I Am Whoever I Say I Am

Yours truly...!!

The name is Mindy — or Min-D as some friends like to say, or even MSkut (hybrid of my first and last name) — and since you’ve somehow stumbled upon this page, I welcome you to the awesomeness that is my piece of the blogosphere. I’m ridiculously opinionated, yet those thoughts, from big to small, are often stifled thanks to the professional world. Thus, I turn here as often as possible which is lacking lately due to my insane schedule to share the plethora of views, ideas, feelings and commentary about anything and everything. From news items to popular cultures, political issues to TV and music, I nearly always have something to say. There’s also a bit of my personal life thrown in the mix, including my attempts to be a good puppy-mommy and life as another 20-something Yankee living in the southern Bible belt. Trust me, “Behind the Byline” is quite the grab bag experience! …And if you’re already sick of reading “about me,” then now is the time to exit the aircraft in an orderly fashion. If not…

Let’s get a little more personal, shall we?

If you watch “The Office,” you are already familiar with my hometown — Scranton, Pa. Through the age of 21, I resided in the state I affectionately call Pennsyltucky. Four days after my college graduation from the one, the only Penn State University (WE ARE…!!) with two Bachelor of Arts degrees, I packed up my belongings and traveled 600 miles south to the Piedmont of North Carolina, only miles from Charlotte, aka the Queen City.

Nearly four years later, I’m currently living in Davidson, NC — just north of the CLT — with my man friend, also known as “the boyfriend.” Outside my apartment, I spend my hours juggling graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (working toward an M.A. in Communication Studies) and life as a public relations practitioner (of sorts), specifically working for a local town government.

I started a blog “A MinD in MoTown” in April 2008, and, in April 2010, bought my own domain name and switched over to these lovely digs you see here. When I started “MoTown,” I did so as a means of expanding my horizons and moving away from the “woe is me, here’s what is happening in my life” babble I shared on LiveJournal. Instead, I tried out the “hey, look how witty I can be” and the “this is what I have to say about ‘insert topic here’” kind, and so far, it’s worked pretty well, leading me toward this venture of my own .com. But there’s much ground still to cover!

I do well at talking about myself, but I tend to rely on my commentary to allow the personality “Behind the Byline” shine through (did you catch that self-plug? sly…).

NOTE: Once upon a time — in what now feels like another lifetime — I was a journalist extraordinaire who obviously favored a good hyperboles. During that time, this blog was born. My name may no longer grace the bylined newspaper pages, but that piece of me certainly lives on.

Care to know more? Dive into the blog and you’ll quickly discover much more — i.e. my thoughts on religion, the day I chased my dog in my pajamas for nearly an hour, a variety of tunes swirling through my mind and just how deep my love for journalism truly goes, despite lacking a byline these days. And for more insights, simply refer to those fabulous buttons above my photos on the right and send me an email or visit me in the social media realm. ‘Til then, au revoir mes amis!