Since I’ve decided to shed the SOJO identity, I decided to write the post I should have written 2+ years ago when I started blogging.

Editorial Guidelines

This is my blog, so I’ll write about whatever I want. Most times, that will mean something of interest in the realms of journalism, the media, or the Internet. But I reserve the right to deviate from those topics at will. Alternate topics could include my cats, life in New York City and movies/music my roommate exposes me to.

I will, however, promise to discuss all these topics in a reasonably intelligent manner.

I will not post negatively about any of my employers. I will not post content that has been declared “confidential” by any of my employers. I might remove content that my employers ask me to take down, on a case by case basis.

My views as written here do not reflect those of my employers. On the other hand, they are free to agree with me.

Commenting Policy

I’m a big fan of open commenting. But no spam filter is perfect, so I’ll remove any comment that I perceive as spam.

I’d prefer you not attack any of my employers in the comments, though you may feel free to ridicule me to your heart’s content. I’m a tough broad.

If you commented with something interesting or useful, I’ll probably respond. If I don’t, either your comment was silly or I just didn’t have anything to say. Take it as you will.

My personal contact information is plastered all over this site, so please feel free to e-mail me with anything you don’t think is appropriate for comments, including job offers.

Social Media

I use the handle “selfmadepsyche” across most of the social media sites I frequent. (Twitter, Delicious, YouTube, Flickr…)

My comments on some of these sites will usually be less formal than on my blog. Feel free to contact me on any of these sites.

Conclusion

Mix two parts “my blog is having an identity crisis” to one part mild distaste for rules and you get an approximation of why this was written with so much snark. Add a dash of salt, and take it with the good humor with which it was meant.

I love this space, and I’m still trying to figure out how it should change as I go through changes in my own life. I want to share the things I experience and learn with people who are interested in similar topics. I want to grow as a writer, as a journalist and as a person. I’m hoping you’ll all help me with that.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. My first reaction to being up north was “Holy crap, I can walk outside and not instantly have to take a shower!”

Two weeks after moving into our apartment, it finally feels like home. Took a while to get the couch, bookshelves, refrigerator, desk chair…we’re still waiting on the mailbox keys. These things take time.

There are a lot of new things to take in:

I’ve been doing a lot of job interviews in Lower Manhattan. We live in Kings Bridge Heights, which is almost as far north as you can get and still be in the City. So it takes me about 45 mins to get where I’m going. Then, since I’m already in the area, I spend some time getting lost, taking the wrong trains, window shopping and just taking in the local scenery. I’ve spent hours wandering around Broadway and Canal St. in the last few days.

Our first couple of days here I got really excited every time we had to walk up or down a hill. Gimme a break, we don’t have hills in Miami. (Unless you count Mt. Trashmore.) I’ve learned the truth about hills: walking uphill sucks.

There is also the delightful surprise!-this-is-a-deadend-actually-it’s-a-flight-of-stairs-in-the-middle-of-a-street phenomenon. A street will literally turn into several flights of stairs before turning back into a street. Wha?!

Straws. How come every bottle of Mountain Dew or Becks has to come with a straw? I don’t want a straw. The bottles are too tall for the straws. Since my beverage was sealed until I opened it, I’m really not THAT concerned about touching my mouth to the rim. Straws are just another thing I have to find a garbage can for, along the with the bag and the receipt.

The subway system itself is a magical world filled with the possibilities of getting lost. Really, really lost. Never mind that I’m not familiar with the city, stick me underground and the only directions I’m sure of are up and down. Emerging into the sunlit world once more, it’s only Google Maps Mobile that keeps me from spending even more time wandering aimlessly around.

New York is the dirtiest, meanest and simultaneously most wonderful place I’ve ever been.

2002 - 2004
• Counselor at Miami Museum of Science Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and Summer Camp
  cared for reptiles and birds, performed educational activities with children, 1st- 3rd grades rocketry

In response to my previous post, a reader sent in this:

Of course Megan Taylor becomes Monetary Gal.

Ha! I wish.

A friend sent me this anagram today: New York Times = Monkeys write / Monkey writes.

I’m no good at taking vacations. Relaxation is a foreign state. I need to be working, thinking, producing. But for the last two weeks I’ve found myself to be either immensely frustrated with my work or forced into vacation mode by visitors who just will not let me be productive.

On the other hand, last week I won a promotion at The Independent Florida Alligator to New Media Managing Editor. While I am confident that I can do the job, our web-workflow is changing, and I have to figure out how to maximize the time that will no longer be spent cutting and pasting Word documents into PHP templates. This is both worrisome and exciting.

I’ll continue the Classes in Review series next week, and probably mix it up with some M.E.-type thoughts. Until then, the links will keep coming.

(post title comes from a song by Against Me!)

Check out this “Periodic Table of the Internet” from Wellington Grey. via Neatorama.

The title of this post comes from Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements.”

One of my favorite high school memories was stopping at Dunkin’ Donuts on the way to school. My teachers were caffeine junkies as well, so I’d pick up a couple extra cups for them.

The saddest thing about moving to Gainesville was the sudden lack of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I’ve learned to manage instead with AMP energy drinks, but at least once a week, the craving surges up.

Now, at last, my wish has been granted.

Aha! Found out what the mystery building is. From the flyer:

What is a porch to you? How do you use porches? Yesterday I asked what you thought this construct was. I got a lot of responses, all imaginative, and many, that were not what I was aiming for, but do contain many of the characteristics of space that I intended. My answer to “What do you think it is?” is a double-sided porch. In this building I wanted to create a space that captured the iconic quality of the southern porch, without building a replica. In this case there are two porches back to back to each other. In order to understand more fully how to capture the essence of a porch, I need to know what porch is to you.

I took this photo at the University of Florida in the Plaza of the Americas at 7 a.m. Any guesses as to what it is?