Welcome to meryl’s notes blog (this here place you’re lookin’ at) in Plano, Texas. We’re honored to be a stop in Mari McCarthy’s WOW! Women On Writing Blog tour. We’re giving away a copy of her eBook, Who Are You? How to Use Journaling Therapy to Know and Grow Your Life. Read on to see … Read more
Born profoundly deaf, Stephen J. Hopson didn’t let that stand in the way of fulfilling his dreams. He landed his first job on Wall Street at a major New York bank. Ten years later, he left this secure position to further his career as an award-winning stockbroker. He made aviation history by becoming the world’s … Read more
My mom bought her Baldwin piano in 1948 with money she inherited from a family member. She always said she’d give it to the first grandchild who expresses interest in piano lessons. It took four grandchildren — the youngest one, too — for that to happen. When my oldest had to pick choir, band or … Read more
As my family prepared to move in our first home, like most people — we had lots to do in the house. To do it all would mean taking shortcuts and buying low-priced items. The result would be less than flattering. The job called for prioritizing to ensure we bought decent quality items. First up: … Read more
What did I do last weekend? (Technically, two weekends ago.) I sat by the pool watching my family swim. I finished Catching Fire. (Four out of five stars.) I cheered on the Dallas Mavericks as I watched the parade on TV in the comfort of my own home. I discovered the newest shows on Broadway while … Read more
Writer confidence comes with experience. Even so, many of us — me, included — let things get the best of us and we lose confidence. “Oh, I’ve been lucky to make it this far.” Or we get scared and fear someone will open the curtain and discover no wizard back there. The writing profession is … Read more
If you do or plan to accept guest posts, it helps to have guidelines before you start reviewing requests. Too many folks have abused guest posting privileges. Besides that, guidelines help you ensure your blog has high quality, integrity and relevancy also known as “keer” or QIR. OK, I made that up 🙂 These guidelines … Read more
I use a pen instead of computer when I write in my journal, sign stuff, write thank you and personal notes, capture reminders on a sticky and make a list. It doesn’t take much for my hand to cramp when entering longer journal entries. The left hand tires easily when writing and I type fast. So … Read more
My first course outside of the classroom happened through old-fashioned mail. The first was a high school history correspondence course and the second in a college-level marketing course that I took after college to learn more about marketing. These worked well for me with no lectures to follow and missed out conversations. Over the years, … Read more
19 high. 8 low. Whoa. Texas gets below freezing temps, but rarely single digit temps. Cold, yes. Affect work, just a little because the kids didn’t have school. It turns out to be a booming YES. This week has not gone the way I expected. I knew extremely cold temps were heading toward the Dallas-Fort … Read more