Meet Megan Goodchild, one of Hammock Publishings newest employees.
Megan was born in Evanston, Ill., and grew up in Des Plaines, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, where, she says, We often thought the planes were going to land on our house instead of at OHare!. She moved to Murfreesboro, Tenn., about 20 miles south of Nashville after graduating high school in 1997; her family still lives in the Chicagoland area.
Megan received a B.S. in journalism and Spanish from MTSU in 2003, with an English minor. I currently am working on my masters in mass communications at MTSU, which should be complete by 2008, if it doesnt kill me first, she notes. She worked her way through undergrad as a Lead Certified Pharmacy Technician at CVS in The Boro. After graduating, she took a job as a Spanish interpreter for the Rutherford County Health Department and also as a pharmacy tech with Middle Tennessee Medical Center (both in Mboro). In May 2004, she was hired as the Marketing Coordinator for MTMC, where she wrote various articles, news releases, and dabbled in graphic design.
Megan lives in Murfreesboro with her boyfriend, Ian (in our first house!), and their three cats (BK, Finnegan and Evil Twin).
Tell us about your hometown and your family.

Evanston is so vibrant  I think it is to Chicago what West End is to Nashville (Except, I guess, that its its own city). But when I was born the school system was not so great, so my parents moved us to Des Plaines, which is about 10 minutes from Chicago. As ghetto as it is, technically its a suburb so our schools had books, teachers and heat.
I love my mom and sisters to death. Were all pretty close. I was 12 when my youngest sister, Emily, was born. My mom went to work at night, so after school I came home to care for Emily and Katie, who is four years my junior. I continued to do this through high school.

What attracted you to Hammock Publishing?

Several things, including the fact that I was going to be surrounded by Mac-users. (For quality of life reasons, I won’t take a job where I cannot work on a Mac.)
When I learned that the position combined writing with the Web, I was instantly intrigued. I am addicted to technology, and am starting to believe that some day the Internet is going to either save or destroy the world.
There were a few omens, too, that led me to believe Hammock was where I was supposed to be. For instance, about a week before I interviewed for the job, I was sitting in my office at the hospital and had an epiphany that to maximize communication among my colleagues, we could use IM. I ran down the hall in excitement to the other offices, but they just looked at me like I was nuts and said it would never work. Ha!

Tell us a bit about your job here.

I am a writer for NFIB.com, but from what I hear Ill probably be tapped to write a little for other clients, too. Since Ive only been here a few weeks, Im still figuring out my day-to-day job. But its great to be in such a creative atmosphere.

You have a significant commute from Murfreesboro to Hammock. What do you do to keep from having road rage?

Lots of cussing  just kidding! I load up my iPod with good music and give myself about an hour and a half to get here. Usually I make it with plenty of time to spare, except for Wednesday, when it took me over two hours because of a wreck.

What are your hobbies?

I love playing video games, and Ian (my boyfriend) and I play NTN trivia with friends every Tuesday night at a bar in Murfreesboro. Also, I try really hard to be a good photographer, but in the winter I usually just end up doing photo shoots of my cat. Ian would say my worst hobby is collecting Macs (I have four at home), but I dont see anything wrong with that!

Favorite sports team?

The Cubs, of course.

Favorite author?

Kurt Vonnegut always cracks me up, but Denis McQuail (a mass communications theorist) really helped me through this past semester of grad school.

Favorite musician?

My favorite band of all time is Barenaked Ladies. They have mastered the art of self-deprecation, and I would totally be a groupie if I had the time and money.

Favorite kind(s) of music?

Usually indie or alternative, though I guess there is no true alternative genre anymore. I also like to listen to some Spanish-language alt/rock bands.

Favorite magazines?

I subscribe to Mother Jones, Newsweek, Macworld and Layers Magazine. Whether I have time to read them all is another story.

Favorite TV show and movies?

Kill your television! The revolution wont be televised! (But I do love CSI: Las Vegas.)

Favorite foods and restaurant in Nashville?

Lately anything with spinach and feta cheese finds its way onto my plate. I love Boscos, but I really need to start exploring more of Nashvilles cuisine. Anyone want to join me?

Chocolate, vanilla or _____?

I cant live without peppermint. Seriously, I think its part of my DNA now.

Morning person or nightbird?

I would say on the weekends Im more of a nightbird than during the week, but I really could go to bed at 9 p.m. and sleep past noon every day.

What three people do you most admire and why?

1. My cousin Sarah, whos the same age as I am and is one of my best friends. A few years ago she battled a rare head/neck cancer, and is one of the most grounded and earthy people I know.
2. Steve Jobs, though I guess its more intrigue than admiration. Hes a great combination of genius and insanity. (And I cant live without Apple products.)
3. People who grow up speaking only one language but are able to achieve fluency in several more.

What new skill would you most like to acquire?

How to build a fully functional Web site from scratch. Or Ninja powers.

What are your guilty pleasure songs?

Billy Joels Only the Good Die Young
Chicagos Hard to Say Im Sorry
And, even though its so uncool, I love Alanis Morissette. Her non-commercial songs really are poetic.

Lost or 24:

Lost, although I didnt get to watch any of last season because I had class at night.