Archive for “August, 2010”

Freelance Tip #2: Why Bother with Twitter

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Though Twitter has only been around a couple of years, it’s spawned a little industry of books on how to effectively use it — and a big group of Twitter haters. I use Twitter and have for a long time, if we’re measuring time in Internet terms rather than, say geologic terms. Here’s my Twitter [...]


Nathan Fillion and Jon Huertas Drive the Arcimoto Pulse

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

I spent five hours hanging out, drinking beer, eating pizza, and taking pictures at Arcimoto HQ in Eugene, Oregon, to get this story for the New York Times’ Wheels blog. Also, I did not once call Nathan Fillion “Captain Tight-Pants” or describe anything as being “double rainbows all the way” or even “shiny.”


Used Exotic Cars under $50,000

Friday, August 20th, 2010

This list will expand as time goes on, but this particular About.com page gives readers an opportunity to make their own suggestions for used exotics.


What Are Fuel-Efficient Tires?

Friday, August 20th, 2010

According to my HowStuffWorks.com article, they are small, with low rolling resistance. What’s that? Read the article to find out.


Do I Really Need to Replace All Four Tires?

Friday, August 20th, 2010

If you’re a Subaru driver like me — or you have any kind of all-wheel-drive vehicle, from a Jeep to a Lamborghini — the answer, I’m afraid, is yes. You do have to replace all four tires at one time, according to this article I wrote for HowStuffWorks.com.


Freelance Tip #1: Lunch

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Basically, you have two options for lunch as a freelancer: eat in or go out. Let’s explore the options for and implications of each.
Eat in
First of all, do not eat at your desk. That is for sad people with “regular” jobs who have to work in cubicles. You are not that person. You are a [...]


On New Pens

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

During the last session of the Willamette Writers Conference on Sunday, the workshop I was really looking forward to, my pen died. Nothing but dry scratches on the paper. Luckily, I was sitting next to a friend who is also a mom, so she had a pen I could borrow. Moms are more prepared than [...]


On a Change of Plans and Serendipity

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

We have been planning for months on attending an old friend’s wedding out of town. We made arrangements for the dog and put off adopting a kitten. And I made the painful choice to not attend the Willamette Writers Conference in my own city, despite having two book proposals ready to go, plus two completed [...]