I've Been Tagged!

Mindy Schwartz tagged me and everyone that is "tagged" has to answer these 5 questions and tag 5 more people. Let's see what lurks in my psyche, shall we?

1. How long have you been blogging?
I believe it was the beginning of 2006....I remember I was blogging my "countdown" of when I could leave Corporate America. Ahhhhh, the stench of Corporate America is forever seared in my brain.



2. What inspired you to start a blog and who are your mentors?
The beginning of my FULL TIME writing career is what inspired me to start blogging.

One of my mentors is Paula McNeal. She truly showed me that NOTHING is impossible. If you can think it or dream it, then you can GO AFTER YOUR DREAM. Thank you, Paula.





Foster Winans-Ghostwriter, Editor, Lecturer

The fellow to the right is Foster Winans. He is the first well-known journalist to correspond with me and offer to look at my work. And WHOA did he look at my work. He ripped me to shreds, but he did it honestly and with integrity. It doesn't get any better than that.

Here are some snippets of emails he left me (not to mention he even called me on the phone, which almost left me speechless.)

Email Correspondence after sending my work to him:

"I scanned through everything and see that you have a broad range of interests and accumulated knowledge... I am a cruel and heartless editor who has had almost forty years of mistakes behind him, so I consider it my obligation to be honest. That's all it is, honesty. And the crankiness of age. I encourage you to challenge yourself more as a writer, and to be much more careful as a proof-reader...

There is too much starch and not enough protein in your writing. Even someone who is an expert on a subject needs to cite examples, details, stats, anything, to support their argument, to show they know the subject.Your nonfiction work lacks anchor points, and in their absence tries too hard to sound important. You are telling when you should be showing... You sound like a smart person who has an interest in growing. So I repeat–challenge yourself...

I will leave you with my standard homily: it's never a question of "Is it (or am I) any good?" The question should always be, "Is it the best I can make it and, if not, how can I make it better?" Keep plugging away, don't give up!"

Regards, Foster

3. Are you trying to make money online, or just doing it for fun?

Do what for fun??? LOL! Making money is the way to have fun online!





4. What 3 things do you struggle with online?

1. First and foremost, spending too much time on answering or looking at emails. Most of the time I have to MAKE myself get completely offline when I work on a client's project.
2. Secondly, TIME to explore and do everything I should do in a day. It's as if the days fly by...I always wish I had more time to work online.
3. Thirdly, PASSWORDS to everything and anything! I hate it! My memory is shot, and I have to write down or keep old emails of logins and passwords to blogs, and everything else online.
   

5. What 3 things do you love about being online?

1. I LOVE learning new things and finding little treasures along the way as I surf the net.
2. I love the fact that information is at my fingertips.
3. I love corresponding with friends and family instantaneously via instant messaging. I really enjoy getting emails from my friend, Alan in Beijing, China....it boggles my mind when we "instant chat".

I also love doing these little surveys!

Watch your email.....I'm getting ready to tag!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

The Girl Next Door is PSYCHIC

I don't know about you, but I have discovered a new psychic that is quickly becoming more well-known than John Edwards. And, much more likeable too!

Her name is Lisa Williams and she is a spiky-haired, British young woman with a striking resemblance to Liza Minnelli that happens to be psychic. She is amazingly accurate as well as open and friendly to people. The thing that irritated me most was that Edward's machine gun, rapid-fire speech had me straining to keep up with his descriptions and insight. Williams' speech is pleasant and she seems to care quite alot about people and helping them cope with loved ones living on the other side.

I watched Larry King this last week and he had motor mouth Edwards, Lisa Williams and author, actress Shirley MacLaine. I say, let Edwards take up announcing horse races and spend the entire hour on Williams and MacLaine. The two women had so much insight to offer that I found myself transfixed from start to finish. I'm an admirer of Shirley MacLaine for many years as she is quite brilliant as an author and researcher not to mention a master as an actress. Anyone remember her role in "Defending your Life?" her playful approach to poking fun at herself is what I enjoy most about her.

