Five things about me

I've taken a lot of time off around here lately. Maybe some of you have forgotten who I am. Also, I'm low on ideas for a post for today, but I wanted to put something up. So, you're going to get some random info about me!

I love selfies, and I don't care if people hate me for that.

ONE :: I have authored and self-published five novels.
The first three are stand-alone works, and two most recent are part of a baseball romance series that will end up being three or four books. I haven't decided yet. We'll see how this third one (which is still in writing phase) ends up. There's a link to my author page on Amazon over on the right side of this page.

TWO :: After years of trying every online dating site available, I ended up meeting my fiance on Twitter.
Really. I used Match.com, OKCupid, plentyoffish, eHarmony, and others I'm sure are slipping my mind right now. But apparently all I needed to do was listen to a local sports radio and tweet into the show after I heard them talking about beer. Voila! Instant perfect match. You can read more about our love story here -- part 1, part 2, & part 3.

THREE :: I adore all animals, but prefer to have cats as companions.
I had four different dogs when I was growing up -- Alex (a boxer pup I've only seen in photos), Peaches (a beagle that was hit by a car before we got to really enjoy her), Mac (a toy poodle who thought he ran the house), and Sable (a doberman who thought she was a lap dog). I loved them all and definitely have fond memories of Mac and Sable. Yet when it was time for me to get my own pets, I chose cats. Mostly, I chose them because they fit my life better. I have always worked some weird hours and long days. That kind of schedule would not be fair to a dog, who needs exercise and potty breaks. Cats are a bit more independent. Mine enjoy my company, but they're fine if I'm gone for long periods of time. In addition to that, I honestly think they just fit my personality better. I understand and appreciate their sassy and independent nature.

FOUR :: I am not using my college degree.
At least not in an obvious way. I have a bachelor of arts in mass communication (journalism). I worked in newspapers for nine years and then ventured into higher education and corporate communications positions. Those did not work out so well for me -- I was laid off twice in the span of seven months -- and I decided I couldn't take anymore rejection and failure. So I work in the insurance industry. That's not going anywhere. I do subrogation, which almost no one understands. Basically, if one of our insureds is in a car accident and is not at-fault, I pursue the responsible party to reimburse us for the damages. Super glamorous. I suppose drafting letters and other correspondence is technically using my degree but I feel very detached from the career I thought I'd have.  I also work part-time as a beertender at a local brewery. So there's that.

FIVE :: I have been blogging for seven years. Here, at least.
On July 11, 2010, I published the first post in this space. It was a Music Monday post and featured a musician that gets a lot of ink (is that the right term?) on my blog. He's one of my favorites. But this really wasn't my first foray into the online blog world. I had a LiveJournal from 2003 to 2007 ... and remain friends with a few people I met there.

There you have it. A little snapshot of me. I'm happy to answer any questions. Maybe they'd give me ideas for future posts.