I live in a rural part of Northern California that is often referred to as the Appalachia of the West. I have been self-employed all of my adult life. I started as an occupational therapist working in hospitals, home health agencies, the schools, I worked in law offices, indexed trial transcripts for an appellate attorney, wrote custom...more »

I live in a rural part of Northern California that is often referred to as the Appalachia of the West. I have been self-employed all of my adult life. I started as an occupational therapist working in hospitals, home health agencies, the schools, I worked in law offices, indexed trial transcripts for an appellate attorney, wrote custom computer programs before the days of Access, fixed computers, and for the last 10 years, I have been a mortgage broker. I am a real estate broker and in addition to arranging financing, I do a few real estate deals each year for existing clients. I think I have finally found a job that I can see myself sticking with for "the long run" however long that might be.

I have spent a lot of time over the years working on community groups' boards of directors. Water company boards, hospice, homeowners' association boards, our local land trust, the wellness institute, the state park interpretive association, and ad hoc groups formed to support or oppose a particular issue or project. I have worked on 7 different political campaigns and am a complete political junkie.

Right now, i am serving on the board of directors for our association of realtors, and have joined a committee that is forming a nonprofit to advance affordable housing in our area. Affordable housing isn't the same as low income housing--this is housing for people who are working, but don't make enough to buy.

I have always loved to read, and wanted to be a librarian when I was in school. I was so painfully shy in high school that my mother feared I would hide myself in the bookshelves and never have a life. I always have a stack of books next to my bed, but I usually read fiction.

The past few years I have read a lot of Nick Hornby and Sarah Vowell. I like Christopher Moore and J. Maartin Troost's work, also.

My personal motto: Nurture your inner geek. « less