|
 the
gratuitous "about me" page
Since
online journalling became popular in the 1990s, folks have
included some sort of confessional, informational page outlining
the particulars of who they are.
Some
folks are big fat liars who make these outlandish personae
up, and we fall into it and believe every damn word until
the big lie is exposed. Others are pretty up front and honest,
sometimes too upfront and honest. People too often betray
where they are from, or give out too much information. That
can get them into trouble, be it fired from their jobs or
stalked by some wacky jackass from points far afield. And
then they question why and want protection or justice. They're
idiots. Plain and simple.
Me?
I am somewhere in the middle.
My
name is Christine. I am 38 as of this writing. I began an
online journal in June of 2001 after reading every last blessed
word written by Shelleyness
(I miss her) and James
Lileks. I consider the two of them my Blogparents...
and I'm not sure either of them would mind the distinction.
I got onto the bandwagon before many of the online "cookie
cutter" blog tools were popular. I use Dreamweaver and
Photoshop for the layout and design of my sites, and have
several years of archives to pick out of if I feel at some
point like giving you the back story, the ancient history,
the Dead Sea Scrolls of my writing.
Over
the years, I have not made up fake names for the people in
my life (or myself) but I don't give out my street address
and my measurements. You'll find no naked pictures here (of
me or my family, you pig!) and you'll find that we lead a
pretty run of the mill life. I do not blog about details of
my work.
My
basic philosophy is "what would happen if my mom, my
mother in law or my boss read this?" and I use that as
a barometer for what to say and who to rant/complain about.
And how much sailor talk I am going to throw into the mix.
Vocationally,
I have been a web designer since about 1998 or so. The past
couple of years have been rather dry and lumpy for me. Right
now I contract with a company in Marblehead doing content
management for their product, and some QA/Testing work, and
some Grammar Overlording, and a tiny bit of graphic design.
It's a living. And a fun one at that.
Politically,
I believe I'm boxed in the "fiscally conservative, socially
moderate" box. I proclaim my faith in Christianity, but
have no problem with you being whatever you want to be, believe
what you want, do what you want. I have no problem with Civil
Unions. But the term "Gay Marriage" bothers me.
It's like saying "Female Bachelor" or "Kosher
Pork." I hope that makes sense and you don't get too
pissed off. I will gladly support your love and pledge of
troth to one another, it's just not a marriage. It's a union.
And you (if you're gay) deserve the same benefits allotted
to me. Happiness highest among them.
I think abortion is wrong in principle, and that adoption
is a much better option for someone who has gotten themselves
into the Family Way to deal with the situation. I understand
what motivates women to not go that route. And the only thing
I can say to that is that making better decisions in the future
is the way to go. If you can't learn a lesson, don't go to
school.
I
am also (self-proclaimed, mind you) the world's Biggest Barenaked
Ladies Fan. Okay. I know there are those more fanatical than
I, but damn, I love them. Other bands/musicians I enjoy are:
Ben Folds (Five), Ellis Paul, Counting Crows, Foo Fighters,
Dave Matthews Band and others.
I
strongly dislike Sheryl Crow. I don't care for Norah Jones.
But go ahead -- if you want to, knock yourself out.
I'm
overweight by a goodly sum. You don't need to know the exact
details. Doug and I went on a diet last year, both of us lost
significant amounts. I'm still 40 pounds away from where I'd
like to be. I think losing weight slowly over the course of
time is the best bet... and am hoping by next January to be
at my goal weight.
Wish
me luck.
The
Players
 I
am married to Doug, have been for going on 14 years
and wouldn't have it any other way (and I do think he feels
the same). We met in College and dated through that period
of life.
While
many people from our alma mater got married the day after
commencement. We waited a bit, and then decided that it was
meant to be. Insert large "Aaaawwwww" sound here.
We spent the first few months of married bliss living in Boston,
then we moved to Atlanta and hated it. We came back and settled
back here in this area (northeast MA) and have been here since.
We've considered moving elsewhere, but. Meh.
We
are proud parents to Jessica and Geoffrey, ages
12 and 8 respectively. I write a lot about Jessica's mad skills
at acting and being a Simpsons fanatic, and Geoff's learning
disabilities and his humor.
 |
 |
| to
the left, Jessie and Geoff in Times Square, Thanksgiving
2004. above, Jack and Kinger camping and ready to go for
a ride, October 2004 |
We
have 2 dogs, Jack and Kinger. We once had Missy,
but she was put down shortly before I started writing online
(a backstory archive issue if ever there was one).
As
mentioned, we live in Massachusetts, North of Boston. We spend
a great deal of time out of doors doing something called "Geocaching,"
which is a GPS receiver driven "treasure hunt" kind
of thing. It gets us up off of our asses and out into the
world. We've seen some amazing sights, had some scary assed
adventures, and over all really enjoy ourselves. We spend
far more time in New Hampshire and Maine than we do Boston.
We like the outdoors more than the big city (but the big city
has its benefits, for sure).
I
have one sister, Linda. She keeps
an online journal as well but doesn't write nearly
as much as she should. She lives in NY and about a year ago
got engaged to Ronnie. They're a lovely couple.
Aaron
and Michelle are our best friends. They live on Mt. Desert
Island. We love them dearly and spend as much time as we can
up at their place in Maine. Last year we had the world's greatest
Pig Roast for July 4th weekend. It's always a party when we're
together. You'll hear mention of them quite often here.
 |
 |
| to
the left, Aaron & Michelle at the Common Ground Fair,
Fall 2001. above, Ronnie and Linda, atop Cadillac Mtn.,
July 2004 |
I
guess that's about it. There are other players, lots of people
-- many of them pass mention here... but the above pretty
much sum up the core of what happens here at (a)musings.
And
I, your humble narrator, bid you stay and enjoy. Thanks for
coming in and visiting in the first place.
|
