Jennifer Moore-Skallerud, Neighbor

I was born at Oakland Kaiser in 1970 and started life with my mom, dad, and later my younger brother, on Francisco Street in Berkeley. I attended Washington Elementary School through third grade; we moved to Hilltop Green in Richmond at the start of that grade, and I attended El Sobrante Elementary School for fourth through sixth grades. I was a Crespi Critter and a De Anza Don. My first job was at the now non-existent Century 9 Theatres in Pinole in 1987.

It took me from 1988 until late 2001 to get my bachelor's degree in English. I started at San Francisco State while working part-time and then full-time, first at West County Times and later Ecology Control Industries, both in Richmond. During that time at the age of 24 I moved out of my parents' home and lived in El Sobrante in two different apartments (until 2004). I took a class here and there until 1999 when I completed my degree at Cal State East Bay (which was still Cal State Hayward back then) while working full-time as an administrative assistant/office manager in Emeryville. 

I took a little time off to get married in 2002 then I started on a graduate degree in English literature with the aim of becoming a college professor. Just as I started my degree I also took a job in law enforcement, first working in police records then later as a police dispatcher, my current profession. I nearly finished my graduate degree but I got sidetracked by my new job and buying a house in Fairfield (at the very extremely worst time to buy a house, late 2004), and this very distracting thing called "pregnancy." 

Late 2005 I began the greatest chapter of my life when my daughter arrived. Being a mom, in my opinion, is pretty much the best thing ever. 

In early 2009 my marriage and my gig as a homeowner ended and I moved to a house in Pinole. And was I ever happy to be back home, near my family and friends. About forty miles between Berkeley and Fairfield, that's the distance of my living experience, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I would be quite content to stay where I am, pretty much forever. 

The rest is that I love my job, my family, my friends, and especially my kid. I'm here because sometimes I like to write about stuff and share it. I love e-mail, Facebook, and TV, all three probably a little too much. Food, also, a little too much. But at least I like to exercise, too.

Life is great. I try to think of the glass as half-full because it is way preferable than the other way around and I encourage others to do the same.