That, and when a guest was confident his theory of energy and time relativity was accurate and Stephen Hawking's theories weren't. MacLaine's subtle roll of the eyes was priceless.

Alot of people like to play "Who Would" with each other. As in "Who would you like to have dinner with most?" or "Who would you like to have for a sleepover?"

Thinking back to my girlhood days, I would most like to have Lisa Williams over for a slumber party. I bet she would have more to offer than trying to levitate the other girls in the party or telling a scary story with the lights out and a flashlight on under her chin.

More Musings Later- OOOOoooommmmmmmmmmm

Just a "Friendly" little Poker Game

Every once in awhile, I like to go to this pub I know of where they play poker in the backroom.

It's a beer only joint and the people are really nice. Now, as you can imagine, the place has been around forever and the clientelle are an older group of folks, which suits me fine. Well, this last Saturday night, I dragged my partner to this game. She called a friend and they drank beer and watched tv in the bar area while I got my fix of Texas Hold'em.

So, I see the small group of men moving into the backroom. They are lighting up their cigars and cigarettes and counting chips as I move in with them. The men have accepted that I am a bit "different" then the rest of the gals that frequent this place and in their best 'don't ask, don't tell' liberalism, we all get along just fine.

So, I belly up to the poker table and begin playing. I was having an awesome night. People were starting to pour in to the room to watch us play. I eliminated several regulars by catching an incredible River card. Moans and groans are heard loudly as I scrape the mounded chips in the middle of the table toward me.

Now let me set the scene: Most of the regulars can't remember my name, so my nickname is "Baby Girl". I always silently chuckle at that term, cause I am anything but.

Well the oldtimer I was playing wanted to win. BAD. He kept offering me some money to stop playing poker and let him win. Nope, I wanted to play a complete game.

Then it happened. It's as quiet as library when the flop comes down. He looks at me and says, "I bet 2000 chips". He stares at me to show he's all business.

I pause and the oldtimer says, "Baby Girl is about to fold!" and he hoots and has already spent his winnings.

"All in," I replied quietly.

He stops in mid-crow and stares at me. the Turn and the River are flipped over and I throw down my hand.

The whole room hollered and whooped it up cause "Baby Girl" beat the oldtimer. The oldtimer has a hard time accepting this and is even calling me by my real name. That's not a good sign, calling me Taryn.

So, after alot of talking, alot of handshakes. I went into the bar and sat next to oldtimer. He wouldn't look at me. I asked the bartender, "Buy him one on me, ok?". He grits his teeth and nods his thanks.

I sat there for a few more moments and knew my winning wasn't worth this. I knew I could do it and I did. So I took out my winnings of my pocket and pushed it toward him. He looked at me dumbfounded and said, "What?"

"Take what you believe is fair." He looked at me for a long time and reached for my money. He thumbed through it and split it 5o/50. I nodded and he was happy. "Thanks for the beer, Baby Girl".

With all my differentness and all his conservative beliefs, this much I learned about poker that night:

"You got to know when to fold'em, and know when to pick your battles".





More Musings Later-

Bill O'Reilly, looking out for us?

Why is it that television hosts, authors, political strategists and the like feel the need to "look after America?"

Bill O'Reilly even wrote a book stating that he was looking after us. Excuse me, but I have a brain and use it on a regular basis. Just because Mr. O'Reilly has certain ideas and beliefs doesn't make them correct. They are opinions which is his right, in America. It doesn't mean he is the voice of reason, intellect or even sanity.

He behaves much in the same fashion as a 12 year old boy these days. Good Lord, he even sent his producer and cameraman down to a Barnes & Noble book signing to disrupt Rosie O'Donnell's booksigning of "Celebrity Detox"

Hey Bill, you want Rosie on the show, try asking her on. If she says "NO", then ACCEPT IT.

You see, if people looked a little deeper, they might be inclined to see that it's not about "Looking after us", it's really about "Looking after Bill". Is it rating sweeps already??

Get over yourself.

More Musings Later-