Who The Heck Is Othercat?

First of all, my name isn't really Othercat. It's Catherine. But in the real world, everyone calls me Cat. I chose the name Othercat because every time there's been two Cats in the neighborhood, I'm inevitably the other one. 

I guess I should start by introducing myself as a writer. To understand why I write about the things I write about, here are ten facts about me that influence my writing.

1. I have an absolutely horrid memory. I can't remember names. I can't remember dates. I can't remember what I did yesterday. I can't even remember my own age (seriously. I have to count back from the year I was born). If my husband ever goes missing, he's screwed because I'll never be able to remember what he wore to work that morning.

2. I'm full of fears. This may not seem relevant until you realize my entire life revolves around them. Having a fear of germs affects all my actions and reactions. Having a fear of the dark affects the way I live (lights on 24/7). Having a fear of speaking to people affects not just my social life, but also my career choice (I can't make it through an interview).

3. I'm a little crazy. I have Borderline Personality Disorder and I don't try to hide it. I'm open about how it affects me, even when it makes me look like a bad person.

4. I love helping people. I grew up watching my Dad help friends and strangers alike. He's passed this great joy on to me. Whether it's writing how-to articles, giving blood or even just giving someone a coupon at the store, I try to do a little something every single day.

5. I love animals, especially dogs. I have a chihuahua with a bigger wardrobe than me and I have 8 chickens with adorable names like Earbud and Korma. Oddly enough, I'm not a cat person.

Where was I? Oh yeah! Things that influence my writing.

6. I love nature, every single part of it. I love hiking, camping and rafting just because I'm outdoors. I practice herbal medicine and I grow my own vegetables and fruits.

7. I have an amazing husband. He's not perfect (thank god because neither am I) but he loves me more than life. If I were superficial, I would brag about snagging a younger, gorgeous man who brings home the bacon. But those aren't his best qualities. If you followed the links above (the fear of germs and the BPD links), then you know his best qualities are his patience and understanding.

8. I've had more jobs than I can count. I started working full time at a fleece factory when I was 15. Then I moved on to fast food. Then telemarketing...twice. I was a busboy, a dishwasher and then a waitress. I tried being a delivery driver for a few months. Then I was an alleyhop. I've been a laundry attendant, a housekeeper and cook. I was even a door-to-door salesman for about 2 months. I dabbled in roofing and became a highly skilled trim carpenter. And for about a year, I was a fantastic bartender. Oh! And now I'm a writer!

9. Other people may like pink, but I LOVE pink! I have a pink living room, a pink smoking room and a pink kitchen. My Christmas tree is pink and so are my clocks. If it comes in pink, I'm eventually going to own it. 

10. I'm horribly shy. I have a hard time talking to people because I get so nervous. I always seem to mess it up by stuttering, talking too fast or trying to say something funny (when my brain is too frozen to think of anything even remotely funny). If a person has the patience to wait until I'm comfortable with them, they'll see the real me. Unfortunately, most don't. So instead, I get online and become Othercat.

I actually do wear a pink robe and a pink stocking cap while I'm writing.

I don't know when ya'll entered the online world, but for me, it was February of 2008. As I sat there signing up on that first website, I made 2 decisions that would affect me for the rest of my life. 

1. I decided I was going to start writing.
2. I decided to stop being Cat and start being Othercat.

With the limited anonymity the internet allows, I realized that as Othercat, I didn't have to be so shy. I could be the real me. I could be that person who makes jokes that everyone laughs at. I could be that person who offers her suggestions when someone presents a problem. I could be that person who tells the stories that people just can't put down until they've read every last word. I could be that person who recommends someone tries something, and they actually do it! I could be all this and more.

So I did it. In real life, I'm still just as shy as ever. But online, I have a presence. And it all started with Squidoo. 

Here I am on Squidoo!

I'm a Giant Squid, a Rocketmom graduate and the official Squid Angel for the Mental Health category. My kids are on Squidoo too! I'm married to a wonderful man and live happily with our 8 chickens, 3 dogs and a cat. We live in the mountains of North Carolina, right off the Parkway. My top 3 hobbies are hiking, cooking, and doing crafts.

Now I'm blogging too!

This is my Borderline Personality Disorder blog. I started it as a main source for connecting all my articles on BPD. Now I write about how BPD affects my life and how I handle the struggles.

I put a lot out there with this blog. I'm very honest about my feelings and actions and I think that helps other sufferers. They say misery loves company and in this case, it's true. As a borderline, I know how lonely it gets. It feels like I'm the only one going through all this.

With my blog I'm showing other borderlines that they aren't alone. 

This is my blog on Healing Herbs. I'm a true believer of herbal remedies and natural medicine. While I'm not an herbalist, I do have a decent amount of herbal knowledge. 

After writing a couple articles about my favorite healing herbs, I decided I wanted more freedom with those articles. So I started this blog to expand on the lenses I had already written. I also like it when I want to say a little about natural healing, but I don't necessarily want to write an entire article about it.

Unfortunately, I rarely update it. When my life gets busy, certain things get put on hold. Blogs posts are usually the first thing to go.

This is my third attempt to blog about my writing. I know a lot of people do this type of blog for backlinks, but mine has a different agenda. I started mine to hold myself accountable.

Last year, I got lazy. I stopped writing as much. I didn't backlink like I should. I didn't push myself to learn some of the necessities of writing (like finding keywords). So I started this blog and laid out a plan. I've been using it to track my progress and to record my accomplishments.

 I think as long as I stick with it and follow the plan, I will become a better writer and be more successful. 

Adventures With Othercat was started so Google would recognize me as Othercat. Even with over 150 articles written under Othercat, Google results still had me behind "My cat is scared of my other cat". Apparently my plan worked because now my Squidoo bio is number 2. 

Now I use this blog for my family, friends and anyone else that wants to know what's going on in my life. I only update it when something big happens, like when we go on vacation, go to a concert or something else along those lines.

It's great for sharing photos or if I have news I want everyone to know.

And Now I'm on Wizzley!

I even have a few products on Zazzle!

Where else can you find me?

I have a pretty active online life. In addition to all this writing, I'm also a pinner, a tweeter, a booker, a spacer and a tuber (that's really not as bad as it sounds!). If you're ever bored, come find me. I promise I won't have a brain freeze and tell corny jokes!