Category — Knowledge Center

photo by okaycitynate
Yes, this is how you write. Sit in front of the computer like this long enough and suddenly there will be 1,000 words on your screen. I swear.

There’s one question I get asked more than any other, and it’s this: How do you have such gorgeous hair?

Kidding. I actually have pretty sucky hair. I got my mom’s thin locks while my sister stole my dad’s thick hair. I spend hours a day trying to coax body into this mane while my sister takes her thick, Pantene hair and throws it up into a messy bun. Go figure.

So the real question I get asked all the time is: How can I become a writer? There are more answers to that question than I’ll give mainly because if I’m going to reveal the secrets to the universe I’m going to do it in book form. Or, you know, I might just feel like I’m not one to advise on the subject.

To set things straight, I’m a writer. I have been since 2002. Well, I’ve been a published writer since then; I think I always considered myself a writer. I’m a journalist, but I’m not a writing rock star. I don’t write for the New Yorker or The Atlantic, and there aren’t Pulitzer’s hanging around my house. (But if there were, they’d be locked away in a safe that was hidden beneath my bullet-proof floor boards.) That’s my disclaimer.

After eight years—sheesh, I didn’t realize I was so old—I’ve come to realize there are four main steps to being a writer.

1. Read. As kids, we learn grammar and vocabulary by reading. But it’s also the way we learn how to structure sentences and how to tell stories. As adults, it’s still the best way to improve your writing. Read sucky stuff and learn what you don’t like. Read the good stuff and mark up what you love.

2. Write. Aside from the fact that’s it’s physically impossible to be a writer without actually writing, it’s one of the best ways to improve your ability. Look back to something you wrote five years ago. Do you see mistakes or faults? I do, and that’s because I’m constantly learning, constantly writing, and always improving. Practice is how I get there.

3. Pitch. The only way someone is ever going to find out about your awesometastic writing is if you show them. So if you want to be a journalist, query online magazines, big sites, or your local newspaper. By doing small work first you can bypass journalism’s catch-22: “We only publish writers who have published clips.” Start small and build clips, then pitch to larger pubs.

4. Grow thick skin. Writing is as much about rejection as it is about words, and that goes for newspaper and magazine journalism as well as book publishing. You’re going to get rejected. Period. So move on and don’t think it’s about you. It’s not; it’s just the way things are.

That’s it. Sure, there are a gazillion other tips I could give you about researching the newspapers and magazines you’d like to write for, or about reading about journalism to learn the industry. Or interviewing, or researching, or finding the best details. I could talk about pacing and suspense. Or why understanding format (say, the inverted pyramid for hard news) and style (is it internet or Internet?*) are so important. But it all boils down to this: Read, write, and get your work out there. Then push through rejection until you hit success.

Any questions?

*It’s Internet, by the way.

photo by sarahfelicity

Hmm, life apparently goes on after Lost. Go figure.

Aside from feeling exhausted after my Lost marathon last night, today was pretty good. It was the first day in almost a week that I didn’t have a mind-blowing headache. And I use that word negatively. As in I was two seconds from blowing my mind to smithereens.

(On Friday, I know I made it home from work but I’m ashamed to say I drove with that headache. I think it would have been safer to drive with a few beers and six shots of vodka in me. I was so out of my mind from the pain, I had an entire conversation with my mother but can’t remember anything. Except that she thanked me for something.)

Whew. Thank goodness for Monday. I should tag this post Things I Never Thought I’d Say.

So, in honor of my head pain–free day, I wanted to share a stretch that is so awesome you’ll wish I wrote about this years ago. (That wouldn’t have been possible, of course, because I just learned about it a week ago. And because I wasn’t blogging years ago. But you get the point.) [Read more →]

photo by migraine chick
Funny, that’s how I feel.

I was just wondering what to write about today when the idea struck. It hit me right in the face—between the eyeballs, if you really want to know. No one told me this is what it felt like to be visited by the muse.

So, what better topic than headaches. (No, we won’t discuss the perpetual headaches in your life. We’ll get to kids and husbands at a later date.) Instead, I thought I’d provide you with a list of ways to get rid of a headache. I’m practically an expert after all. Lucky me.

