If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Writing for Change

Lately, it’s been difficult to blog about writing. For the past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my business goals. I took a mini-vacation with some friends. And I’ve been spending most of my free time watching coverage of the 2008 elections.

The United States is in the middle of a historical election. Our next White House administration will include either the first African-American president or the first female vice president in U.S. history. The country is divided by partisanship and the candidates are campaigning heavily in their pursuit of wooing independents and undecided voters. My own politics have jumped out of my heart and planted themselves firmly on my sleeve. Each day it becomes more challenging to keep quiet about it. Read more

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A is for Apple

photo credit: Spintwig

So the computer crash of ‘08 is finally behind me. What a week it’s been!

I spent hours online checking prices and specs and finally decided to buy another PC instead of a Mac. The windows computers are more affordable and frankly, I felt like the last thing I had time for was learning a new system.

So Many Choices

After perusing the many options, I settled on an HP tablet notebook, but I wanted to go into a store and try it before buying. The tablets are attractive because you can take handwritten notes, use a stylus on the screen, and also navigate by touch.

In the store, I was impressed by the way it worked but wondered if I would really get much use out of it. Plus, after browsing the aisles, I realized I could get a more powerful laptop and buy a peripheral stylus and tablet for less money. I started over, checking out the oodles of windows-based laptops and that’s when I started getting sick and tired of computer shopping.

Keep in mind I was sticking pretty much to the HP section. The models are so poorly named I couldn’t keep them straight in my head and a couple hundred dollars difference between the various models was confusing because the features were basically the same. What a nightmare.

What Would You Do?

Throughout all this, a very helpful salesman was assisting me and answering my questions. In the midst of my frustration, I finally said, “Alright, tell me this — what kind of computer do YOU have?”

“Me?” He sort of blushed. “Oh, I built my own.”

“Nice,” I responded, impressed. “Is it all tricked out?”

“Yep, it sure is.” Wait, that wasn’t a blush. This kid was glowing with pride.

“Okay, so let’s say you wanted a store bought computer. What would you get?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’d get a Mac.”

All I could do at that point was sigh.

Zen Happens

I walked over to the Mac section and sat down in front of the MacBook Pro. I’d already done the research and knew if I was destined for Appledom, this would be the machine for me.

It was sleek, simple, and easy on the eyes. I blinked and ran my finger across the touchpad. The screen lit up.

And that’s when I got The Feeling.

The Feeling always shows up when I’m in great need. Sometimes it shows up when I’m not. But whenever it appears, I do as it says because The Feeling is always right. It’s helped me buy cars, make career decisions, and gotten me through some tough times. Sure, The Feeling is a little bit like my muse, and has a tendency to run off at times when I could really use its advice. But for the most part, it’s always there when I really need it and that’s what matters.

So I was pretty relieved when The Feeling showed up while I was sitting at the Mac station. Actually, I was so out of sorts from the whole experience, I would have been happy if it had appeared at any station, maybe even Dell.

Okay, not Dell. I may have actually doubted The Feeling if it rooted for Dell.

Deciding Factors

“Apple it is,” I said. And the rest, as they say, is history.

There were a few things that sealed the deal for me.

• Two years no interest means I can afford to spend a little more (thanks Best Buy!).
• All the new PCs have Windows Vista and the older versions of Microsoft Office conflict with it. In other words, I had to buy the latest Office whether I got a Mac or a PC.
• I’m sick and tired of Microsoft. Their software doesn’t work right and they build an operating system on which their own software doesn’t run properly. Could they be any lamer?
• Everyone I’ve ever talked to raves about how well their Mac works. PC users just complain.
• When my intuition rears its little head and starts giving me instructions, I obey.

The Mac Life

I’m not fully switched over yet. I’m still using my old laptop for most of my client work because I’m much faster on the PC than on the Mac. There are some significant differences that I need to adjust to before I can switch over completely. Also, I need some (expensive) software for the Mac and that’s going to have to come later.

