Just thought I'd put together somewhere that I could post random bits of information about my self, rather than having it cluttering up the main page of my house.

updated July 11, 2008 : It seems this page has acquired 6 watchers. How in heaven's name did -that- happen? And yet a grand total of 2 people have had any sort of comment to make.. Hmm.


Well, if any one has any questions not covered, feel free to ask.


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1983 till now

   I've lived in Alberta most of my life, with the exception of abut 3 months in Kelowna, BC. I grew up in a small town about a hour outside of Edmonton, Alberta, lived there till I was 13, then moved to a small city just outside of Edmonton. I lived there until I was 17, at which point we moved to Calgary, Alberta, where I live now. I moved 5 times in the last 2 years due to school, but have temporarily re-settled in Calgary, for the next year-ish, in theory. 

   It used to be there was no place I'd rather live than Canada, but I'm now running on the theory that I'm going to be moving to Perth, Western Australia, to be with [Galain], whom I have fallen irrevocably in love with some how.. *chuckles* Still not entirely sure how that happened, but it makes me happy. Now, no guarantee this will happen, a lot could potentially change in the next 9, 12, however many months before I've saved up the funds required for the move, but yeah, fingers and crossable toes are crossed.

   School wise, I've completed my required 12 years, though it took more than 12 to do it. I dropped out 3 months into my grade 12 year and ran away from home to live on the streets of Calgary for about a year. It was a very educational experience. One I don't regret, but would not recommend. 

   I've also recently completed the Animal Health Technology program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton. It was a long haul and a very stressful one at times, but ultimately very rewarding. I graduated from the 2 year diploma program with honors, and now I can look forward to a career doing something I love. Oddly enough, I'm allergic to most animal fur/hair, with cats and horses being the worst, but that has never and will never stop me.

   Animals are one of my greatest Joys. I love my cat to bits and missed her terribly while I was away at school.  A house just feels empty and lonely to me without an animal in it. My career is not a high paying one, you couldn't support a family with it as your only income, but money has never been my priority. More importantly, it's such a rewarding career path, even with all the downfalls. Happiness has long been, and remains, my greatest motivator.

   Art is another one of my Joys. I sculpt with polymer clay, draw, and work with watercolors. I have very little formal training, but have a variety of books I've purchased that help me along. One of the things I would like most is to have a studio type room where I can have all of my art stuff and not have to always put it away. I also cross stitch, do a bit of sewing, and make 95% of my own jewelery, with the exception of rings. I haven't gotten into metal smithing yet but it is something I would like to explore.

   My other outlet of artistic expression is my photography. There is so much beauty in this world, some times to be found in the most unexpected places. I spend a lot of days wandering around with my camera and just photographing anything that catches my eye. It gives me the same sort of feeling of peace when I'm stressed that my more traditional forms of art do, but requires a lot less set up and break down time than anything except for sketching (which I don't do enough of). 
  
   Nature is perhaps one of the most important parts of my life. I feel most comfortable in natural spaces. I'm not meant to live in a big city, especially not downtown with all that steel and concrete.. Calgary is not too bad. There are parks and green spaces all over the place. If you go 10 blocks in any direction, you're almost guaranteed to find one. And of course, there is Fish Creek Provincial Park running right through the south end of the city (and walking distance from where I live). I could not live without access to natural spaces. It heals the soul to be away from all the rush and bustle.

   My soul's home is the west coast of B.C., though I'm not sure I will ever live there. There's no where else I've found where I have felt so peaceful, even when I was most troubled.

   As you can probably guess, I'm big on the environment. I recycle as much as I can and try and buy natural products, biodegradable cleaning products, organic foods, and organic based clothing as well. As all these things are more expensive, I can not always afford it, but I try my best. It drives me nuts when I see people watering their lawns and there is a tonne of watter just running into the gutter. Water is NOT an infinite resource, people! Grr. Definitely one of my biggest pet peeves.