1. Meds. Kind of self-explanatory, huh? Here are my thoughts on headache meds: They’re great if you get a headache once a year or even once a month, but when your skull is on the verge of exploding weekly these probably won’t do much. Take it from me. Excedrin loses its potency if you pop it all the time. Ahem, not that I used to do that or anything. On the flip side, now that I’m not taking any anti-inflammatories (because I’m getting PRP), one dose kills my headache on contact.

2. Sleep. Sure, you say, it’s not easy to get to sleep while little gnomes try to drill through your skull from the inside out. But if the room is dark enough and quiet enough you might be able to lull those brain gnomes to bed at the same time as you. Things go faster if you put a cold wash cloth over your eyes.

3. Shower. A long, hot shower sometimes makes my ache disappear … or at least die down a bit. If I follow this with a nap, I can usually cut the pain in half. Usually. [Read more →]

photo by foundryparkinn

You can’t see me, so I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I write these posts hunched over my laptop. If you stare hard enough, I’m sure you can see a lopsidedness to my shoulders. That, my friends, is due to the twisted knots in my muscles.

I wouldn’t say I look like Quasimodo, but that’s how I feel. You see, while I’m at work I’m multitasking. I’m building great big knots in my shoulders and back and neck. It’s not an easy task, but if you work at a desk long enough you pretty much become an expert.

When the knots get big enough, you can try to massage them out. That works for a little bit, but nothing—nothing!—beats an honest-to-goodness massage. I should know. I grow shoulder knots like I’m getting paid for it.

The first time I got a massage, I thought I died and went to Heaven. Now that I’ve gotten a bunch more, I know that’s exactly what happened. So I can totally understand why researchers who analyzed a bunch of studies found that massage can relieve symptoms of depression. It’s. That. Amazing.

(In all seriousness, it’s hard to really determine the effects of massage in studies because you can’t really blind the participants. There’s no such thing as fake massage.)

Though it has nothing to do with the study, I’m pretty sure massage can also relieve the symptoms of stress. I conducted a study with me, myself, and I and lemme tell ya, I felt muuuch better.

Since I’ve had a lot of massages in the past, I thought I’d impart some massage wisdom. And then I’ll take up a donation for my next rubdown. (I have no shame, people. No shame.)

[Read more →]

photo by mona rocks…not

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. The Man and I spent Easter at his brother’s house where we watched my nephew stuff so many malted milk eggs into his mouth that he spent the evening with a blue mustache and goatee. Ah, the lure of candy hidden in eggs.

So today I thought I’d give you the blow-by-blow on allergies. If you don’t have allergies this time of year, most people probably hate you. Don’t worry too much about that. They’re really just jealous.

But if your allergies attack as soon as trees start budding, find out what’s really going on. It’s not pretty, people.

What are allergies?
I’ve never seen one—they’re sneaky little bastards—but I did some digging and found that allergies are really little gremlins that attack at night when your windows are open. You might be thinking you’re letting some fresh air into your cigarette-smoky apartment, but you’d be wrong. You’re really inviting a bunch of little allergens into your room. For the unfamiliar, here is a scientific rendering of an actual allergy… [Read more →]

photo by didbygrahams
I’ve got it! I’ll start the no-corners diet.
(And, um, pretend there’s an apostrophe in that It’s. Tsk. Tsk.)

Let’s talk about diets today. (No, I’m not going on one. That would be laughable if you saw what I ate for dessert last night.) Nah, I wanted to chat a bit about crazy diets because Wren brought up a good point on this post. She said she’s used to hearing a commercial while on hold with the VA Medical Center—I say she’s lucky it’s not Muzak because there’s nothing like Muzak to put you asleep before you get to make your appointment.

Anyhow, Wren said the commercial goes something like this: “Did you know that if you cut 100 calories a day out of your diet, you’ll lose 10 pounds in a year?” So, she wonders, “Is what the VA says true?”

Glad you asked.

For all of the diets out there—no carb, no sugar, no fun, and so on—we lose weight in a pretty simple way. (And, by the way, did you know there is an eat-for-your-blood-type diet? I’m not sure if this is just riding the Twilight wave, but it’s a little out there. If it takes off, though, I might create the eat-for-your-DNA diet. Darn, someone already thought of that scam diet.) Here’s the deal: 3,500 calories equals one pound. So in order to gain a pound, you’d have to eat 3,500 more calories than you burn. And to lose a pound, you’d have to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat.

[Read more →]

Photo by it’s life
Put a sweater on that girl!