Here are the things that are difficult for me with the Mac:

• I miss the HOME and END keys. I use those a lot and really wish the Mac keyboard included them.
• The DELETE key backspaces and there is no BACKSPACE. I liked having both.
• Right click used to be my friend. Yes, I know I can connect a two-button mouse, but then I’m not really adjusting to the minimalism that is Apple. I’m learning how to do CONTROL-click.
• I do not like COMMAND- keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy, and paste. That key is just in the wrong place and CONTROL is in a better location for those shortcuts.
• No games! Where is my spider solitaire? Eeek!

Other than that, I’m loving the MacBook Pro. It feels solid, is nicely designed, and easy to use. I’m looking forward to making the full switch over the next few months.

photo credit: Spintwig

It’s a beautiful thing.

Oh, and I hope you all backed up your computers this past week!

Now, back to our regular blog posts about writing.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Writing and What I Learned in College

After graduating high school, I took a year off, so I could figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I worked, and contemplated my future. One thing was certain, I was going to go to college, earn a degree, and have a career… in something. But what?

When the year was up, I started taking classes at a local junior college, and eventually completed my general education coursework. I was ready for the big time, but I still wasn’t certain what I wanted to study. English was an obvious choice, since I’d been a voracious reader since the age of four, and was already a hobbyist writer. My thinking at the time was that since I was already a well read and active writer, why major in English? My notion was to study something I knew nothing about. You know, expand my horizons.

Once again at a crossroads, and with no idea which road to take, I started exploring. I spent a semester in southern California taking dance classes, then another in San Francisco studying Web design and multimedia. Then, I took a break to spend a few months living in Hawaii so I could clear my much cluttered brain. When I returned, I had made my decision. I would major in English, with a concentration in creative writing. If there was one criteria that my major had to fulfill, it was that it had to be something creative.

Before I knew it, I had earned my degree, and I was ready to enter the workforce.

Jennifer of Catalyst Blogger recently discussed the hurdles that an English major faces in the working world. Her post-college experiences struck a chord with me, because they are practically identical to my own. Her post, A Career in Writing: Four Things My College Education Didn’t Teach Me does a great job explaining why I, and many other English majors, end up working run-of-the-mill office jobs for years, despite that hard-earned degree. Jennifer’s post explains all the things that an English major doesn’t learn in college, and it got me to thinking, well, what did I learn?

I never had an opportunity to speak with a person who had earned an English degree. Frankly, I had no idea how such a degree could improve my future. I knew I’d be doing a lot of reading and writing, but how would I benefit? Now that those years are behind me, and I can reflect on them with objectivity, I’d like to share with you what I did learn in college as an English major.

• I read novels, short stories, plays, and poetry that I never would have if they hadn’t been assigned to me.
• I fell in love with Shakespeare and finally appreciated why he is considered one of the greatest writers of all time.
• A poet must read (a lot of) poetry. Doing so will not have a negative impact on one’s originality.
• I learned how to offer useful and insightful critiques which would help other writers improve their work, but which would not offend.
• I learned how to accept and appreciate feedback and criticism.
• I realized that there is no monetary future in poetry.
• I discovered that the most important element in fiction is its characters.
• I came to understand that good poetry is like fine wine, and only a very few have the palette to know the difference between a novice and a master.
• I learned how to write and format a screenplay.
• I found out that writers are incredibly supportive and generous to one another, and that the writing community is smart, creative, open-minded, and friendly.
• I discovered that college professors are nothing like K-12 teachers.
• I did countless writing exercises, and quickly discovered how these could help improve my writing.
• My writing improved, drastically.
• I accepted that there will always be worse writers than me, and there will always be better writers.
• I learned that a college education teaches you a lot more about life and the world we live in that the skills you need for a specific career.
• I found out a lot of people who attend college aren’t that smart, and plenty of people who never go to college are quite brilliant.
• Finally, I learned that it feels good, feels incredible, to achieve a long term goal. When I accepted my degree, I was beaming.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Next Page »