Who are you? [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

arguskos

2009-03-09, 06:28 PM

It appears to be your actual life story. Sorta interesting really. Here's mine:
My name is Adam. I was born in 1988, making me 20 currently. I live in Dallas, Texas (well... Richardson technically, but it's pretty much Dallas), where I once attended college. I have since failed out of said college, and am currently struggling to get a job, eat food regularly, and just basically survive.

In terms of things I've done that I tell few people... let's see... I was once in a fight so severe and dangerous that the term "them or me" was applicable on a life-or-death scale. I've had to fight for my life more than once, actually.

I have a horrid relationship with my parents, who I cannot seem to explain the idea of "I just NEED to be here, doing this, and not coming home like your little bitch anymore!" to.

I am in fairly poor health, as stress and a chronic toe infection batter me relentlessly. I would try and get the foot treated... but I lack money of any kind, so that's right out. I also am nearly positive I have clinical depression of some flavor, thanks to my studies in psychology and seeing a professional for 4-5 months.

I like rock, jazz, and most lounge, along with some light electronica and rap. I can't stand most country.

Interestingly, I don't drink, smoke, or really do anything illegal/detrimental to my health. I do enjoy a good scrap more than I should though, but given I have few other bad habits, I think I can be excused from this one.

I play D&D and Magic: The Gathering, along with a vast variety of computer games, nearly religiously. Shuffling is a nervous tic for me, actually.

I can't think of much else to tell y'all. Pretty sure that's all of it. :smallwink:

Given everything I've just listen, it may surprise you that I'm always around as a sympathetic ear. Just PM me if you want to rant and rave, talk, or whatever. I can be reached through MSN, AIM, and Google Chat, and will give out my screennames upon request. Just lemme know. :smallbiggrin:

bluewind95

2009-03-09, 10:30 PM

I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the neurosis that requires a 500 dollar an hour shrink, I. Am. Darkwing Duck!

:smallbiggrin:

Anyways as for me...

I'm a bad person, really. I've hurt people very badly without meaning to and I beat myself up a lot for those mistakes that never will be forgiven. I was born kinda weird. Never was a very social person, but also wasn't asocial enough to really worry people. I was bullied a lot as a child and that led to my becoming horrendously depressed and at the age of 10, I became suicidal. Never quite got over that and that's when I became a very bad person, all apathetic and cynical and nasty. I'm currently unemployed, but going to these courses and I might finally get a job after that's done. I hope so, anyways.

Haruki-kun

2009-03-09, 10:40 PM

I'm an Art Student living in Mexico. I'm also an Angel. :smalltongue:

I like Animé, Manga and Videogames, and making my own webcomic. I also enjoy the SMBG's and running Werewolf games (much more than playing them).

I try to take the light-hearted approach to life, although sometimes it's pretty hard to do so. Even so, usually you'll find my posts to be on the silly side. With some exceptions.

Ego Slayer

2009-03-09, 11:07 PM

I'm nobody.
Who are you? Are you nobody, too?

(Maybe I'll write something up later. I'm not very interesting.)

Anuan

2009-03-09, 11:07 PM

I am Anuan. I feel more connected to that name than my 'real' one, for reasons I won't go into here. I'm seventeen, but I simultaneously feel a lot older and a lot younger than that. I'm not a good person, but I'm a nice person. Sometimes too nice. Sometime's I'm really mean though. I'm occasionally an excessive flirt. My sexuality makes me feel guilty (I don't mean preference, I mean the level to which I think of/desire sexual contact.) I hate being lonely, I despise boredom. I'm socially inept. I'm a self-taught martial artist. I go through periods of crying far too much. I'm angry too often. I crack a lot of jokes, but most of them are recycled. If you heard a joke or read it and tell it to me, I'll probably say "I know this one" quickly into it, and in honesty, it'll be true.

I abhor 'subcultures' and 'teen culture.' I don't trust people easily, even my best friends; ask Felix. Music isn't very important to me, I've never drunk enough alcohol to get affected. I don't smoke. I don't do any drugs. I get called a freak a lot, often with those last few facts cited as reasons. I tried suicide too many times a few years ago. I never fall in love with people that're good for me. I get small crushes on a few people at a time and eventually allow one of them to grow into something more. I hate whiners. People that act as if music is the single most important thing in the world and say that they'd die without it annoy me, especially if they listen to punk or punk-derived music. Even more if they look and act like a typical 'muso.'

