Writing Skills - Important to Note

I have strong skills within technical writing and communication, and have scanned, transcribed, and proofread medical press releases for a medical journals at Knolls Publishing Group, a small business firm that was sold to a larger company. I have transcribed legal documentation for law firms and set up technical manuals with coding for computer language to streamline repetitive keystrokes for the administration.  I have also lent my transcription services to manufacturing professionals and actuarials. My services were performed during a time in which document retention was not the simple task it is today. Indeed, I regret not having retained hard copies of most of my medical work as an editorial assistant.

Note: My transcription work went into medical journals including dermatology, oncology, and managed care.  

 

Anniversary - 9 years!

Nine years ago yesterday, May 26, 2010, Ken and I made a commitment to each other in front of family, friends, and God. It's been wedded bliss ever since!

(I know this really doesn't fit in with the "Opportunity & Technology," but until I can figure out how to create and edit another heading, it'll just have to stay put.

Same goes for the American Idol commentary. :) I *do* have a light side, as well.)

American Idol

Last night's American Idol was a mix of talent and emotions for me. I thought Janet Jackson rocked! Her talent is vast and her choreography Rocked! She made me miss Michael even more. I didn't care for Christina's choice of songs, but her voice is very good and she looked presentable - sexy but not ridiculous. Gotta give the "Pants on the Ground" fellow (name not on the tip of my tongue) credit, too. I really like the song. It speaks to my strong dislike of the underwear-hanging-out-of-the-pants fad - and the guy's in good physical shape. Personally, I thought Paula's tribute to Simon was too long with too many wide gaps in between. Made me uncomfortable for her. That was embarrassing. I'm finding the comments on Facebook pretty interesting. I enjoyed Chicago then and now, Joe Cocker, too. Hall and Oates could've chosen better songs from their repertoire, but they were still good. That's it for now.

Congrats to Lee! I still LOVE Crystal Bowersox!! She rocks, too! I particularly love the Janis Joplin flavor she brings. I loved JJ, too.

A little background

I've had a series of crises in my life since approximately late 2003 when I was told (under rather dubious circumstances) that my brother was ill. Really ill. I discovered he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was the oldest of the four of us, which included two elder sisters. God rest his soul, he was a lifetime smoker and I guess it had finally taken its toll on him. But don't be fooled by that news. I have known other people who never smoked and succumbed to lung cancer. The news about my brother was essentially the beginning of my "crisis" state. During that time, a maternal cousin of mine had lost her battle with a brain tumor. I spent many summers down south with this cousin in my teen years and to say this affected me greatly is an understatement.

Just months after that, and during the "digestion" of the news about my brother, I received another phone call. My maternal aunt, Mom's only remaining sibling, had died of congestive heart failure. Wow. Since we were separated by many states, I wasn't privy to all the details. So picture this. The situation is such now that three family members were at my doorstep delivering tragic news. Mind you, my mother, by this time in her 80s, was dealing with health issues of her own. Concurrently, I had been an active student at community college studying and preparing for my Associate in Applied Science degree in Graphic Design. The stress level had really mounted. Being in the "meat" of my discipline by now, I wound up having to extend some courses through the summer, but graduated in May of 2004, with Honors, just days after my brother's service. Life was certainly beginning to show me a series of emotional situations, bad tempered with good. Ken and I decided that advancing to university-level studies would be a positive thing for me. I was accepted to William Paterson University, and in the fall of 2004 started my studies.

Mom had been receiving excellent home care for 11 months when the money ran out. In early 2005, faced with another difficult decision, she had to be put in a nursing home. She subsequently passed on in the summer less than a week before my finals. During her stay there, necessity dictated that Ken and I also look to purchase a house. If you're thinking that it's going to calm down for me soon, think again. We settled on a house and closed about 10 days after my mother's funeral. Even though this may sound like a soap opera, this is all real and true! Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Several months pass and we're now into the summer of 2006. This time, I get news that an aunt on my father's side was diagnosed with another form of cancer. She was the last surviving blood member of that generation. It wasn't long before I was at her wake, as well. Literally just weeks after her passing, my sister Margaret announced she had breast cancer. None of us will ever know when she discovered the problem. She called her daughters/my nieces from the hospital the morning of the day she decided she couldn't control the bleeding and needed special attention to tell them. SUPER HUGE WOW. For all of us! Margaret may have literally been my sister, but she was figuratively my mother. From as far back as I can remember, we always shared a special closeness. Hence, this occasion was monumentally devastating to me. The minor aspects of this event were what caused me to, once again, extend four university-level classes into another semester, and adding on four additional classes. I wound up having to take an eight-class semester the Spring of 2007. All things considered, it was nothing short of atrocious.

Opportunity! and Education

The purpose of this blog is quadruple-fold. It is meant to be therapeutic, informational, educational, and to help others in the same or similar situation. My goal is to expand my knowledge of online marketing, website development, and management.  I have created, developed, and maintained two websites since 2002: http://ginnyza10r.tripod.com/, and http://stanhopepresbyterian.org/.  Also of interest to me are Search Engine Optimization, Social Marketing and Networking, and today's technology in general.

I love technology!


Background
In 2001, after many years in Corporate America, the last several working in large, high-tech companies, and with the aid of my husband, I felt the timing was right for embarking on furthering my education. I first went to county college and did so well (Honor Student, Dean's List) that my husband and I decided it would be best for me to attend university. I never could have anticipated the great joys or the deep sorrows that were about to happen in my life during my college years. I will expand on this a bit later.  Note:  Please refer to "A Little Background."

This is a brief account of what I have done in between my decades in the workforce, college, and back into the workforce. I have been employed as a temporary, updated my websites, taken many photographs of my travels, reworked/edited HTML code for my websites, taken on opportunities as a freelance artist, and organized my work in preparation for exhibits (the list may be viewed on my website, Ginnyza10r (link above)).  My work includes all phases of graphic design, i.e. drawing, painting, brochures, business cards, posters, print work, et al.

I follow Tory Johnson, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Oz, Oprah, and others on twitter.com; www.twitter.com/GinzArt1000.


My ultimate goal during my short existence here on this planet is to help improve the lives of others with whatever gifts may have been bestowed upon me in this body in this lifetime.  This is just the very TIP of the iceburg for my blogging "career", as I would like to communicate by any means with others on a professional level. So please stay tuned...