WikiLife

Wikimedal for Janitorial Services, for work on fixing mispunctuated red links. Topbanana suggested I award myself one of these. Although awkward to do this for myself....it's so glittery and shiny. How could I resist, especially since I repaired so many redlinks that I dream about them? ("Click here to edit this dream....")

I've been a registered Wikipedian since May 2004, after reading about the project in a friend's LiveJournal. It didn't take long for an obsession to develop. I enjoy fixing grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors, which is what first got me hooked. Since then, I've moved back and forth between disambiguating pages, fixing redlink errors (Topbanana's reports are like cocaine to me), creating some articles on things I'm interested in, as well as on things I didn't realize I was interested in until I did the research.

I've been an admin since November 2004, so if there's anything I can help with, just drop a message on my talk page.

I'm interested in Wikipedia for more than just the information that's available here. I'm also fascinated by the sense of community that exists, and the myriad of interactions that go on among so many different people with so many different opinions, when the click of an "Edit" button is all that's required to make a change. I am a Mergist: I think there's room here for lots of information, but some topics just aren't major enough for stand-alone articles. If all an editor can come up with is a one-line sub-stub entry, it's probably a) in need of some more research before the article is saved, or b) needs to be a section in a larger article.

Things to do

• research/write Personal flotation device
• research Portia spiders
• Merge pickle gherkin pickling
• Add nest/mound detail to Fire ants
• Merge some of the Barbie stubs
• Expand Play-Doh
• Expand Balsamic vinegar

Articles Created

Gardenia Miniature Schnauzer Virgin Gorda Snellen chart (featured in DYK) Powdery mildew Retinal detachment Anegada Little White House Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test (rescued from VFD) Chili powder Mythopoeic Society Up the Down Staircase Scratching post Norman Island Masking tape Little Sisters Jerry Clower Eddie Rabbitt Pemphigus Nummular dermatitis Angioma Seborrheic keratosis Creeping eruption Dermatofibroma Basal reader Car wash

Major Contribution

Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder (complete re-write) The Wizard of Oz (1939 movie) Kutia Afterimage (Re-write) Blight (re-write of an 1881 Household Cyclopedia article) Bougainvillea Floater Popples (I can't believe I spent a fair bit of time on an irritating saccharine cartoon that I never watched. Wikipedia casts a weird spell!) Van Morrison Prune belly syndrome (a complete re-write of a sub-stub) Mr. Bliss (expanded a 2-sentence sub-stub) Mythopoeic Awards Women on Waves Cryotherapy Ringworm Volcanic ash Meconium aspiration syndrome