I'm realising this has way more stuff in it than I thought it would. I'm a writer. I want to eventually have a stable family life. I've always been unpopular, but always had better friends than the people that had huge amounts of them. I have a hypersensitive sense of smell, and connect everything with it; as in, everyone I meet has a smell I associate with them.
Warning. Unintendid hugeness.

Assassin89

2009-03-09, 11:09 PM

For me

My name is Andrew. I was born in November 23, 1989 near Chicago. My mother's half of the family comes from Taiwan, meaning that I am half-Asian.
I live in a suburb of Chicago, but that is only outside of college.

I graduated from Stevenson High School in 2008.

I am a student at Milwaukee School of Engineering in Wisconsin majoring in
Software Engineering.

My hobbies include D&D and video games. I prefer Nintendo games, but I have played a few games on the Xbox and Playstation.

I didn't really socialize much in the past, but I started being more social in High School.

Szilard

2009-03-09, 11:16 PM

I'm a geek named Szilard. Some like to call me Sizzle. That is all I will divulge here on the internet.

Serpentine

2009-03-09, 11:37 PM

Man... Far too many of these are so depressing :smalleek: I AM DETERMINED TO BE POSITIVE! Which is the main reason I'm posting here, really...
I'm a 22-year-old middle-class Australian female living in the New England area of New South Wales. I was born in Bordertown, SA, lived in far-western Victoria for my first 6 years, spent most of primary school at Armidale and the last 6 months in the Blue Mountains and completed high school in north-eastern Victoria.
Both my parents are still alive, and they both love me. They're divorced, she's married, he's just bought a house with his girlfriend. My father's the Cultural Development Coordinator of the Gold Coast City Council and my mother's a doctor. They are both supporting me through my studies. We rarely fight, and they get along okay. My sister is streetwise and good for advice on a variety of topics. Also she's pregnant with my second niece/nephew! :smallbiggrin:
I did well in school, although I constantly, all the way through, had "needs to do more homework" on my report cards and didn't do nearly as well at the end as I should have because I hated what should have been probably my best class (I didn't get along with that English teacher very well). I've just finished a BaA/Sc with a high Credit average. In keeping with primary and secondary school, I did well but always handed stuff in late. I'm just starting Honours in History - Dragons and the Devil - and I'm worried about whether I'll be organised and focussed enough.
I've never had many really "close" friends, but I've had enough decent ones and friendly acquaintances, and I was okay when I was left alone.
I love just about every animal I can think of, except for ticks and chimpanzees. I have a handsome pet cat and I miss my late dog.
Ideally, I'd really like to be a cryptozoologist or maybe just a folkbiologist. More likely I'll be a museum researcher. I'm also very interested in zoology, ecology, physiology, psychology, sociology, history, ancient history, literature, ancient literature, mythology, religion, astronomy, the "paranormal", and who knows what else.
I have 5 talents: Magic eyes, touch-typing, gift-giving, research/finding stuff out and massage.
I've never smoked tobacco, drink occasionally, can't smoke weed though I've discovered I can handle passive smoking that, and I'm interested in trying other things, but I'm going to stay right away from anything significantly addictive - I'm so weak-willed that if ever I get hooked on something I'll never get off it. I believe that as an occasional treat such things are fine, it's when they become a permanent or prominent feature of your life that there's a problem.
I consider myself a Skeptical Miscellaneous Protestant and a Scientist. I am, I suppose, socially liberal and economically conservative. I think Socialism is a great idea and ought to be incorporated into every national governing system.
I'm heteroflexible - I prefer males and think I'd probably only ever have real, meaningful relationships with them, but I do very much like the female form and am interested in trying things.
I believe that, no matter how ****house I might feel at the time, I can cope with anything, and if I really had to I could do anything. I think that, overall, I'm a reasonably good person - I mean well, at least - if only because I'm always doubting it.
I don't really have all that many secrets - just stuff I've learned to censor because people don't want to know about it - so if someone asks me something, I figure it's they're own fault if they turn out to not want to know the answer.
There! A positive personal profile! Take that negativity! :smallbiggrin: :smalltongue:

THAC0

2009-03-09, 11:47 PM

...I feel old now.

