Meet Y!CN Contributor Pattie Byrd

Pattie Byrd arrived on the original Associated Content in March of 2009. She is southern born and southern raised. She resides in the great state of Mississippi, a state that has seen its share of difficulty in recent times. As such, let us all pause a moment and offer a prayer or a moment of respectful silence for Pattie, her family and all those Missississipians who may have been impacted by the natural tragedies that have unfolded there.

Pattie prides herself on her humor. If you are familiar with her work, I am sure that you will agree that she has quite a funny bone. She also has a serious side to her and she writes on subjects such as war and poverty. Both her Aunt Lottie and Ramblings from the Byrd Nest series are always fan favorites.

Whether you are from the East, West, North or South I urge you to familiarize yourself with Pattie Byrd. I know you will be glad that you did.

It took a few sessions and a storm or two before this interview was wrapped up. Pattie, I appreciate your patience in waiting for this interview to be published once it was completed. I left this exchange that Pattie and I had before our actual interview started. I think it serves as a nice transition into the interview itself.

1. I got bounced out.

Speaking of page views, I thought it was funny a while back because I was unable to write for a while in December and January, and I actually gained new fans. Think they were trying to tell me something?

2. They wanted you to come back.

One of the funniest comments I ever had was left on a Ramblings column that was a bit longer than normal. A lady said, "I'm glad it's over." LOL I didn't know if she was talking about the column or something in the column.

It's difficult to know what people will enjoy. I've done what I call research articles, especially when I first started, but I found that if I have to spend most of my time reading about something, I don't enjoy the writing as much. I found entertaining people with a little humor is more my cup of tea. Making a little money doing it is nice, but truthfully, I love the creative end of it. When I write something that makes me laugh out loud, it makes me feel good about myself. If others enjoy it, too, that's a big plus.

3. How did you first discover Associated Content from Yahoo?

Someone I knew was writing on AC, so I checked it out. I was always telling another friend funny stories about things going on in my life, and he kept telling me I should start a blog or something. I signed up for AC but didn't write for a while. Most of the things I read were informative articles, and that's not really my thing. One day I discovered Nancy Canfield, and that's when I realized I could write humor. And thus, a career was born. So I figure for those who like me, they can thank Nancy. For those who don't, they can blame her.

4. Can you share with us, who it was that was writing on AC at that time that sparked your interest?

My friend 's name is Allen Bell. He wrote a series of reviews about tourist places in the Colorado area, along with articles about getting in foster care of children. I don't think he publishes much anymore.

5. Its been a couple days past the two year mark of publishing an article on Associated Content from Yahoo!. How would you describe your overall experience?

It's been an adventure for me. When I first quit working in an office to stay home, I was looking for something new and different, and AC gave me that. And since most people know what a ham I am, having the readers give me immediate feedback on my writing has been wonderful. I would hope that everyone could find something that like when they reach my age. Also, an amazing surprise to me was how many friends I've made here. Even though I may never meet them, there are many of them where I feel a kinship. That came as a total surprise. Many have shared good and bad times with me.

6. Is there anything about the AC experience that you feel could be improved upon?

When I joined AC, I had to learn from scratch about SEQs and things of that nature. I tried reading recommended articles but even then, I felt like it was in Greek or something. I guess, though, that really was more my problem than theirs. I have suggested to the powers that be that I think there should be Featured Contributor spots for humor.

7. Do you think you can be humorous writer? What other Y!CN contributors do think are humorous?

Oh, Han, you don't think I'm humorous? Don't make me come hurt you. There are so many out there, it always makes you a little nervous to start picking names out of the hat, but I'll give you a couple. Like I said, Nancy Canfield was the first one I discovered, and still she knocks my socks off with her political and home life stuff. Kathy Minicozzi is another one that makes me laugh out loud. I started reading Donna Cavanagh's poetry for some odd reason because I'm not much of a poetry person, but she wrote a humor article one time, and she was really funny. Philip Theibert is another one that cracks me up. I love to laugh.

8. I never said that you were not humorous. How come I didn't make your short list of humorous contributors?

See, this is what happens when you start pulling those names out of a hat. Okay, Han, forgive me, you're one of the funniest-looking -- oh, excuse me, funniest people I know.

9.You must have a shallow hat.

LOL

10. Anyway, do you do much social promotion of your AC work?

What do you mean social promotion?

