These archives are a select number of publications that I wrote dating to the way, way back, and that I still find relevent and enjoy reading. Please note that I've removed all of my old WordPress and tech-related posts, so if you're looking for that awesome Gravity Forms showcase or my breakdown of TCPDF, I'm afraid I'm no longer your gal. Enjoy!
Around this time last year, I abruptly found myself with a lot of time on my hands and little motivation. Candy Crush Saga became a welcome companion and the perfect distraction. After a couple of weeks, something unexpected happened. Through the repetitive and seemingly mindless activity of crushing candies, I began to observe things, familiar…
On June 21, I had the pleasure of speaking in front of a packed room at the Estrel in Berlin, for the 7th annual WordCamp Europe. Below is the full transcript of my talk entitled, Doing It Wrong. Or you can watch the full talk on WordPress.tv. I was interviewed by a local media outlet…
I was seventeen and class was being held outside, under the tall pines at Fort Miley near Land’s End, atop sharp cliffs overlooking the ocean. We sat in the shade of those trees, their dried needles creating a billowy cushion on which we formed a circle and discussed the day. She was upset, though that…
My parents collected wine for as long as I can remember. In the apartment I grew up in on Noe Street, they built a wine rack in the hall closet that could hold upwards of 80 bottles, though it was never full. When I got to that curious age of wondering what the fuss with…
On several occasions in the months leading up to WordCamp Europe, which was held a few short weeks ago in Paris, people approached me to say that they’d heard things weren’t going well. “Oh?” “Yeah, I’ve heard that organizers aren’t happy,” was the short version of what I was told from these people outside of…
“OMG it burns!” The pain shot up through my right nostril and landed squarely an inch above my right eye. I wiped the water off my face and with only my left eye open, peered around to see what was happening nearby. Sure enough, I was not alone. Others were having similar bad experiences to…
“I heard there was an incident,” I lead in gently. He was calm, lying back on his bed petting the cat curled up on his side, “Yeah, she was being disrespectful, and I told her as much.” “She was really upset; she was crying pretty hard,” I probed. “That’ll do her some good.” His words…
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” ―Ansel Adams When I was heavy into photography, what I loved most was the process. Starting with that first moment I looked through the lens, framing the scene around me from my unique perspective. Certain details would interpolate me: a shadow, a reflection, a mood. Certain angles…
One of my favorite metaphors for life is that part during the airline pre-flight safety demonstration when they say, “In case of cabin depressurization, an oxygen mask will drop from above.” No, not that part, the part afterward when they say, “Make sure and secure your own mask before helping anyone else in need.” Make…
“It sounds like you don’t know what you want.” He wasn’t wrong, but his words stung and I sat in silence holding back tears until we pulled up in front of the house. I had gone on a day trip to Mazamitla with a new acquaintance, an American from Arizona who sold some kind of…