Em Blackleaf

2009-03-09, 11:49 PM

I'm Emily Rose (last name isn't important).

I'm 14 and I've been screaming since September 9th 1994.

I'm really quiet when I'm around closed up people. I really need an outgoing person to be outgoing. I guess I don't speak unless spoken to.

The whole "seen, not heard" thing doesn't apply to me, though. I'm really silly around my friends, and that includes being really loud. :smalltongue:

I don't like conflict, even the smallest of scuffles.

I'm always worried about my appearance, but that's probably because I never do anything about it.

I guess I'm down to earth and well-adjusted. I hate to let people know when I'm having a bad day, because the last thing I need on a bad day are friends who feel bad.

I think my entire life has been based on outdoing myself and proving to myself what I can do. So, I hate failure. If not that, then outdoing others.

I'm passionate about theater, dancing, singing, writing, and doodles. I never really draw very much, so I doodle here and there on my math notes.
My brother said I could do album covers.

I live above the influence, no matter how cheesy that sounds. I plan on never doing drugs or anything. That connects to being really health conscience.

I have had a good upbringing.

Uhm... I'm out of things to say about myself. I guess I try to lighten up any situation, and make people laugh.

EDIT:

I'm nobody.
Who are you? Are you nobody, too?

(Maybe I'll write something up later. I'm not very interesting.)

Emily Dickinson?
Is that right?

I also feel the need to prove to other people when I get a reference. :smalltongue:

Ego, I'm sure you're very interesting. Just post something, and the whole playground will say, "Oh, Ego's truly amazing."
And I don't think they'd be lying. :smallsmile:

afroakuma

2009-03-09, 11:52 PM

THAC0: You shouldn't. Apart from Lady Serp, I'm the oldest here so far, given those with declared ages. And she doesn't beat me by much.

Props to Serpentine for Determinator positivity. :smallsmile:

I'm not very interesting.

Lies.

THAC0

2009-03-09, 11:55 PM

Ichneumon

2009-03-10, 12:37 AM

Did you ever found it fascinating that some things that are unethcial, feel totally justified under the right circumstances.

I did.:smalltongue:

Felixaar

2009-03-10, 12:44 AM

Man... Far too many of these are so depressing :smalleek: I AM DETERMINED TO BE POSITIVE!

You and me both, sister, though it doesnt take much effort for me.

Malik, glad you turned away from 'cide. As a stranger it might not mean much, but I'm proud of you and respect you. Well done.

now, as for ME...

I'm Joshua Thomas Stanley Elliott of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Though most people simply know me as Felix - which is short for Felixander J. Tortoiseshell.

I'm more than a little crazy, but I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, and I never will. I have fun in life and see every new thing as an adventure to be had or a challenge to overcome. I love looking like a total fool, especially if it's for a good cause, and I love talking my mates into doing crazy things with me.

I'm a bad penny, an inveterate traveller who has charming habit of turning up again. I'm also a writer, with two novels under my belt. I'm single and not looking... yet.

My short term goals are to find employment, learn to play an instrument, and learn embroidery.

My long term goals are to become a published author, and/or open up a restaurant/bakery, find true love and have many children (fourish).

I could go on and on, but that would be pointless :smallsmile: if you'd like to know more, PM me, or go to my website (http://www.felinuanbooks.webs.com).

and most importantly...

I am HAPPY!!! :smile:

arguskos

2009-03-10, 12:48 AM

Man... Far too many of these are so depressing :smalleek: I AM DETERMINED TO BE POSITIVE!
I just posted the truth, as it stands today. :smallwink: Trying hard to change it though, always good to try.

Felix... if you ever open up that bakery... lemme know. I'd be most interested in visiting and eating mass amounts of croissants (you WILL be serving them... right?). :smallbiggrin:

Dallas-Dakota

2009-03-10, 12:57 AM

I'm nobody.
Who are you? Are you nobody, too?

(Maybe I'll write something up later. I'm not very interesting.)