Ah, winter. The season of inconvenient snowstorms, whipping winds, and booger icicles on all the good little boys and girls. What’s not to love?

Hmm, lemme try: A record snowfall killed my pre-Christmas holiday plans with The Man’s family. The air is so cold it makes my eyes water and keeps me locked up indoors like Rapunzel. The sun sets before I ever leave work for the day. Oh, and my knuckles look like I got in a fight with a concrete wall. (Wall: 1; Me: 0)

Yep, I’m talking about dry winter skin. If you don’t have it, you spend the months of December to April somewhere annoyingly warm and sunny like Arizona, California, Hawaii, or anywhere in the Caribbean. (No, I’m not jealous. Really. Swear.)

For the rest of us, icy air + forced heat = red, flaky, sandpaper skin. Sounds sexy, huh? Here are a few ways to fight back:

[Read more →]

photo by sachmanns.dk

Everyone needs more D. That seems to be the consensus of doctors, scientists, nutritionists, moms, and anyone else you talk vitamins with. You could say 2009 was the year of vitamin D.

Why D?
A study presented at the November conference of the American Heart Association found that the participants who had low levels of vitamin D in their blood were nearly twice as likely to have a stroke or die from one. They also had higher rates of coronary artery disease and had double the risk for heart failure.

In another study this year, researchers who measured athletes’ jumping ability found that those with the lowest levels of the vitamin didn’t jump as high as their peers, suggesting D is important for muscle health.

And in 2008 a leading pediatric group suggested kids get double the typically recommended dose of vitamin D—that’s 400 international units (IU) per day.

Also included in the vitamin D research: It protects against rickets in children, may lower the risk of type 1 diabetes, cancer, the flu, multiple sclerosis, and the common cold. Then there’s the oldie but goodie: It helps calcium prevent bone loss.

[Read more →]

photo by deleted.scenes
What, you don’t wear this to work out??

Yesterday I gave you some tips for preventing killer knee pain. As much as I’d love to have a fellow chronic pain sufferer (it gets lonely here in Gimpville), I don’t want any of my uninjured readers to feel the crunch, crunch of cartilage damage. So I hope you really take the suggestions to heart.

As promised, I’ve listed some stretches and exercises that can combat too-tight or weak muscles. Or both. Next time you hit the gym or open road, don’t assume running or biking or ellipticalling (Is that a word? Now it is.) or doing any other cardio workout is enough. Those exercises work muscles, but not every muscle. By strength training them you can make sure you don’t miss any key muscle groups and create imbalances.

QUAD
Strengthen It: Try leg presses. Work one leg at a time to challenge each leg separately. Do three sets of 10 presses on each leg.

HAMSTRINGS
Strengthen It: Do hamstring curls. I wrote all about it here, so check it out.

Stretch It: Lie on your back with one leg stretched out in front of you and another lifted into the air. Loop a towel around the ball of your raised foot, and straighten your leg. (Men should slightly bend the leg.) Pull the towel toward you so you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Hold for a count of 30. Repeat three times, then switch legs.

[Read more →]

photo by yuan2003

I know what you’re thinking: “You’re broken and all, but my knees work just fine. How do I prevent hobbling around like you?”

Glad you asked. If there were one thing I’d go back and tell my younger self—you know, if someone built a time machine and I somehow got a turn in it—I’d force her to focus on preventive measures. Misery loves company, but I don’t want you to join me in my chronic pain journey. Instead, I want to help you thwart future pain in your knees. Here’s how:

Get to Know Your Feet
Normal arches are actually not that normal. Go figure. Lots of people are like me, with feet that roll inward thanks to low arches. (Some have too-high arches, which brings a host of other problems.) Flat feet can change the mechanics of your whole leg; when your feet roll inward, your knees follow. And a knee that rolls inward no longer tracks along its smooth path. If you have flat feet, prevent maltracking by getting a pair of orthotics. The shoe inserts will shift your stance and help re-align the leg’s position.

Wear Smart Shoes
It’s also important to wear proper shoes. As much as I’d like to believe all shoes—even cheapo Payless ones—were created equal, my knee pain has convinced me that quality matters. A good pair of shoes can give your foot the support it needs, whether you have flat feet or high arches. Plus, ill-fitting shoes can alter the way you run, which in turn puts you at risk for injury.

[Read more →]