   Music is another major factor for me. My MP3 player is something you will almost never see me without. Music keeps me sane. My tastes are very eclectic, or, in the words of one of the fellows who works at the music store I frequent; Obscure. *laughs* It's not my fault! I blame the radio stations I listen to. I long ago ceased to enjoy commercial radio. Instead I listen to the local college station, CJSW, and an independent, listener supported broadcaster that's based in Edmonton, CKUA. Both radio stations can be streamed on line. (If you're interested, their respective addresses are http://ckua.com/ and http://cjsw.com/main.php  .) I enjoy listening to pretty much everything except for most country, some opera, and rap. I can't really decide what my preference is at the moment, genre wise. I may not have one.

   The other big addiction is reading. I don't go anywhere (almost) without a novel in tow. *chuckles* I'm afraid my reading tastes are not as eclectic as my music. Mostly fantasy, both high and urban, with a smattering of sci-fi and historical fiction thrown in. The only other books on my shelf are non-fiction, and are either my art instruction books, or my growing collection of what I call my "reference books", which are invariably all about animals and nature. 

   I stopped borrowing books from the public library because I never wanted to return them. So now used book stores are my best friend, and I'm developing quite a little library of my own *grins*. I'd be happy to recommend authors if anyone is looking for a good read.

   I don't watch television at all and I don't often watch movies. I have an anime DVD I purchased over 5 years ago that I STILL have not finished watching. I just don't think there's a lot worth watching on TV. I do enjoy nature programs and the SPACE channel (which, if you're not familiar with it, plays a lot of sci-fi type content) but I'm not willing to pay extra money to get those channels just so I can watch TV. When I have my own place I have not intention of getting cable, and it will be a while before I worry about a TV at all, I imagine. (However, I admit that I spend far to much time on the computer, which may not be any better)

   I don't pay as much attention to current events as I suppose maybe I should. I get most of my news from the BBC (yes, I can get the BBC here, on the above mentioned radio stations) as well as some alternative news programs like Alternative Radio, and Counter Spin. They both have web addresses but I don't know off hand what they are. If you Google those names I'm sure you could find them. I used to read Adbusters and occasionally The Walrus, but I started to find them repetitive, with little but talk of the idiocy of George Bush jr. and the war in Iraq, so I stopped.. I guess my problem is I'm just fed up with the stupidity of the world at large and would rather not hear about it every where I turn. But I don't totally hide in a bubble and pretend it's not happening.

   I'm not a religious person, per say. I try and be tolerant of all the religions, except when they are trying to convert me. I'm not interested. I have my own personal set of beliefs that suit me just fine. Predictably fairly nature based with no specific deity. You will hear me use the terms God, Gods, and Goddess interchangeably. Random bored curiosity and a quiz page places me some where in the middle of Christianity, Paganism, Buddhism, and Islam. I know the most about Christianity, that of course being the most common one in most areas I've lived. Went to a Lutheran church for a time, but there was too much I couldn't agree with, in the end. Like that stillborn children go to hell because they were never baptized and such not. *shakes her head*

   I try and be as non-judgmental as I can in regards to people as individuals, but don't always succeed. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I'm not always going to agree with it. At the same time, I'm not going to tell you you're wrong. Just that I don't agree.

   I can be logical to a fault, and have a very dry sense of humor, I think. I don't enjoy stupid humor. I tend to be very frank. If you ask me a question I will always answer truthfully, and I find that often the answers I give are not expected, or are misunderstood. And people take my jokes too seriously, or just plain don't realize that I'm joking.. Some times I'm not sure which.

   Organization and routine are both rather important to my sanity. Which isn't to say that I'm against spontaneity (I quite enjoy it, actually), or that I can't deal with situations that don't fit nicely into my expectations, just that I'm less comfortable when that occurs. I am very much an "A place for everything and everything in its place" sort of person, but you certainly wouldn't know it, looking at my personal space! It's inevitably appears rather chaotic to most casual observers.

   I'm -extremely- loyal to my friends. Some people just strike a cord within me that's pretty much immediate. It's not something that usually happens as I get to know someone (though that can happen too, much less commonly), it's there from the start. And I will do what ever is in my power to help those people in any way I can. They are the family you choose. I can be extremely protective, and even I suppose a little possessive, though I try very very hard not to let that show.

   Well, that's me in a rather large and rambling nut shell. If there's any one still reading at this point, I'll admit, I'm astounded. I don't know if I'd be that interested. *chuckles* I think that covers me pretty thoroughly. As I said, feel free to ask questions. I'm pretty open in most things.




What is Happiness?