So who am I? Well, I am an oddity in some ways. On a good day, I've been described as an 'optimistic cynic'. I don't believe that I'm anything more than 'average', you know. My talents in writing and web design are constantly improving; I'm learning new things every day. I figure I'll be 'above average' only when there's nothing left for me to learn about anything.
To be honest, I really have no idea 'who I am'. Even though I'm a "member" of the "Jack Benny Club" (over 40, for those of you too young to remember Jack), I still have no clear idea who I am. I can't say as I really want to know. I'll know when I've gotten to where I'm going when I get there. Right now, the greatest adventure is the trip there.
I am, among other things, a writer. I dabble with graphic arts, desktop publishing and web design. When I sit down and pay attention to what I'm doing, I'm not a bad photographer. As you can see in some of my stories, I like looking at things just a bit differently than most people. In that respect, I suppose I haven't grown up yet. I like crouching by the pathway and watching the ants go by. It makes me wonder what I look like to them, how they would react to me, how I would react to them, if they were larger or I were smaller. It makes me wonder what it would be like to be them.
The whole idea of being "something or someone else" fascinates me. What makes them tick? Why do they do what they do? I suppose that's why I write. I'm curious.
I'm also curious about other things, archaeology, forensic sciences, languages and words, and patterns. Oh, not necessarily sewing or needlecraft patterns (well, that, too), but how do things and people fit together? Where do we all fit into the overall Scheme of the Universe? I am only human, but is it possible for me to understand the Universe? Can I learn to see it? Or better yet, can I hope to understand how it's put together? Why is the answer 42?
The majority of my education has been in non-formal environments - correspondence courses (ICS and Long Ridge Writers' Group), 'at your own pace' courses in Audiovisual Techniques and New Media Communications, or through extensive reading and work experience.
I have worked as a waitress, a taxi driver/dispatcher, an aircraft mechanic, a security guard, and as a clerk in a tea and coffee brokerage. I've done data entry/collection work and worked with race and show horses and polo ponies. 30 years in the workforce permits that sort of diversity, you know.
I knit, crochet, tat and embroider. I'm just as capable of doing minor repairs and tune-ups on the car as I am baking bread or making soup from scratch.
To my astonishment, quite a few people ask for my assistance with their PC computers, even though they know I'm more familiar with Apple products. I can read a computer programme - at least, I can usually decipher what the programme is supposed to do - but I have a long way to go before I can write my own programmes. In some ways, computer programming, or even writing HTML, isn't much different from what I learned of aircraft repair. The words may be different, but troubleshooting problems in both still requires the ability to think in a straight line - cause and effect. To quote my favourite instructor, "How do it know?" Once you understand that part, troubleshooting is easy.
I like art that tells me a story I can understand - a small yellow square on a huge red canvas just doesn't cut it. I like Renoir's work. It has a mystical quality to it, almost dreamlike. Which is real, me or the painting?
I read a lot, and listen to classical music. I love listening to the piano, even though I can't even read music myself. I like music that lets me use my imagination. Preferably at a volume that lets me think, too. Greig, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven. And I'll have to admit to having a soft spot for Strauss, as well. There's just something about a waltz...
A final piece of information about me. I learn new things quickly, and if I don't know something, I make sure I know where to find the answers.
Cheryl