Should I stay or should I go? And does it really matter? — Like usual, I got up this morning, plopped down in my big chair, took my meds, skimmed my email, and tapped on the Medium app on my phone — time to read. Where did all of the people I used to read go? I don’t know. Will they be back…

And letting AI use them. — Sonofabitch. I was settled in for the evening. I had endured my nightly coughing fit, which is now a regular part of my life as I battle the upper respiratory infection from hell. I was medicated with Robitussin, Mucinex, Prozac, Rexulti, and my mood stabilizers. And a multi-vitamin gummy. All…

Because it’s like crack and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts — So, I’m in another one of my moods. Why? Well, maybe because all I ate today was a Venti Java Chip Frappuccino, a large Mocha Frappe, and a grilled cheese sandwich. And some Reese’s. And some Robitussin to help rid me of this hacking cough I am left with following…

I’m writing this because I really don’t want to do the laundry. — And because I never miss an opportunity to complain about Medium. If you have issues with profanity, you should skip this story. I use profanity because I feel that it accurately describes how I feel. I don’t use it for shock value. I use it because it’s the right word…

Again. — Nothing is more humiliating than being turned down for a job you don’t want. Except for being told you are too stupid for a job you don’t want. This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. It’s the third time. But not for the same job. The first…

Mine did. — L. K. Smithe is back from a long break with another story about one of her dates. Everyone has their deal breakers. Read about what brings this relationship to an end for L. K. and see if her date feels the same. Or does he have his own agenda? Check…

It turns out it wasn’t even true. — I think most writers on this platform would like to have more readers. But some writers are willing to sacrifice their reputation (if they have one) to gain readers. Recently, I was reading an article written by a very popular writer. It was about COVID. I care about COVID. I…

It should only be used to notify when you publish on Medium. — I don’t like to play with fire. When you play with fire, you usually get burned. And I’m not into pain of any sort. I’m also sort of a paranoid person, but I would rather be overly cautious than have the Feds pounding on my door in the middle of…

I had to turn to Substack. — Medium totally put the screws to me. They’ve probably put the screws to you, too. Here’s what happened. So, I wrote a nice little story about my experience with freelance writing. Here it is: The Dark Side of Freelance Writing No matter how careful you are, you can end up getting screwed.linda-kowalchek.medium.com A nice, medium-length read that provides some valuable information that I figured people would benefit from…