Slightly Unhinged

Me in November 2011

I am an IT contractor and freelance writer currently living on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state with my brilliant and infinitely amusing 15-year-old son and our cats, former rescues that I only half-jokingly refer to as my “fur-children” (much to the chagrin of my son!). Although we’re from the Pacific Northwest, we just moved back here in November of 2011 after living in Arizona for a decade so we are greatly enjoying being back among family and friends in this gorgeous natural environment. There truly is no place like home.

Professionally speaking, I have several years experience as a project manager working on a variety of internet projects, both on a freelance basis and as a contractor or employee of companies such as Microsoft, Google, and many others.  I’ve also spent a few years working in the circulation and advertising departments of major daily newspapers in Seattle and Phoenix.  Along the way, I earned a BA in Social Science from Washington State University and amassed a few graduate credits in business and psychology from the University of Maryland and the University of West Alabama.  For the last few years, I have worked primarily as an independent IT contractor, doing search engine evaluation work for a multinational technology corporation.  I also write content for the web, including sites like USA Today Travel and the Yahoo! Network, among others. Since 2005, I’ve also been building a small business as an Ambassador for Barefoot Books, an award-winning range of children’s books and gifts.  In my spare time, I keep myself busy volunteering for a variety of political, environmental, and social causes such as MoveOn, Freecycle, and a new favorite: Voice of Choice.

On a more personal note, I was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disorder, in 2004.  Although it was difficult for a Type-A personality like me to accept, I eventually had to come to terms with the fact that living with a chronic illness changes your life in many fundamental ways.  While I do not allow myself to be defined by my illness, I cannot deny that the experience has had a considerable impact on my life and is part of who I am as a person. Over the years, I have become involved with patient advocacy and I recently completed training as a Support Group Facilitator with the Lupus Foundation of America. I hope that sharing my experience might be of some help to patients and their families.

I write about things that interest me and since I have a diverse set of interests, I end up writing about a variety of topics.  I appreciate feedback from readers but I usually don’t have the time or energy to argue so if you feel the need to fight with someone, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

So that’s a bit about me.  If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to email me. If you are interested in hiring me for a project, please take a look at my Hire Me page.