(Damn you Ego, I wanted to day that when I saw this thread....Damn timeszones)

And Em, you don´t do anything about your appearance? I find it hard to believe that, with how pretty your pictures are in the You thread. Or you´re a natural beauty, very possible.:smallwink:

UncleWolf

2009-03-10, 01:12 AM

*cracks knuckles*

My name is Jeremy Fischer [last name withheld]. I was born along with a twin sister on December 17th, 1990, Washington DC. I also have an older brother. If you need to know, I am a Sagittarius and Horse(Metal[Eastern Zodiac]).

My father was Army, and as such, I moved a lot. I lived in various places on the East Coast and even went to Seoul, South Korea for two years. After moving back to the States for another two, my father retired and my family moved to Missouri.

I entered High School as the short "chubby" kid that everyone made fun of and didn't want to be around unless it was time to take a test.

Then, everyone wanted to know me. To tell the truth, I am still absolutely disgusted at that. Now, I am a full time college student in my freshman year working on a Criminal Justice Major. I am now in very good shape and still haven't had a girlfriend.

>.>
*coughhintcough*

I am very good at controlling my temper(even though I wish I wasn't sometimes). I am also very much a "Lone Wolf" because I have spent most of my life reading. I am now regretting that decision.

I am 5 11 and have light brown hair that is going gray. Yes, that is correct. Gray at 18.

I am a heavy Sci-Fi fanatic.

If you need to know more, just ask.

And no, you can't meet my sister. :smalltongue:

Ego Slayer

2009-03-10, 01:12 AM

What is there that you don't already know.

I am Kathlin Ann [no last name for you!], born January 19th, 1991. Everyone offline calls me Katie. Both my parents are well and married and I have one fifteen year old brother. I don't like talking about my school-life, mainly because I will do nothing but put myself down. I have an overwhelming amount of guilt towards my mum because of the things I've done to myself or in spite of her efforts. I don't recall ever once genuinely feeling any dislike towards my parents. No matter what they ever did that caused us conflict, I could never hate them for it. Sometimes I feel really lucky to have the life I do, and have the parents I have. I'm currently in my second semester of a two-year college. It's basically as interesting as it is stressful and terrifying.

I had an obsession with wild birds from ten on to about fifteen. I wanted to be an ornithologist pretty badly and later on found an interest in dragonflies and other things. Because of this I made a wealth of connections with people who worked in or along side the Cleveland Natural History Museum and surrounding park districts. It's regrettable that I began losing the energy to do anything and lost all these connections. I easily could have landed internship or other aiming-toward-profession opportunities.

I'm clinically depressed with some number of general and social anxieties and can break into tears at the slightest stress or embarrassment. This leads to my never wanting to do things for fear of having such a breakdown. I've never attempted suicide, but it used to often enter my thoughts.

I'm very attached to being called Ego because so much of who I am now revolves around those who have called me as such for almost four years now. My existence as Ego is your creation. I occasionally have referred to myself offline as Ego, in third person. Just because I can. The reason I love the nickname Ego now has almost nothing to do with the reason I got it in the first place. The definition of the word itself sits well with me. I often ask myself "who am I?" because I struggle with the question and the concept. I don't know who I am. "I"... "I" doesn't understand. Ego does not understand.

My world is art. Sometimes I'm suddenly overwhelmed by all the colour or all the light and want to breath it in. I'm hooked up to my ipod at every possible chance and continuously add to my music collection. Sometimes I become obsessed with a certain band and can't bring myself to listening to anything else for days. Listening to a good song is like taking a deep mental breath. I feel cold, lost, confused, and out of place in a quiet world... I feel validated and in sync with myself and surroundings when listening to something.

If only I could PLAY music! I took piano lessons when I was 10, for a year or so. Its still probably my favourite instrument. However, I can no longer play if there is anyone around to hear...so I don't get the chance very often. I can play some guitar, too. I've been wanting to actually get lessons, though.

For some reason, I always forget that I took traditional Irish dance when I was... oh, gods, eight years old, or something? I don't even know anymore! I took classes for a year or so and went to a couple little competitions. I remember being in such awe of the amazing embroidered dresses the accomplished dancers had. Oh my god, I wanted one of those so bad.

