Frequently Asked Questions
Carol and Muffin sailing away on Syzygy, our (fixer-upper) 26-foot Grampion
sailboat.
Why are you writing a 'FAQ'?
Consider this an experiment, 'Telecommuting Meets Creative Non-Fiction."
I have several clients that I have never met in person. My 'home page' and
this FAQ are an attempt to make me a more 3D-human being for them.
How did you end up in consulting?
I fell into it during graduate school. A month into school my first
customer found me, a classmate who needed coaching in how to set up a database.
A few months later, another classmate needed help with an immunization outreach
project. One thing lead to another and I became hooked.
Graduate school?
I'm from the Class of '89 Downsizing from a large Minneapolis bank.
My division manager warned us in October '89 that the bank's bottom line
wasn't pretty, so I looked for alternatives. I decided to go back to school,
applied and was accepted for the Health Informatics program at the University
of Minneota.
Health Info-what?
Health informatics is variously defined, but in short, it's the application
of computers & information systems to health care.
What do you do for fun?
I don't spend my entire life in front of a computer. I'm a fiber-junkie,
who loves to knit and am a rookie spinner. My treadle sewing machine is
stacked with fabric waiting to be transformed into something wearable. My
hubby and I sail, and especially enjoy the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior,
and the San Juans and Gulf Islands in the Pacific Northwest. This summer
I'm a "citizen biologist" with the Wetland
Health Evaluation Project
, collecting bug & plant samples in swamps.
What's it like working at home?
What's that? Please excuse me a moment. Muffin, do you need to go
outside? Backyard? No?For an extrovert, being self-employed with virtual
clients has its drawbacks, like resorting to imaginary conversations with
the dog. Muffin, get your bone. No, its not dinner time. My office
mate, Muffin, is a golden retriever with an uncanny sense of when to decide
she's starving, like when the phone rings. She's good company -- she listens
to me practice presentations, for example.
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Last updated May 10, 2003 /
calbright@visi.com