've written about it before. Then I start to write whatever I'm going to write. Then I go back and forth and back and forth from one laptop screen to the other, as I document each step of what I'm trying to cover, just to make sure I don't leave anything out. That's one of the things I learned early on in the process of being a technical writer/editor (my first career out of college) -- subject matter experts (that's me, now) sometimes leave out steps because they're just too darn obvious. Unfortunately, that makes for sucky documentation or training materials or presentations... Once a section is finished, I have to go through and read it to make sure I didn't write something amazingly dumb. Then I have to go through and give it a personality injection. I find that my technical writing is incredibly dry the first time I write it. Accurate. But dry. My friend Scott (a truly good friend with whom I used to work, who also acts as my personal editor for everything I write) harps on that flaw in my writing all the time. I think he'd prefer if I'd have a pint of Guinness before I started writing, or at least once during the rewrite process, so that I'd loosen up a bit, but... Of course, he's funny. I'm just accurate. Sigh. So, anyway, I go through and try to work on the flow and the patter a bit. Repeat as necessary until the entire chapter/article/presentation exists. Oh yeah, then run spell check. :-) Yes, even me. Or maybe that should be especially me. If the editor makes a spelling mistake/typo, it looks really bad. Then, I have to go through and make sure all the graphics I need are right and saved with the right names and etc. Then the chapter is ready for editing by my aforementioned friend Scott and anyone who's doing a tech edit for me (right now, Chris is my unofficial unpaid slave labor tech editor out of the goodness of his heart (at least, I think that's what it is... maybe he just wants to get some of his own back since I'm always editing his articles... hmmm...) Anyway -- thanks, Chris!). Then there's the whole revision process. Then I send it to whomever is waiting for it, like my book editor at 29th Street Press, Katie. As you may be able to guess after all of that, it's a sloggingly painful process. Of course, if I weren't a perfectionist, I suspect it would be a lot less painful, but, there you have it. Now when I don't have time to chat or breathe or whatever else it is you might be wanting me to do, you know why. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Hmmm. Not that beggars can be choosers (and I still think Steve's done a lovely job), but there is one thing I wish this blog template had... Comments! I hate to be guilty of yet another bad habit. Of course, I'd consider programming it in myself, but conveniently enough (meaning I don't have to come up with a better excuse for why I'm not doing it), Steve's hidden his design. Hmmm. FreeDomBlog does seem to have it. I'll have to think whether it's worth switching over now that I've just gotten myself set. 'Course that one also has the nice calendar picker to find blogs from a particular date. Not that anyone ever remembers what date that useful or interesting bit of blog linkage was posted on, but it still just seems like a nice to have. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I had this nice blog entry written. And then somehow, it got all corrupted. So, here I am, oh-so-patiently rewriting it. And, of course, it goes without saying that the first time around I was eloquent and interesting. Now, you'll just have to take what you can get. I've been hearing for quite a while about how badly I needed to update Notesgirl.com (it really was *terribly* out of date). I figured if I was going to take the time to do it that, I might as well move it to Domino (finally!) and start blogging (I'm very tired of getting teased for being behind!). So -- here it is. An updated Notesgirl.com and a blog too. Many thanks go to Steve Castledine whose ProjectDX Domino Blog template provides the underpinnings and to my friends at Connectria for the hosting assist. You'd think that my first blog entry would be eloquent and interesting, right? Well, maybe not so much. I used up a lot of my blog-energy on Ed's blog yesterday -- I haven't quite recovered from it yet. We were having a very interesting thread on the nature of blogging vs. journalism sparked by a quote that Ed posted. I had some opinions (big surprise). In the meanwhile, I'd better get back to writing the next chapter in the new book and the presentations for the View's Admin2003 show. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link |
| :: Finding Libby :: |
| •Send me e-mail |
| •IM Me at AOL: LibbyNicoles, MSN: LibbyNicole@hotmail.com, YahooIM: LibbyNicoles, or Sametime via YellowBleeders |
| •RSS Feed |
| ::Currently Reading (or Watching or Hearing):: | ||||||
|
| ||||||
| ::Other Stuff:: |
| • Photos: Flickr |
| • Photos: Yahoo! |
| :: Referrers :: |
