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For any individual the words they use to describe themselves will change throughout their lives. I am certainly no different. As such the following should only be considered a current snapshot. For each of the words you see below I could easily add a dozen or more others as I continue this journey of my life.
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See my Christmas Wishlist!
Nothing has quite captured my imagination and interest the way SF/F has. From the first time I saw the animated version of The Hobbit I knew I had discovered something wonderous. JRR Tolkein was my first introduction to the literature and I still count his works as the standard against which I judge all others. I developed a fascination for dragons and fell in love with Anne McCaffrey's works which I introduced to my parents. To my delight they fell in love as well. Since then I have fed on a steady diet of classic and not-so-classic authors including: Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, Katherine Kurtz, Elizabeth Moon and Mercedes Lackey. At some point I discovered science fiction and my father introduced me to the master of space opera: EE "Doc" Smith. Bug eyed monsters, planet destroying weapons, and the ultimate triumph of the human mind and heart, what could be better?
Like most SF/F types I don't limit myself to literature. Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Highlander, Forever Knight, Farscape, and Firefly all have captured my interest at one time or another and I end up taping way too many television shows and going to see nearly every SF/F movie to hit the theaters. And what kind of SF fan would I be if I wasn't way psyched that Doctor Who is back on TV.
I also spend a bit of my time running around to various SF/F conventions around the country. They are great places to meet new friends, hob nob with SF/F's movers and shakers and generally find out the latest gossip on what's going on and what's going to go on. I had the pleasure of going to my first World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention in Baltimore in 1998. That certainly wasn't the first or last of my SF/F conventions though. I regularly attend at least a couple each year. With the advent of my return to graduate school I've been pretty well limited to two local conventions: Conquest and Contra-ception.
In addition to Magic: the Gathering I'm also tremendously fond of gaming in general. Card games, board games, role-playing games: you name it and I'll at least give it a try. I have to admit to being just a little on the competitive side (I can hear the derision now... "a little?") and while I enjoy just sitting down and having a good time its just a little bit better when I can win too. Just for fun I'll list a few of my favorites.
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Settlers of Catan
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Chess
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Diplomacy
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Illuminati
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Vampire
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Fantasy Football
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"Beer & Pretzels" Games
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What do I read? My mother describes me as an omnivore; I'll read anything that comes into my grasp. I gained this moniker when she walked into the kitchen one morning and found me reading the cereal boxes. I don't find the time to do too much reading for pleasure anymore as most of my reading time is occupied with work on the dissertation but I can occasionally be found devouring some fantasy, sf, and/or military/spy fiction as well. Some of my favorite authors:
My current reading consists of the following:
Gay,
Lesbian, Bi-sexual & Transgender
I guess its time to mention the queer thing...
Yes I am transgendered. I was born with a Y chromosome and have since
learned to cope with that little drawback *grin*. As with everything
else in my life I couldn't even manage to be the 'normal'
transgendered person. Rather than "choose" a gender and stick with it
I've decided that I'm very attached to my male side but can't give up being a woman either. So I'm caught in between and have to define my own
path between our society's polar opposite views of gender. At the
same time I feel it my duty to help others come to an understanding
of these issues. I don't want anyone to have to feel that they are
all alone in this, nor do I want to miss an opportunity to stand up
and help end the lack of familiarity that can all too often culminate
in fear and sometimes anger. In recognition of my attempts in this
area I was awarded the GLBT Community Leader Scholarship by the
University of Kansas in 2001. If you are transgendered or a partner
to someone that is, the world's largest transgender convention is
held every year in Atlanta, Georgia: Southern
Comfort. This is a great chance to see the
many facets of our community and to find and meet people dealing with
the same issues that you are dealing with. I haven't been able to
attend since restarting graduate school but I keep hoping to get back
there.
Here are some links to sites that may be of assistance to you if you are transgendered or learning about the topic. If you are the partner of a TG individual you might be interested in my sweetie's links on her TG partners sites.
