The case of missing fingerprints & my new career as a burglar:

In 2016, my job as a marketing communications director required that I be fingerprinted & register at the Washington State Capital ️in Olympia.

I made an appointment, ️ schlepped downtown to Police HQ‍♀️, parked, filled out forms & waited.  Have you ever been fingerprinted? It’s very messy. 
Weeks after my prints were sent to the Olympia, they were rejected because they weren’t readable.  I had to go through the process 2X more & each time my prints were rejected. 

We take our fingerprints for granted. They’re unique identifiers of who we are. I didn’t know they could disappear! A 2009 article in Scientific American said, “The elasticity of skin decreases with age, so many senior citizens have prints that are difficult to capture. There’s less prominence. If there’s pressure on the scanner, the print tends to smear.”

Fast forward to December 2021. I was excited to fly to Kentucky ✈️to see our son & @queenhorsfall & meet our brand-new twin granddaughters. I gave my old MacBook Pro to our youngest son, ‍ so I no longer had a travel laptop. I intended to work while in KY & minimally needed Photoshop & InDesign. Plus #CES2022 would be a few weeks later, so I bought a MacBook Air.

At first the MacBook’s fingerprint scanner was fantastic! I loved unlocking it with a touch.  But after 10 days of cooking & washing bottles, it stopped recognizing my fingerprints.

What to do?

The police department suggested using lotion to moisturize. A web source recommended essential oils. Our youngest son’s new job required fingerprinting. I asked him to check if there are new tactics for faint prints. Nope. ‍♂️

After several weeks of TLC, lots of lotion & wearing rubber gloves, I could see the ridges reappearing. My laptop agreed & I’m now able to unlock it. 

I’m glad I have other choices besides a life of crime.

Has this ever happened to you? Do most jobs now require fingerprints? ✅
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PHOTOS: #AlkiBeach #westseattle #fortunecookies #seagullsofinstagram #fromthearchives
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#marketingcommunications #fingerprints #macbookair #scanner #Kentucky #burglar (at Alki Beach Park)
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Raise your hand if you’re ready to say hello to 2022! 

This year, thanks to many of you, I published a book . I was interviewed on 3 podcasts  (links in bio); I became a grandparent ‍. And during my first trip to Kentucky I got close to my first tornado! ️ I returned to Seattle where a ton of snow fell ☃️ & we had the coldest day in 31 years.❄️

In 2021 there were simple pleasures like seeing friends for lunch,  meeting new ones, & taking a break from social media.  It was weird how good it felt to step away from Twitter,  IG & more. It made me think how much more productive I was before the iPhone. 

It was wonderful to see @queenhorsfall & our oldest son after a 2-year gap. Meeting our new twin granddaughters—2 tiny, adorable & entertaining people,  was joyful. Our son & daughter-in-law are amazing parents. ‍‍‍ I don’t think I could’ve managed 2 babies at once.

In King County  where Seattle is located, 96% of people aged 16 & older have been vaccinated, so life was feeling pretty “normal” here.  A few friends of friends got mild cases of covid,  but mostly, coronavirus hasn’t been top of mind until very recently. 

Omicron chipped away at the confidence of companies, attendees & exhibitors, & I canceled my trip to CES (Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas ) as a social media influencer. #CES2022 ️ IRL is no longer an option for me, so I’ll attend virtually. ‍

What was the best or worst about 2021 for you?  What do you look forward to in 2022?
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PHOTOS: #Granddaughters, SNOW! #TopNine and top nine identified by Instagram data
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#kentuckytornado #grandbabies #twinsisters #vaccinationdone✔️ #firsttimeauthor #newauthor #bloggingonInstagram #podcastshows #hello2022 #seattlelove #seattlesnow #SeattleSnowpocalypse #bookstagrammers
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