You mean tell my friends they better read it or else?

11. No, I meant like using Twitter or Facebook?

I actually signed up on Facebook after I joined AC to promote my work. I didn't even know what it was, and it did help me gain more readers. The only problem is that it hinders me somewhat in making fun of some of those people. When you live in a small town, everybody knows who you're talking about. I signed up on Twitter and picked up a few followers here and there, but since I don't know that it's really made much difference. I'm also on MySpace and a few other places, too.

12. What do you think about the Y!CN forum?

I don't visit the forums much. When I first started, I read a little about promotion and stuff, but it seemed to me people spent more time criticizing than encouraging others. I'm not really into negative. Sometimes, though, when glitches were happening with AC, it was a good place to find out what was going on.

There's always going to be some who think they're superior to the rest. I figure that's all they've got in their lives and it makes them feel important. They see that as an opportunity. It reminds me of those comments you sometimes get where they just call you names because the internet gives people false courage.

13. Are there any pieces in your AC library that you are particularly proud of?

Ah, self-promotion, now we're talking. I have to admit that my favorite is "Interview with the Hubby." I also like "The Obscene Phone Call and the Dishwasher." People seem to really enjoy those, and I even laughed myself when I read them again. How big an ego can one person have! Although my Aunt Lottie and Ramblings from the Byrd Nest are fun, one of my all-time favorites was something different for me. "The Deafening Silence of Solitary Confinement" was a story I did from a prisoner's point of view. I was very pleased with that one because it was featured by AC, and also on some other websites.

14. Do you ever sleep?

Yeah, I get about 5 or 6 hours a night. About every 3 or 4 days, I catch up with 7 or so. I had a doctor tell me once that the older you get, the less sleep you need. I figure it's the body knowing that sooner or later, you're going to get a lot of sleep. LOL

15. Are you an Ole Miss football fan?

I think there's a law that if you live within 50 miles from Ole Miss, you're required to be a fan. I also attended Ole Miss, so I guess that's another requirement.

We consider this Manning country.

16. In Mississippi is there anything bigger and better than the Ole Miss Rebels playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs?

The Egg Bowl is definitely one of the highlights of the football season. Of course, all the SEC games like Auburn and LSU rank highly, too. For those seeing the Ole Miss campus and the Grove during a football Saturday, it's a real surprise. These fans and alumni go all out.

17. Do you prefer the older Ole Miss Jerseys and the light blue helmet?

I like the newer helmets, but I thought the older jerseys were better looking. Of course, compared to the new bright colors some teams wear now, the Rebels look pretty good. On the side of Vaught Stadium, they have a large painting of the helmet toward the top which is kind of neat.

18. What did you think of the controversy about Colonel Rebel being the Ole Miss team mascot?

To be honest, I think most of the alumni and students wanted to not have one at all if they had to lose the Colonel Rebel.

19. What is your opinion of Ole Miss as an educational institution?

I think people would be surprised at the quality of education at Ole Miss. The University searches for some of the best faculty and graduates people who become very successful and renown. The Ole Miss Law School and the University Medical Center are well-known for some of their graduates. The Pharmacy School at Ole Miss was doing marijuana research long before many other institutions, and there are several other government-funded research facilities within their realm. Also, their writers-in-residence program brings in some famous authors each year to teach classes. Because Oxford and Ole Miss is a literary hub, it's not uncommon to see creative people around at any time.

20. In what capacity were you employed at Ole Miss?

Mostly administrative assistant and secretarial work. I started in the Engineering School and later worked in several other offices on campus, including the Law School, Bursar and Alumni Affairs. Back in the olden days, the University had a staggered pay scale in staff positions, so once you had reached your maximum level in one category, the only way to make more money was to move up to another level. Later I worked in a dual role where I not only did word processing but also worked as a computer operator. To show you how far back I go, my first word processor was an IBM machine called a System 6. It took up the whole office and used diskettes the size of LP records. LOL

21. I believe you wrote that your husband served n the Armed Forces? Is this correct?

My husband served in the Army with the Armored Calvary (Blackhorse). He was in the jungle in Viet Nam for a year. He says it wasn't quite what most TV shows portray because he never saw a pretty nurse. He said two things you missed the most were hot water and ice. Pretty big change for a young boy from Mississippi. The Blackhorse Viet Nam veterans have a reunion every year in a different city, and he's found a few people he knew.