I'm never alone. I talk to myself almost constantly. Usually at 2am, in the dark. I've learned a lot about myself from that. It's almost important.

Sometimes I wish I were bisexual. But let's not go there. I ultimately adore guys as much as I am disgusted by the things they do. I'm afraid I'll never be able to have a real relationship with anyone. That leads to suicidal thoughts sometimes because I'm so afraid of having facing so many things.

Dreaming has become very important to me yet I've never looked forward to dreaming every night. Never. Trying to recall a vague dream, to me, is mentally exhausting. Frustratingly, this past week or so has been rougher than usual... and I've not been able to fully recall a single dream. I sarcastically thank my unconscious for piling more mental exhaustion on me. Still, there are things I get to experience in dreaming that I am currently unable, or maybe never will be able, to experience in my waking life. Most of these things are social.

I need approval or attention constantly to feel important or cared about, even though my rational mind knows I'm cared about regardless of whether I receive my daily dose of validation. For having pretty horrible social anxiety, I manage to function when I need to. Because people generally terrify me in person, it takes an outgoing friend to bring out the hyper, mildly extrovert Ego.

I often feel like a lot of different people instead of one person with many sets of past experiences.

TOO LONG, DON'T READ... OH GODS. :smalleek:

UncleWolf

2009-03-10, 01:18 AM

I talk to myself almost constantly. Usually at 2am, in the dark. I've learned a lot about myself from that. It's almost important.

Oh, good.

I'm not the only crazy one here. :smalltongue:

I know how that is. Sometimes I really do wonder if I have developed multiple personalities because of that.

I like to think of them as different perspectives though.

>.>

*hugs Ego*

Hell Puppi

2009-03-10, 01:21 AM

That was actually kind of pretty, Ego.

We should like....write a collective book from this thread. 'The Playgrounders'? Lives interacting?

thubby

2009-03-10, 01:24 AM

I'm not telling you my name because I don't trust people, and I'm very much a loner. I dislike most aspects of the world, and dislike having to learn many of the skills I know, but feel compelled to deal with them anyway because I won't trust others to do it for me, ever.
I dislike all but the smallest social gatherings, but you wouldn't know by looking.
I'm extremely blunt when I'm being sincere, and have creaped out a few people with the stark contrast between my public and private self.
I love animals, children, music.

I don't really have a mental image of myself

I want to be an engineer so I can understand the machinations of the world around me and tinker with the devices that have long captivated me.

Raistlin1040

2009-03-10, 01:38 AM

Whooooooooo are you? Who who, who who?

M'Blake.

I'm a romantic, or at least, I try to be. I have to be. As New Age-y as that sounds, that is my faith. I have to belive in love. If I didn't or couldn't, I think I would waste away into nothingness from depression. On top of that, I have a messiah complex, of sorts. I see people in trouble and I try to help, and then my helpful feelings blossom, until I'm left standing alone.

I don't sleep. It's not that I can't, it's just that it's so wasted. I spend a half hour trying to fall asleep, even when I'm dead tired, there's so much I could be doing. I rarely get more than four hours a sleep, on average. My mom used to joke that I had issues sleeping because my brain would stay up thinking through the night.

I'm dramatic. I tease my sister all the time for being a drama queen, but I'm no better. Every little slight warrants an angry reaction, every little success warrants an outburst of joy. Everything I say is carefully calculated to have maximum impact. Sometimes I suprise myself with how two dimensional I can be.

I have both an inferiority and superiority complex. I *know* I'm better than most of the people I know. I'm smarter, I'm more charismatic, I'm more creative. I outshine everyone I know in at least one thing, usually more. And yet, I feel like nothing. My accomplishments mean nothing. I am as insignificant as a speck of dust.

I'm doomed to become that which I hate most. I hate people who whine about things that don't matter. Hate them. And yet, it seems that at any given time I can list a large amount of things off the top of my head that are bothing me, hurting me, or otherwise upsetting me. Even when I Mea Culpa the problems, and admit I don't like to whine, I find myself bitching about stupid things that don't matter at all.

