Administrative Sparkle

Introduction

I thought I would take a moment to tell you a little about me and what I’m doing here, or attempting to do. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at my About page, it talks mostly about what I have done in the administrative field over the past 20 years.

Blogs

I keep a somewhat extensive list of blogs of my own that I like to keep up with in my feedreader and find myself needing to weed through them. I like to participate when I find interesting information and topics in a range of interests, but managing more than I can possibly get through in any given day can be impossible.

About

I love reading through the About pages because it gives me a better idea of the person who writes the interesting articles I am drawn to. I also like it when they have a picture. The internet can have a way of disconnecting the person behind the writing to being strictly informative or entertaining. It’s about bringing the entire personality off the page for me. Then I feel like I am interacting with a friend.

My Writing Style

That is how I try to write. I try to write in a way that presents my personality and talking to a friend. Sometimes I write about things that are really pretty basic, but I am reminded at work that the things I consider basic is something new for someone else. That is also the reason why I started writing my very own blog. To offer as a resource for other people who do administrative tasks a place where they can get ideas, be reminded of a tool long forgotten that would come in handy again, or find inspiration to take their job to a higher level that makes it challenging and exciting again (or for the first time).

The Job & The Hobby

I don’t make an income from my blog and work a full-time job for the State of California for what I call my “bread and butter” money. What I love to do is write, share what I know, and offer suggestions and resources when they come my way. I enjoy watching my readership grow, and it has been a gradual process. This past month I actually achieved a little milestone of over 100 subscribers. I know, not much, but it is a thrill to have other professionals who look forward to seeing the different ideas and challenges I am presented with come next.

What I feel like is missing, just a little, is a bit of the interaction. When a reader unsubscribes, I must admit, I feel a little crushed. I placed a Contact link on the sidebar so if you want to write to me personally, there is an easy form for you to send me a message directly. If you feel the urge to unsubscribe, maybe take a moment to tell me what information you would like to get from reading here, challenges you are facing that you would like to see covered, or that you find me rather boring – that’s okay too.

Guest Blogging

Currently, I am the only one who writes here. I’ve thought about offering guest blogging opportunities to those who are interested to contribute another perspective on the field. I have also been presented with opportunities to guest blog for other websites. As this is something I have never done, and sometimes I think it is enough to manage coming up with what I hope is interesting information to share with you on my own blog, it is a little intimidating for me. I have been asked by some really great blogs, I have been fortunate to come across and they provide exceptional information for the administrative professional, and wonder if I can do it. After all, when I decide to do something, I want it to be really good work.

Website Design & WordPress

I personally designed my website using WordPress, so if you are interested in knowing what I have done or the plugins I use, feel free to shoot me a personal email asking what works for me. My website and WordPress is continually evolving, so some things I use on the website may change over time. I try to keep the reader in mind and what makes it interesting and easy for you to navigate it a priority. So if you find a feature that seems more difficult than it should be, let me know that too.

Interaction & Participation

I am also making more effort to interact on other blogs that I like. It’s not that I am antisocial, it just takes a lot of effort for me to get myself out there. That includes participating in internet social websites and outside social events. So if you live in the Sacramento, California area, bug me to come out and play if you have something going on.

You would think my calendar would be full of activities as I live right in the heart of downtown Sacramento in the historic district. On a side note, I awoke suddenly this morning at 6:00 am to a band playing for the Shamrock Marathon runners. The route includes Old Sacramento right underneath my window and, at times, it sounded like “running with the bulls” when a large stream of runners came through (it’s St. Patrick’s weekend here and the parade was yesterday, where I get an overlooking front row balcony view).

With the weather warming up, it is almost Spring, there are so many events and activities going on, I have to force myself to get out. I enjoy my downtime when I’m not working, it gives me a chance to get my personal life organized, write on my blog, interact a little with the locals right outside my front door, and even take my little yellow “bumble bee” motorcycle out for a ride. Oh yeah, and go to the gym. Now that I am more settled in, I would like to get out more and cultivate authentic relationships that are outside of my job. Interacting with people who inspire me and I – them, participating with like-minded individuals or are continually growing, being surrounded by an energy that is uplifting and encouraging, and discovering myself in the process.

In Conclusion

What I am saying is, I’m a pretty private person and putting down my barrier a little here. I am more interested in the person and relationships that come from writing a blog. I would love the opportunity to be able to say, “If you are ever in Sacramento or Northern California, hit me up so I can tell you, or maybe even show you, some of my favorite places.” I grew up in the East Bay, so I can even give some suggestions for San Francisco, Monterey, Napa, and Tahoe (I’m not a big fan of Reno).

If you are new to here, Welcome! and I hope you will come back or include me in your feedreader. If you have been following me, Thank You! I really try to provide some insightful information, interject my personality so it feels like you are talking to a friend, and I hope one day that we may cross paths. You inspire me to annoy my colleagues at work to provide me with challenges to share with you.

With great love and appreciation,