The very first article I wrote on AC was about my husband's reunion and what a moving experience it was for him. Most people forget that those returning veterans weren't treated the same way as those returning today.

22. Did you and your husband endure a long distance relationship, during his time in the armed forces?

Yeah, we were dating when he went into the service. It wasn't like it is now, though, with email and phone calls. We just exchanged a lot of letters.

23. How long did you do that? Was it tough? Did you ever have doubts that you two would make it through those times?

Well, I was 17 when he left, and everything's pretty dramatic when you're a teenager. The worst part was finding the "right" one only to have Uncle Sam send him away half-way around the globe. Yeah, it was hard because he was in the jungle for a year, and lots of times it would be two or three weeks before I'd get any letters. But then I would usually get a bunch at one time. He was actually some of the first groups to invade Cambodia, and so it took a while to get any mail out then. Of course, it was scary that he was in a place where people were shooting at him. I don't think either of us ever doubted we'd be together when he came back, though.

After my first date with him, I told my friend that I was going to marry him. I can't explain it, but that was over 40 years ago.

When he returned home, was it a big transition for the two of you. Did the war change him? Did he speak about his experiences or did he just want to forget about them?

For the first 10 years we were married, he never talked about Viet Nam. He basically came back and tried to resume his life as if it never happened. It was a different time, and returning veterans were not hailed, but rather many people were actually antagonistic. He resented that and harbored a lot of bad feelings about it. He did have nightmares for a long time. Than he began to talk with other veterans and started attending Blackhorse Viet Nam veteran reunions, and that brought back a lot of memories which he had to deal with, and he's probably dealt more with it in the last 20 years than he did before.

His 11th Cavalry veteran brothers have given him a sense of brotherhood and pride in serving his country that I'm not sure he realized earlier because of the circumstances. I think the main change I've seen in him is that he has more respect for others and for life in general.

24. Thank you for speaking about your husband and his service to our country. We all owe him and our other men and women in uniform, both past and present, much appreciation.

He's a good ole boy. Anyone who could put up with me for 40 years is a tough bird.

25. I understand that you read Nancy V. Canfield's article, indicating that she was leaving the Yahoo! Contributor Network. What are your thoughts about this?

Truthfully, it made me sad for a number of reasons. First of all, Nancy brings a lot of fun and laughter into people's lives at a time when most of us need something to laugh about. It's also sad to me that, although I know it's not the money maker that something like renovating your house is, humor doesn't seem as important when our lives have a lot of low spots lately. I also think it's a loss for here, but she'll definitely be an asset wherever she lands. But I know in the business world, money rules.

26. Did you apply for a Featured Contributor on the new Yahoo! Contributor Network?

No. Although I was a FC on AC, I knew it was going to be stricter, and since I prefer the humor aspect rather than rehashing something already out there, I didn't really think they'd want me. Reviews about TV shows and books were about as serious as I wanted to go, and they'd already made it clear that they didn't want those. I think I made the right choice. Besides, if I seriously wanted to do something along those lines, I could try for one of those Yahoo sites available in entertainment.

27. Do you like western movies?

Love westerns. It's the purest form of entertainment to me. Good versus evil. No messing around in westerns. You have a problem, you walk into the street and boom, problem solved.

28. I figured you would. Do you prefer John Wayne, Clint Eastwood or someone else?

My favorite, John Wayne is the ideal of the western hero: big, rugged and a take-charge kind of man but with a heart. I like the quiet and mysterious characters Clint Eastwood plays, although it's hard for me sometimes because I still remember him as Rowdy Yates in "Rawhide." I have a soft spot in my heart for Clint, though, because he reminds me a lot of my husband in a lot of ways.

29. Is there anything else you would like to this interview?

Maybe just a thank you to you and all the others who have been so kind to me while I've been around. Expressing myself through writing has always been a big part of my life, and to have people accept me and honor me with their comments and friendship has meant more to me than most can imagine. It has made some very difficult times easier for me, and I have made some wonderful friends here.

30. Actually, thank you for sending JerseyNana my way. She said she came to my page, because of what you said about me. I guess you must have said something good.

Probably a mistake on my part. LOL Always like to help a friend out when I can.

Please visit:

Pattie Byrd