I want to be a writer when I grow up. I'm not a very good writer. I want to be a musician when I grow up. I'm not a very good musician. I want to be a psychologist when I grow up. I'd be as prone to problems as my patients. I know I wouldn't want someone like me telling me what they think of my mental state. I'm not sure I'm the grad school type anyway.

I'm lonely. I stick out among my peers. I'm smarter than most of them, if not all. I'm more mature than most of them. I know people who have dealt with situations that are life-shattering. I'm too far removed from people my own age to ever really fit it with them. And yet, people who I can connect with, people older, I feel small when I talk to them, like I don't deserve to be speaking with people who might actually understand me.

There's more. There must be. Thought I'd something more to say, but I suppose I've forgotten.

RabbitHoleLost

2009-03-10, 01:43 AM

I deleted mine.
I'm not happy with who I am or how I describe it.
>>
Especially after reading Raist's and Ego's.

Zeb The Troll

2009-03-10, 01:51 AM

Yeah, I'm older. ;)My daughter is roughly 15 months younger than Serpentine.

When I was born, Nixon was in his first term as president. My parents met while enlisted in the US Army during the Viet Nam conflict (in Kansas, of all places). They divorced when I was 10 and much has happened since then but today and always they are good people that I love and respect, and they me. In my many years I have had no shortage of trials and challenges, all of which have helped to make me the successful man that I am today. I regret little that I have done and on the odd occasion I recall something I did that chagrins me, I snicker to myself and shrug it of as something I did in an earlier time, before I knew better. I have always excelled academically, though I still managed to put off completing my undergraduate education until I was 30. I am now engaging in graduate studies and I am finding that there are topics for which I must actually apply myself in order to get a passing grade and it scares the crap out of me.

I have lived and loved and lost more than once. I have given up on the prospect of love fearing my time had passed and my opportunities missed or blown. Each time I have found love again and this time, like all the others, I know that it will last forever, which makes me fear that it won't. But this time I have decided that I'm not going to worry about what will happen if I find myself alone again. I am happy. I intend to remain happy and so I will not dwell on 'what if's' because that way lies fear and paranoia, which breeds fear and paranoia.

The man I am today is one who loves to love and loves to have fun. I make time for things that I enjoy. I enjoy things for the sake of enjoying them. Some people work to live, some live to work. I am definitely the former. I am competitive by nature, but not to the point of losing sight of the fact that I am playing a game. I like to win, and I will do what I must to do so, but I will congratulate someone who beats me. I don't like confrontation and I rarely argue with anyone except for my brother, who just seems to bring it out of me. Then we laugh and have a drink and move on. I like to think that I am wiser than I probably am. I will happily dispense advice on any topic that I feel I have the experience to do so.

I like to meet people. Especially people who I know or know of only impersonally, like all of you. The more of you I meet, the more of you all want to meet. (psst, go see the SE Trogland Meetup (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105955) thread, you know you want to!) I am married to wonderful woman who is ten years my junior and she makes me not feel as old as I used to feel. I am a grandfather of a two year old boy. I am about to be a father again in August (son or daughter we find out in about 12 hours from now). I am a Tier 2 technical support person for the government, which means I work in downtown Washington, D.C. and I live nearby. I like to have people come and visit so that I can show them our capital. I like to spend time on boats and I am licensed in Maryland to pilot anything up to 60' (So if any of you in the area are boat people, let me know. I recently lost my connection and don't have one of my own).

And finally, like Serpentine, I am an open book and I will tell anyone anything they want to know about me.

And for good measure...

*gives noogies to Rabbit and Ego, cuz old guy hugs tend to be creepy to the young ladies even when they're not meant to be*

Serpentine

2009-03-10, 01:56 AM

My daughter is roughly 15 months younger than Serpentine.Damn. Also, why do I seem to be the measuring rod (or whatever the appropriate item is) for these things? :smallconfused:

MisplacedBunnyBurrow: Pffft. Pffft I say! And I say it again, pffft!

