Patrick Erwin's Blog
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Apr.16.2012
NOTE: RedRoom'ers, sorry that it's been so, SO long since my last post.
This subject matter may be disturbing for some readers, so please proceed carefully.
A few weeks ago, on a sunny, cold spring morning, I made a journey from my urban jungle here in Chicago to a rolling hillside in...
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Nov.12.2011
I haven't written about soap operas for over a year, since As The World Turns ended in 2010. So much has happened since then - most notably, the sad cancellations of All My Children and One Life to Live from the ABC lineup.
But there's also been some promising elements in the genre and...
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Jun.15.2011
For the last few weeks, my partner and I have been house hunting. After renting for the last few years, my partner – ever the efficient mathematician – crunched the numbers and decided we would be paying less with a mortgage than we pay now in rent. (This is the same slightly dubious reasoning that...
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Jun.06.2011
I admit it: I am not objective when it comes to libraries. In my opinion, libraries are awesome. They’re great resources of information and very democratic resources (anyone can access them).
They have provided hours of entertainment (and sometimes, refuge) for me. And I love books and information...
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May.16.2011
The main job of any writer is to make sense of the world around them. In my work, I try to help my readers think about ideas and events in a different way. If I'm lucky, I can dig deep enough in a subject to provide context and really put things into perspective.
But even the most experienced...
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5 comments
Mar.18.2011
I admit it: it took me a long time to get over being laid off from my job a few years ago. It was a long period of recovery, and a long struggle with my anger and resentment over what had happened.
To understand why I was so reluctant to let go, I have to explain the dreams, the years and the...
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Sep.11.2010
On this date three years ago, my mother lost a long battle she'd been fighting - with cancer, with her heart, with her entire body. She was 68.
I've remembered her with a blog post in other years and of course, I miss her every day. This year I wanted to remember something specific about her....
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4 comments
Jul.29.2010
Memory is a tricky thing - mostly static, but with a little elastic around the edges. It can stretch and bend and change shape and texture over the years.
I've been neck deep in memory lately; most of my summer has been spent researching my family history. That research has helped me establish a...
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May.21.2010
For me, music is oxygen. I can't remember a time when I didn't have music playing in the background, or running through my head.
Some of my earliest memories are of music. I remember being 2 or 3 years old, baking Christmas cookies with my family and hearing "Cherish" by the Association...
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Jul.17.2009
When I was in fourth grade, our teacher decided to have us all write a little biography of ourselves. Every Monday, a student would post what they wrote about themselves, and other students would add their own words and descriptions.
I'm quite sure I was the only ten-year-old in that room who...
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Jul.07.2009
They put Michael Jackson in the ground today. You know already, of course, since every media outlet in the universe is standing by to share the experience and their opinions about it.
It's not my intention to share my opinion about Michael here. Like most contemplations of other human beings, it's...
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1 comment
Jun.11.2009
I've been following a local Chicago news story that's really captured my attention.
Last week, a pizza delivery driver (Stephen Walker) was severely beaten and robbed outside of a multi-unit apartment building. The attackers made off with his car, which they eventually crashed, taking away Mr....
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1 comment
May.11.2009
Thanks to everyone who's read and commented on my recent batch of job-search related posts.
My most recent post on the topic is also my last one, at least for the time being, for several reasons.
My experience (writing for a company that advertises jobs) doesn't make me an expert.
As the wise...
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2 comments
May.10.2009
The process of landing a job has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Skills and knowledge play a role, of course, but in the end it all feels like a lottery.
I believed for many years the art of hiring someone was all logic. But when I was part of a hiring committee, I was surprised at the...
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1 comment
May.08.2009
So, my last post ruffled a few feathers. I'm sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes. I meant for the post to be humorous and tongue-in-cheek, but I also wanted to make a point.
Whether you see the glass as half-empty or half-full can make a big difference in this job market. Some people might see...
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2 comments
About Patrick
I'm a freelance writer whose work has been published in local and regional newspapers and magazines here in the Midwest. For a time, I was a staff writer for the Web site CareerBuilder.com.
My main topics of interest when I'm writing: pop culture, social...
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