I grew up in many different places and knowing many different people - a Navy brat (place the emphasis where you will). The constants in my life seemed to be the Navy and moving every few years. Some might call it a difficult way to grow up but if I learned anything from those years its that you can find and make your own happiness no matter where you find yourself in this world. I watched my father dedicate the best of himself in service to his country and learned what true loyalty and patriotism were. I watched mom stand beside him and love her little family despite having her husband away - sometimes for months on end. From her I learned love and dedication. Dad seemed to think I picked up a little of her stubborness; as long as I can claim my father's sometimes irreverent sense of humor too I'm willing to cut him a little slack on that point. The love I felt as I grew up made all the difference in the world. My parents have always believed in me and when they pushed me they did so only because they knew I was being a lazy bones and not living up to my potential. I love them dearly.
The worst instant of my life was receiving the phone call that told me my father had died. He died a young man at the age of 50 and in so many ways he has missed seeing just who his only child was to become. I know in my heart that he would be proud of me for having the courage to be who I am. I will forever miss him and truly wish he were still with my mom and I.
Soon afterwards I welcomed a friend into my circle of family. She has shown me more love and faith than I would have ever expected an individual could. She has stood by me, pushed me, and keeps me headed toward my life's goals. When I've been scared she's been there to walk with me and help me find the courage that I myself could not find. I don't know what I've done to deserve having Star as my sweetie but I thank my dumb luck that she is with me.
Star and I are also lucky to share our family with two wonderful children of the four footed variety.
Aside from the bunches of moving I did as a youngster, I still like to get out and about for jaunts around the country. Much of my travel is done for the sake of conventions like Conquest (SF/F) or Southern Comfort (TG) but I also like to just take off and see family and friends wherever they may be: Stockton, Washington DC, Chicago. A couple years ago my sweetie and I jaunted down to Clearwater, FL to see if the sun really does exist in January (it does...). As a graduate student I expect that my travel opportunites will be severly hampered by my lack of funds but I did manage to make it down to New Orleans for the South West Political Science Association Annual Meeting in 2002. My sweetie and I also have spent considerable time in the car traveling coast to coast in the last year. Rather than duplicate effort I'll just direct you to her travel reports.
Shopping is just plain fun. My sweetie is the kind that knows what they are going to get, runs into the store, buys and leaves. What's the fun in that? I want to meander and see what's out there. Whether its a new line of lingerie from Victoria's Secret, the newest paperback releases or simply the imported cheese section at the local supermarket, I don't want to miss anything. I want to taste test. I want to try it on. I want to read labels and most importantly I want to come home laden with wonderful new goodies for myself and the people around me. Today, of course, you can also shop via catalog or online and while they aren't nearly as rewarding and as healthy as walking the mall they are still delightful when you need that little pick-me-up. So you want to join me for some shopping? Try these links:
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Clothing
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Books
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Toys (all ages)
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Computer Stuff |
Cooking |
Misc
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I don't mean running out and buying the absolute newest hot shade of lipstick or season's newest length of skirt but rather having pride in one's appearance, taking the time to be put together and maintaining a certain sense of style no matter what the situation. Yes, I bought khaki cargo pants but I did leave those hideous capri pants on the rack. I try to stay current on the general fashion scene and can certainly recommend the following as good sources.
Regardless of what the current trends are, everyone has certain things that work for them and its worthwhile to know what those are. Whatever it is, whether its a certain length of skirt, cut of blouse or color of blush, these things work for you and finding those things is what fashion is all about. Now that doesn't mean you have to find yourself trapped into just one look - heaven forbid! I'm often pouring through recent catalogs just to see what is out there. If something catches my eye in a catalog then next time I'm in a clothing store I'll look for a similar article and give it a try. Sometimes you've got to put up with the snickers from your girlfriends for the next day or so (or until they try on something equally as hideous) but its just so worth it when you find something that really brings an outfit or look together. Hopefully I've been somewhat successful. I know I've got an entire closet full of attempts...
For those of you that need help with even the basics (sizes etc.) a great place to start is About.com's section on women's fashion.
Speaking of fashion, I bit the bullet in September and went for a new hairstyle. I took 3-4" off my hair - going from below the shoulder to shoulder length - and decided to go with some soft bangs up front.
