Where ktcosmos came from:

Burlington, Iowa, where I got my love of baseball, homegrown tomatoes and raspberries. I somehow ended up in Prescott, Arizona in about 1984. More than 50 years now separate that “little me” seen in the photo in the upper left hand corner from the the grownup Arizona gal I am now (seen right).

Known as ktcosmos (my very first online moniker, chosen on the fly in 1994) online, in person I go by Katie, Mom, Mamaw (grandma), Yollama, Sweetie, McMahon, or Momarazzi, depending on who you’re talking to. By the way, you can contact me at ktcosmos-at-Looseends-dot-net. (You’ll figure that email address out and maybe the spammers won’t.)

How ktcosmos brings home the bacon:

Connecting the threads of my well-enjoyed life today involves a rollicking combination (rivalry?!) of family time and office time: I own two businesses: Loose Ends, a Virtual Assistance company, and a community website about my town, Prescott Arizona.

What ktcosmos likes:
In between work and family activities, and to help keep it all in perspective there’s a lot of knitting, photography, hiking, kayaking, racquetball, reading, caffeine consumption, and, yes, baseball.

In the fifties, I watched the Burlington Bees, seated behind home with my Grandpa. During the 2007 season, was the same seat, but 1500 miles west: watching the Yavapai College Roughriders.

In 2008, I’ll have my eye on the ‘Cats at the University of Arizona.

Back in the fifties, I had a snowcone in my hands. Now, either my smartphone (used for electronic scorekeeping) or my knitting needles occupy my hands during the games.

Here’s a little more about ktcosmos, as a result of the 8-random-and-interesting-things-about-me meme, sent to me by two people: one is friend, neighbor and fellow blogger Linda, from One Acre Wood; the other tagger is the talented Kathie Thomas, who runs the terrific Virtual Assistant–THE Blog About Our Industry, from her base in Australia.

1. I lived in a mobile home when I was a little kid, and I was the pogo stick champion of the mobile home park.

2. When I was 11, I won a pony and had to go on T.V. in Davenport, Iowa to accept my prize.

3. When I was 13 I moved with my family to Manila, the Philippines, where I lived for two years.

4. One time in a tavern in Urbana, Illinois (when I was 19), a guy came up to the table where I was seated with friends and squirted me with mustard from head to toe, and then upended the table. About two months later, in a tavern in Harvard, Illinois, a guy came up to me and smashed a chair over my head and ran out the door. To this day I fear taverns.

5. When I was 39 I learned firsthand about divorce and joint custody.

6. When I was 41, I called up a man I heard was single (I was too). I was his son’s teacher the year before and figured he might be a very nice man since his son was a very nice boy. Six months later I got married to that man.

7. I have changed a tire on my big black Tundra all by myself.

8. I am trying to write a book, but it’s not coming along very well.

9/17/07 Along came two more memes. #1 is explained below:

“You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have. When you are tagged, you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.”

I have two middle names. The shorter one is Ann, I used that:

A – athletic. Someone recently told me I seem to really value athletic prowess. I like to think I value sports because of all the good things playing them have done for me AND because it’s something that ties me to a father I never really knew but who also loved playing sports all his life.

N – nature lover. Requiring no additional explanation.

N – Northwest. Drawn to that part of the U.S., even though I live in the Southwest

Meme #2. This meme consists of ten questions to be answered.

1. If you could have super powers what would they be and what would you do with them?
Cancer zapping. We all have to die, but there are better ways than that.

2. Were you to find your self stranded on an island with a CD player…it could happen…what would your top 10 blogger island discs be?
I can’t list ten; nobody wants to read my ten. And it would have to be my iPod, not a CD player, and anyone who has looked at my playlist knows it would be dominated by Springsteen, Stones, and a bunch of NPR podcasts.

3. If you were a smell what would it be?
Fresh mown grass, but it has to be in Iowa.

4. What bird would you most like to be?
Great Blue Heron.

5. If you were a bird who’s head would you poo on?
No, can’t go there.

6. Are there any foods that your body craves?
Apple pie.

7. What’s your favourite time of year?
Summer.

8. What’s your favourite time of day?
Early morning … right after Don brings me my first really hot cup of coffee and I pick up whatever is on my night stand and start reading.

9. If a rest is as good as a change which would you choose?
Change. Always change.

10. If you could have a dinner party and invite any 5 people from the past or present who would they be? (Living or deceased.)
Well. Robert Downey Junior (living), Henry David Thoreau (dead), Elizabeth Ruffner (living), my cousin Stevie (dead), Cynthia my college roommate (dead), a guy named Mike (living). That should be a really great mix.

In the News:
Colleague Jennifer Schiff just put together a good article for Internet.com, called Jumping on the Blog Bandwagon: Is It Worth the Effort? She gives Loosely Speaking a nice mention in the piece. Thank you, Jennifer.

Virtual Assistants Carve out Niche in Digital World, appeared in the Daily Courier on December 5, 2007.

Kayaking for beginners: First, get a boat, appeared in the Daily Courier on June 20, 2008.

Awards:

Liz Strauss, of Successful & Outstanding Blog, hands these out to people who embrace the sharing sensibility inherent in blogging, and who help to stimulate continuing conversation. Thank you, Liz, for awarding one to Loosely Speaking.

Erin Blasky publishes the VA Coach blog and has recently introduced the Savvy Virtual Assistant Award, or SVA. Erin says of her work today: “My business has changed immensely and things got SO much easier once I figured it out. I figured out the best way to go from point A to point Z with little to no effort. That is why I want to coach other VAs.” I am honored that Erin decided to recognize Loosely Speaking with her new award!