netta on August 23rd, 2010

There are a few experiences in your life that change you in a fundamental way. There’s no way to predict how much, and even when you are well-prepared, these changes often take you by surprise. For example, when you are expecting a child, it seems like everyone you meet will tell you having a child [...]

Continue reading about Ruminations on Grief

netta on July 29th, 2010

I have been tutoring a Chinese student in conversational English every single night for two hours a session, since July 4th. It worked out to be a lot more challenging than I expected. What I didn’t consider were the cultural references which are inherent in any language. For the record, I don’t have any formal [...]

Continue reading about Until This Time Next Year

netta on October 17th, 2009

Yeah. Well, that wouldn’t be freelancing. Although I love it and I can’t see me doing anything else at this point, if you think writing and/or editing full-time is a glamorous job, let me put it to you straight. You are outside your mind. It takes Ballz of Steel. Endurance and stamina. A twisted sense [...]

Continue reading about The Glamorous Life

netta on September 30th, 2009

Hear that? It’s the sound of my self-inflicted deadline whooshing by. I missed it by three chapters — no excuses, just paying work has to take priority, gods rot it. I’d set another goal, but I hate the sound of them as they collapse. I don’t want to rush it because I don’t want to [...]

Continue reading about Humping The Hump Day

netta on August 22nd, 2009

Today was the first anniversary of Momma’s passing. Dear Momma, This has been a difficult day. I can hear you in my head telling me to put on my Big Girl Panties, but you and I both know I’m a weenie, and although I *will* put them on, I have to cry, first. You were [...]

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netta on August 18th, 2009

My friend Avery Tingle inspired me to post this after sharing a personal story of his own. A memory like a carpet stain. The thing about carpet stains is you can scrub and scrub the surface, and the stain may fade or go away. You use chemicals, scrub and scrub, sometimes using a cleaning brush, [...]

Continue reading about The Stain Under The Carpet

netta on August 2nd, 2009

Recovery is limping along. The GI tract and I have had many discussions in the last couple of weeks. I’ve agreed to no cold pizza for breakfast, and it has agreed not to torture me with day-long sessions in the bathroom as a reward. I think we’re slowly getting on the same page. **** Stamina [...]

Continue reading about Hodge-Podge

netta on July 24th, 2009

You might have noticed a lag, longer than usual, between posts. I have a very good reason. Honest. Last Thursday, it became necessary for me to make the acquaintance of my local EMT’s and ambulance crew. From there, I was introduced to the local hospital, various doctors and surgeons, and in the journey, I lost [...]

Continue reading about There Is No Friday Fiction – My Excuse Is…

netta on June 27th, 2009

What a sad week for those of us who grew up with Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. I’m feeling really old, right now. The passing of McMahon and Fawcett were a given; both had been ill for a long time. And although familiar with and fond (in a cultural way) of both, it’s [...]

Continue reading about The Passing of an Era

netta on June 2nd, 2009

Wow. And the first days of June. Holy shiznola, where did May go? Let’s take a little stroll, shall we, and fondly remember what did happen in May. I found a couple of copy gigs that have become small eggs in my basket. Not enough to really earn a whole lot of money, but eggs [...]

Continue reading about Wait – You Mean It’s Monday?