Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say your name?

Like it's Pammy. My mom has a thing with "I-E." When I was born she named me "Pamie," but some wonderful nurse had the good sense to write "Pamela" on the birth certificate. 1993 was a time on the Internet when you never expected anyone to ever truly know who you were other than your closest friends. So, homesick at college, I picked the nickname that would make my mom know who I was instantly when she was trying to figure out this crazy world that is email. How the hell was I supposed to know that complete strangers would start calling me Pamie, too?

Duh. I meant your last name.

Oh. Say it like there are two "b"s. Ribbon. But it's Ribon. Thanks for asking. Everybody always gets it all wrong.

What's a "stee"?

My husband, Stephen Falk, who has his own website.

What's a Dan?

Dan, who was my Best Man, is the sidekick of pamie.com. He likes music, boys, and you.

Are you that girl who wrote that book?

I'm the girl that wrote this book. And I wrote little things in some other books. And there will be more books! I promise. Go here to find out all the things I write, and where you can find them. Thanks for asking.

How long have you been writing this thing? It's huge.

I started pamie.com in 1998 because I didn't want anyone at IBM to know I was killing my soul in a tech-support, cubicle job. For more on the history of pamie.com, see the About page.

How does one navigate this behemoth?

You intimidate easily, reader. The newest updates will always be on the main page. If you've been gone for a while (I missed you! Welcome back!), go to the archives page and catch up. If you only want to read what Dan's been writing (Hi, Dan's mom!), go here. If you want to go back and read where it all began, go here. If you want to talk with other readers of pamie.com, stop by and visit the forum.

What is Buffalo Bill?

A study in silly, stee and I created the journal of Silence of the Lambs serial killer Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb on a night when we had first quit smoking and needed something to do that would keep us from smoking all of Los Angeles. At first a parody of online journals, B-Bill had to upgrade to the blogosphere when pressure from the girl he keeps in his well got to be too much. Buffalo Bill really wants to be hip. He also wants to skin your hip. It's kind of a love/hate thing. You see.

Who designed this beautiful website?

Beautiful Anna Beth Chao. I pay her in martinis, cigarettes, and Matthew Perry sightings (and then in cash). It all works out for the best.

This site was built lovingly, by hand, with the help of Movable Type and about a thousand MT plugins. AB wants me to tell you that she is a goddamned genius.

This site is patiently hosted by the good folks at Myrmid.

Who died and made you Pop Culture Princess?

The nickname was coined by Lemonbugg, who once wrote a haiku calling me the Princess of Pop Culture. It stuck.