This morning as I sat in a local coffee shop, working on “Iduna’s Apples” on the iPad, a writer friend of mine stopped in for a chat. She’s gone back to school recently to purse a degree in English, and she’s disappointed that there aren’t as many writing classes in the program as she’d hoped.
“That’s why I wanted English,” she said. “For the writing.”
I’ve not made a habit of checking up on the academic credentials of authors before I read their books, but of the writers whose work I enjoy reading I can’t think of too many who have undergraduate [...]
Today’s blog post is inspired by Jennifer Walker’s “4 ways to gain confidence in the kitchen” blog post and by a lovely and unexpected phone call with an old friend this morning.
Trying something new—particularly something that intimidates you—is a great way to boost self-confidence. And when that something is in the kitchen, you just might end up with a yummy treat to share, too.
About six weeks ago, I got a newspaper assignment to interview fellow journalist and pie-baker Beth M. Howard about her new book, Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie. As it happened, I was unknowingly [...]
When I want to be productive, I find it’s helpful to not only pare down visual distractions—and prevent getting interrupted by a dog or cat every 3.7 minutes—but to literally set the tone for my work as well.
I don’t do well in settings where there’s noise. It doesn’t matter if it’s heavy machinery or hushed conversations. If it’s audible, chances are it’s going to pull my focus. When I’m at coffee shops or other working-outside-the-house venues, this means that I pull out the headphones and turn to either my favorite iTunes radio station—Radio Ultimae: [...]
We had some friends come over for Cinco de Mayo on Saturday, and as I was cleaning the house, I got to thinking about how I’ve never read anywhere—on websites or in books dedicated to home-based businesses—about the importance of good housekeeping.
I’m not talking about the routine administrative stuff like invoicing and file storage that is normally referred to as “housekeeping.” I’m talking about getting down on your knees under you desk to dust beneath power strips.
Taking out the trash and emptying the recycling can are no-brainers; even I don’t need to set up a schedule to make sure that [...]
So, you already know that I wanted an iPad (plus keyboard and case) in order to make me more productive while I’m mobile, and to make it more likely that I’d get out of my home office on a regular basis. My go-bag is now lighter weight and carries fewer cords and other accessories, and I’m finding the battery life on the iPad pretty impressive thus far.
But I’d been a little concerned about glare. I’d been reading for a few years—ever since the first generation iPad was released just over two years ago—about problems with glare on the device’s screen [...]
Cinco de Mayo
I’ve made five tasty pies for
a hockey party.
I was a pie-baking fool on Friday, spending very nearly the entire day in the kitchen in a tart frenzy. I’ve made two key lime pies with Oreo cookie crusts*, one chocolate silk pie with graham cracker crust, one apple pie (pastry crust), and one berry pie (pastry crust). And by the end of the day I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. 
(* The pie dishes I had available were smaller than I’m used to, so I made two smaller key lime pies [...]
Since I’d known ahead of time that I wanted to use my iPad for some serious writing, I did a fair amount of research on various keyboards and cases (and combinations of the two). As with writing apps, much of my homework had been done for me already by other writers who are using their iPads for mobile productivity.
There are more options out there than you’d think, folks. I didn’t run across anything in particular that looked or felt like a “bad idea,” but the case+keyboard combos at Zagg caught my attention early on. [...]
|
Now available!
Valhalla: A YA urban fantasy romp through the Pacific Northwest with Norse gods, hungry Berserkers, a teenaged witch, a mystical tree and even some Voodoo Doughnuts!
"Jennifer is a dream to work with. I've worked with her on myriad assignments and I've always been delighted with her writing. She's creative at coming up with her own ideas as well as excellent at taking direction and suggestions. Her work is crisp, clean and delivered on time and in the correct format and she responds quickly and professionally to any questions. I highly recommend her for any sort of writing project."
Audrey Van Buskirk
Former Editor, The Portland Tribune
Former Editor, The Portland Physician Scribe
Recent articles
- I was anti-gun, until I got stalked
Salon.com.
[HTML]
- Voodoo Sisterhood
Skirt! Magazine. National.
[HTML]
- Day camp teaches bike skills alongside eco-friendly field trips
The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
[PDF] [HTML]
- Shades of the Shoah
Aish Hatorah. Jerusalem, Israel / International.
[PDF] [HTML]
- Goodbye Green Guilt, Hello Change
Christian Science Monitor. National.
[PDF] [HTML]
- St. Lucia Day greets cyclists with treats
The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
[PDF] [HTML]
- Displaced by March Madness [PDF] [HTML]
Christian Science Monitor. National.
- Class Mixes Snow Caves, Sisterhood
Portland Tribune. Portland, Oregon.
[PDF] [HTML]
- Noses Know the Score
Portland Tribune. Portland, Oregon.
[PDF] [HTML]
|
|
