About Cheryl Lloyd

So who am I? Well, I am an oddity in some ways. On a good day, I've been described as an 'optimistic cynic'. I don't believe that I'm anything more than 'average'. My talents in writing and web design are constantly improving; I'm learning new things every day. I figure I'll be 'above average' only when there's nothing left for me to learn about anything.

I am, among other things, a writer. I dabble with graphic arts, desktop publishing and web design. When I sit down and pay attention to what I'm doing, I'm not a bad photographer.

I'm curious about many things, archaeology, forensic sciences, languages and words, and patterns. Oh, not necessarily sewing or needlecraft patterns (well, that, too), but how do things and people fit together? Why is the answer 42?

The majority of my education has been in non-formal environments - correspondence courses (ICS and Long Ridge Writers' Group), 'at your own pace' courses in Audiovisual Techniques and New Media Communications, or through extensive reading and work experience.

I have worked as a waitress, a taxi driver/dispatcher, an aircraft mechanic, a security guard, and as a clerk in a tea and coffee brokerage. I've done data entry/collection work and worked with race and show horses and polo ponies. 30 years in the workforce permits that sort of diversity, you know.

To my astonishment, quite a few people ask for my assistance with their PC computers, even though they know I'm more familiar with Apple products. I can read a computer programme - at least, I can usually decipher what the programme is supposed to do - but I have a long way to go before I can write my own programmes. In some ways, computer programming, or even writing HTML, isn't much different from what I learned of aircraft repair. The words may be different, but troubleshooting problems in both still requires the ability to think in a straight line - cause and effect. To quote my favourite instructor, "How do it know?" Once you understand that part, troubleshooting is easy.

A final piece of information about me. I learn new things quickly, and if I don't know something, I make sure I know where to find the answers.

Cheryl Lloyd