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I'm a Mac geek and absolutely love my G4 laptop. Its several years old but still one of the best machines available. Laptops are my machine of choice eversince I supported the 230 series while working in DC. I've never owned a non-mobile computer and frankly don't ever plan to. I upgraded to the Jaguar operating system about two year back and while I was impressed, frankly, I was so used to the pre-OS/X systems that I fumbled around sometimes, hence a need to troubleshoot. I regularly subscribe to MacAddict. Much as I dislike having to admit it, I let Microsoft Excel and Word take care of my basic spreadsheeting and word processing needs although I occasionally make use of BBEdit. For my statistics work I'm a fan of Stata for its ease of use. Don't try dragging me into those religious discussions about what browser is best. I have copies of Firefox, Explorer, Navigator and probably one or two others lurking about on my machine and have been known to use them all. Speaking of religion, I'm likely to get crucified for this but I've been a loyal AOL user for well over a decade. It does what I want it to, when I want it done, and I'm pretty well assured connectivity no matter where we may travel.
They aren't just for the fetish crowd anymore! Corsets were once relegated to professional costumers or the BDSM scene but have recently been seen everywhere.
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~~~
~~~
Lawrence,
Kansas (under
construction)
Where my sweetie and I currently live. We moved here to further my education back in 1999 and we are still here (see the education section below). Lawrence is a nice enough town about an hour West of Kansas City. It has the distinction of having been burned to the ground by Quantrell's Raiders. I don't really know what else to say about this current home of ours so I'll just provide you with a link to the Visiter's Guide and a link the local newspaper: the Lawrence Journal World; that way you can read up on all the current goings on here in Larryville.
Ain't working on a PhD just loads of fun?
My Vita should go here...
Links:
This is where I work on my PhD. I finally got my act together and started work on my PhD in September of 1999 at the University of Kansas. I am a member of the Political Science Department and affiliated with the Center for International Political Analysis.
KU is home to the Jayhawks of college basketball fame. Unfortunately I'm just not a big fan of college basketball. I hate to say it, and please don't mention it around campus, but the most fun I've had sportswise since coming here has been when my alma mater (Northwestern) has beaten KU's football squad. "Go Wildcats!"
Okay, okay, since you insist: "Rock, chalk Jayhawk!"
My sweetie and I bought a house and have steadily been working on making it a home over the last 4-5 years. Major accomplishments in that regard over the past few months include having new flooring put in and the putting up and taking down of an 11 1/2 foot tall Christmas tree.
Yummy goodness in the form of the juice of rotting
grapes.
We have made some progress regarding the house red wines but are
still struggling to find a white that is general purpose enough to
qualify.
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Okay, just this once I'll let you into the kitchen...
I don't profess to be a chef but nevertheless I do take a fair amount of pride in the quality of the table I present. As with much in life, if you want to do something well then you need to make sure you have the proper tools. Most of my cookware has come by way of Cooking.com.
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One should also take the opportunity to thank those that stand before them and provide them with inspiration.
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and Alton Brown @ The Food Network |
and Jamie Oliver @ The Food Network |
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Say it with me "We're not worthy, we're not worthy..." What cosmic fluke wound up with someone this good doing a weekly TV show on cooking? He's amazing! He tells you what he's doing and why from both the practical and (very basic) scientific levels. When you watch him put food together you understand why it turns out the way it does and any cook that does that is brilliant. |
I don't catch Jamie as much as I'd like. He has a very simple approach to cooking that saves time and effort. A lot of his recipes find their way into my library because of their simplicity and speed, not to mention taste and beauty. You gotta love this guy, he's another Food Network fave with a quirky sense of humor albeit very different from Alton's. |
"I'll show you how to cook because then I know you will never starve." With those words my mother introduced me to the joys of kitchen work. She and my father were damn fine home cooks. You weren't going to get anything too weird; no nouveu French cuisine in our house but she did instill in me the ability to take nearly any batch of goodies and whip them up into something edible. |
Also helpful are handy reference guides.
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and Kitchen Encyclopedia |
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Alton Brown explains the ins and outs of cooking in a
cookbook that is arranged by cooking method rather than food
type. Sure this has recipes but more importantly, it tells
you what is going on in the cooking processes to help you
become a better cook rather than a mere follower of
recipes. |
I shouldn't even bother to put this book away. This is a tremendously handy reference for how to cook any number of basic dishes. It provides how to tips and techniques and the basics of how to prepare nearly anything you'll find in the average American supermarket. |
This is, hands down, the best cooking magazine on the market. You want a recipe on Creme Brulee? How about taking you through several different recipes demonstrating how each difference results in a slightly different Creme Brulee? Techniques, definitions, reviews and on top of everything else it doubles as a kind of Consumer Reports for the cooking world.
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