Hi, I’m Erica.

I’m a journalist, a designer, a novice programmer … and I eat M&Ms in Roy G Biv order.

I am addicted to the news. Twenty-four-hour-news-channel addicted. Breaking-news-e-mail-alerts addicted. Text-message-alerts addicted. It’s a sickness — a well-informed sickness.

Occupation: Journalist • Newspaper and multimedia designer • St. Louis Post-Dispatch
E-mail: erica [at] graphicdesignr [dot] net
AIM: esmithPD
Digital business card: Text ESMITH to 41411
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Astrological sign: Sagittarius
Chinese zodiac: Year of the Dragon

My blogs:

• Graphic Designr
• Paper Cuts
• Live & Kern
• The Story of Man
• The Bird’s Nest
• Spillman

Stalk me:

• 30-Something Bloggers
• BrightKite
• Dopplr
• Facebook
• Friend Feed
• KC Royals
• LinkedIn
• The Modern Journalist
• MySpace
• My STLtoday
• Plaxo Pulse
• Plurk
• Social Media Club of St. Louis
• Social Median
• Sports Designer
• Twitter
• Visual Editors
• Wired Journalists

Interests: Journalism • Design • News • Laughing • Randomness • Breaking news alerts • Being challenged … and succeeding • Creative people • Movies • Mac and cheese • Driving without a destination • London • Red • Music • History • Mashed potatoes • Gerbera daisies • Traveling / Pepsi • Honesty • Comb honey • Thunderstorms • Paris (Not Hilton, although I’m sure the Hilton in Paris is fabulous.) • Timelines • Text messages, instant messages, e-mails and phone calls • Chocolate • Baseball • Blogs • Jeans • Macs • Reading • Wine • Friday the 13th • Strawberries • Blue • The Internet • Night • Old-fashioned fruit and luggage labels • People-watching • Winter’s first real snowfall • New crayons • Vanilla • Candles • Sleeping late • Spring days • Deep purple • Champagne • Mint chocolate chip ice cream

Music

All Time Low • The All-American Rejects • Amy Winehouse • Arcade Fire • Athlete • Augustana • Beautiful South • Ben Folds • Billy Miles • Bing Crosby • Blondie • Blue October • Bobby Pinson • Boys Like Girls • Brad Paisley • Breaking Benjamin • Brooks & Dunn • Bruce Springsteen • Chris Cagle • Chris LeDoux • Christina Aguilera • The Click Five • Colbie Caillat • Colin Hay • Corinne Bailey Rae • Cute is What We Aim For • Cyndi Lauper • Daughtry • David Lee Murphy • Dido • Disturbed • Dolly Parton • Drowning Pool • Ella Fitzgerald • The Eagles • Fall Out Boy • Fiona Apple • Five for Fighting • Flipsyde • Frank Sinatra • The Fray • Garth Brooks • Gary Allan • George Strait • Good Charlotte • Imogen Heap • Ingrid Michaelson • Jay Brannan • Joe Nichols • John Michael Montgomery • Johnny Cash • Josh Turner • Joshua Radin • Joss Stone • Keane • The Killers • KT Tunstall • Linkin Park • Little Big Town • Maroon 5 • Mat Kearney • Mika • Miranda Lambert • Montgomery Gentry • My Chemical Romance • Nickelback • Pearl Jam • Plain White T’s • Puddle of Mudd • Reba McEntire • Red Hot Chili Peppers • Rufus Wainwright • Schuyler Fisk • Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings • Shooter Jennings • Snow Patrol • The Streets • Three Days Grace • The Used • Vega4 • White Rabbits • The Wrights

Movies

• The classics — “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca” and “Roman Holiday” for starters. And then everything from “Amelie” to “X-Men.” Well, everything but horror and stupid humor.
• I love “The Paper.” Haven’t seen it? You’re missing out.
  
  

  
  
  

  Don’t get it? Ask a journalist — there’s an equivalent to each character in the movie to a character in every newsroom.

TV shows

“Burn Notice” • “Chuck” • “The Colbert Report” • “The Daily Show” • ”Heroes” • “Psych” • “Scrubs”
CNN • MSNBC

Books

Currently reading: “News, Improved: How America’s Newsrooms are Learning to Change”
Favorite authors: Dave Barry • Carol Higgins Clark • Fannie Flag • Winston Groom • Carl Hiaasen • Elaine Kagan • Lorna Landvik • Leon Uris • Bill Walsh

For the record

Opinions expressed are mine — all mine.