One final post?!

Yes, I’ve decided to stop posting here at the Diva Platform.  Why?  Well, it’s time for a little change.  Blogs have evolved over the last few years, and I think the more successful blogs focus on some sort of topic–whether it’s cakes or beer or being a mom or secrets.  Unless you’re famous or were an early blogger who managed to gain a large readership just because you were first, it’s hard to find an audience when you’re just a random person writing about random things.

I, being a writer, want to find an audience.  I’ve been throwing random blogs at the interwebs for a few years now, and yet, my readership isn’t quite where I’d like it to be (”quite” being an understatement).  I’d like to shake things up and try something different and see if that doesn’t help my work find a new audience.

Therefore, I’ve decided to start a new blog, and although it will still be partly random and partly ranting, it will be in the form of letters.  Two of the categories on this blog that I love writing are the “Letters” and “Postcards from…”, so I’ve created a new blog called “Your Pal, Jill,” that launches tomorrow.  It will exclusively be letters and postcards.  If I write them to an actual person (say, Mariah Carey, whose letter will be forthcoming), I’ll send them out and see if I get any response.  If I do, I’ll post it.

It’ll be a fun, new project, and I’ll see where it takes me.  I still hope to publish five days a week, but be patient with me.  It may take me a little while to get into a groove.  If you have any tips that you think might be up my alley, feel free to send them to me.  If I get riled up enough, I’ll send out a letter!  E-mail, as always, is jilljaracz AT yahoo DOT com.

So what will happen to this site, especially since I have my resume on it?  Well, it will stay up for a while (read your archives while you can), and I’ll revamp it to be a little more professional.

Thanks for reading the Diva Platform for the last few years.  I hope you’ll join me at the new site!

Hopefully the in-laws won’t get sick of me, lounging around on the couch, watching loads of cable reality TV (must watch “Hoarders“), and heading off to the fitness trail to work out.  I’m looking forward to a restful three weeks–even though I’ll be working as well–because I’m sure when we get back and our East Coast relocation starts in earnest, life will be a might busy.

While I’m gone, I think the blogging may be a little spotty.  I’d like to refuel and recharge a little bit more–even that week I took off, I didn’t really get a chance to take care of my to do list (for instance, my website still needs to be upgraded).  I’d like to experience life a little and come up with a nice little list of bloggable topics.  Oh, I won’t take the whole three weeks off–I’m sure there will be plenty of Floridian idiosyncracies to write about.  I just am going to hang loose a little when it comes to keeping a set blogging schedule.

To be fair, hindsight makes this situation ironic, so you can’t fault Accenture or say they made a big mistake in hiring Tiger Woods in the first place.

The really funny times are when companies make huge blunders and say the dumbest things.  You’d think corporate leaders would be bright enough to keep their traps shut sometimes, but apparently the stupid button gets pushed by even the best of them.  Marketers don’t often do any better….ah, some good laughs in those links for you!

At any rate, it was a little food, a little booze, a few awards, and a talent show.  An awesome talent show.  Talents that ranged from a skater standing on her head to show underwear with “shark” written on the butt, another skater who ripped apples apart with her bare hands, some guitar playing, some burlesque, and the officials, who did a little dance to show off all the referee penalty signals.  It was awesome (of course).  I’m down in front with a couple other stats folks, doing my sexy stopwatch twirling.

Check out the video, but prepare to have your mind “officially blown” (or, if you don’t know derby penalty codes, play along at home).

In a moment of weakness, I said yes.  Forget that I already subscribe to enough magazines.  Forget that I’m moving.  It was a magazine!  With a free subscription!

Ugh.

Now I’ll have to remember to cancel it….though maybe a year of In Style would be fun to get.  What do you think?

I’ve started writing for HowStuffWorks.com, which an old colleague of mine turned me onto.  I’m terribly happy to have the gig–not only is it a good move career-wise, the work is also pretty interesting and right up my alley.  Random stuff to learn?  Figuring out how stuff works?  Sign me up!

So far I’ve written three articles–I’m not sure if any of them have actually published yet though (you’ll hear about it when they do).  The most recent was on a specific type of skin lotion called a mattifying lotion.  Basically, these are lotions that help with oil control and give your skin a matte finish.

One would think writing about cosmetics might be fun, but it’s really about chemistry.  Let me tell you, I certainly struggled with this, seeing as how it’s been ages since my high school chemistry class, and my memories of chemistry class involve spending a lot of time at the teacher’s desk trying to get him to explain the material to me.

Back when I was a researcher, if I had to search a topic I knew nothing about, I’d figure out the keywords and eventually find what would help answer the question.  Now, I actually have to read said material and comprehend it–or at least comprehend it enough to write about it.  I’m on the flip side, and sometimes it’s a bear.

For this assignment, it meant stressing out over not finding much information about mattifiers.  I’d find that they were products, but I’d rarely find out about their chemical makeup.  This was incredibly frustrating and stressful, and all I can say is thank goodness for some Dow Corning white paper I found that went through some skin care chemistry.  After reading it about ten times, I understood a smidgen more and was able to locate other information to help me pound out this article.  A field trip to Ulta also saved my ass.  This great guy who worked at the Benefit counter took me all around the skin care section and showed me different mattifying lotions–which included putting some oil on my hand, then adding a bit of mattifier and seeing how the lotion soaked up the oil.  So cool!

Still, the article took me way more time than I’d planned on, and now that I’m finished with the article, my brain has already reclaimed that space where I put all the chemistry information I learned.  I could tell the second I read the e-mail from my editor saying the article passed muster.  She went on to say something about viscosity and methyls and polymers and some other big chemical-y words, and at that point my brain barely registered them as being in English.

Sigh.  Sometimes it’s tough to admit I just don’t get something, and I don’t think I’ll get much when it comes to chemistry.  Still, I’m relieved to know that I’m able to understand enough about it to be able to communicate it to someone.  For that skill alone, I’m glad to have struggled through this assignment.

So the place is a mess, I’m cold, and I’ve had a good deal of difficult work (including an article involving chemistry.  I am woefully weak on chemistry, even if it is in regards to cosmetic products).  I’m taking everything one chunk at a time, and I hope I can just get through until we go to Florida for the holidays.  And although I hate to say it, this blog may be a little weak over the next couple of days.

Which is sad really, because blogging?  I love blogging!

Luckily, we’re headed to Florida soon.  Being in the warmth may feel more like Christmas to me!

The Boy’s been offered a job outside of Boston.

Yesterday we decided to take it.

It’s not just the fact that he’s been unemployed for 11 months, but this job is a good way for him to switch careers, something he’s been trying to do.  Me?  I can pick up and move anywhere, which is nice.

We’ve spent the last couple of days in the area, checking it out, making sure we could handle living here.  I think we can make it work.  The area is really pretty and charming.  We’d have to get used to driving everywhere–and the roads here are like Ireland’s:  Narrow, lots of stone walls bordering them, and horrible street signage (if the streets are even marked).

Over the next few months we’ll be in transition–even though the Boy starts right away, we get some time to pack up and relocate.  I’ve never done a full-on relocation like this, so it will be interesting, needless to say.