Lord Blace

2009-03-10, 01:59 AM

I am Reece C. Petterson. I was born on the 5th of February, 1988.
My parents are divorced, I have lived with my mother my whole life and have two brothers and two sisters. I am the oldest. I have only recently got back in touch with my father. I have largely forgiven him for his absence from my life. I never made superb grades in school, largely because homework and I had a fundamental disagreement. For example, I passed chemistry only because my teacher made a bet with me that I couldn't make a 95% on the final exam, and that if I could, he'd pass me for the year. I made a 97%.
I have been out of work for quite a while, but finally found employment and can plan on moving out of my mother's house.
I have a small circle of really close friends, we play d&d on weekends.
There are some other things about me, but I just got off work, and I'm tired, so there! :smalltongue:
-Edit-
I have been through two step-fathers, each getting progressively worse. The first step-father was an alcoholic and would abuse my mother, my sister, and myself when drunk. He would slap and verbally abuse my mother, verbally abuse me, and smoke right above my sister's crib. In fact, one of my earliest memories is of the day he tried to confront my mother after she had left him by coming back to our apartment. She had screamed for me to call the police, so I did. It went something like this:
Officer: "This is 911."
Me: "Hello. My dad is here and he is trying to steal my mom's breadmaker."
Officer: "Ok, can you give me your address, sweetie?"
Me: "Er... I don't know."
Officer: "Alright, well, can we keep you on the phone for a little bit?"
Me: "Ok."
Officer: "Hmm... Alright, hun, say, what's your favorite color?"
Me: "Blue."
Officer: "That's a good color to like! Alright, an officer should be on their way soon."
Me: "Ok, thank you, bye."
Officer: "Bye."
Now, in actuality, my mother wanted to call them because she was afraid that Mr.Ex-Step-Father was going to hit her, but all I knew was that he had walked out of our house with my momma's bread maker! Now seriously, whenever I've told anyone this story they're all "Awww..." or whatnot, but the whole bread maker thing, I find to be funny. Maybe that's just because it was me.
Anywho, the next guy was the worst. He started out ok, being nice and all that, but they usually do, don't they? Well, he got into heavy drinking, and like the man before, was an angry drunk. Things were further complicated when he started using things like crack and black tar heroine. Anyways, it all got to a climax when one night while high&drunk, thought my mother was cheating on him with two guys that he thought were across the street laughing at him in their truck. He got her up, was yelling, screaming, and hitting her. Woke all of us kids up... it got so bad, he held a knife to my mother's throat. If I have one regret in my life, it's that I was too scrawny a kid to have defended my own mother. Anyways, he came to his senses long enough to call his parents who came and intervened long enough for us to see the morning light, and when he went to work that day, we got the hell out of dodge.
But, out of all of that, something positive did happen to me. I moved to where I am now, have the friends that I have. I've sworn off drinking and other drugs because I saw first-hand what it can do (though I'm not condemning any of you that do drink, I know it can have different effects on different people). You know? I'd probably have never played d&d, or discovered this site had it not been for all of that making us move to Arlington...
Oh yes, another funny story when it comes to the whole drinking thing...
My mother and I (between the jerks) had the same exact looking cups. I had some coke in mine, and she had some rum&coke (very little rum, she doesn't like the taste so much). Well, I accidentally picked up her glass. And let me tell you, that was enough rum to make me run to the sink and spit it out as fast as I could. Bleh. So, I also just presume all alcohol tastes just as nasty. Helps keep the temptation to try stuff at bay. :smalltongue:

Felixaar

2009-03-10, 02:05 AM

Felix... if you ever open up that bakery... lemme know. I'd be most interested in visiting and eating mass amounts of croissants (you WILL be serving them... right?). :smallbiggrin:

Yes to both :smallbiggrin: I'm debating between names - A "Pie"-rates life or A Piklettes Life.

It would be Pirate themed, you see.

*cracks knuckles*

*snip-de-lip*

I wish I was going grey at eighteen. Also, you and I really need to hang out some day.

Hmm... sister. I kid, Wolfie, I'd never.

Damn. Also, why do I seem to be the measuring rod (or whatever the appropriate item is) for these things? :smallconfused:

Cause you're just precious!

RabbitHoleLost

2009-03-10, 02:20 AM

MisplacedBunnyBurrow: Pffft. Pffft I say! And I say it again, pffft!
Okay, dammit, I'll re-write it!

Nicole Rushing, born July 21st 1989 in Plymouth, Masschusetts to Mark Rushing and Karen Rushing (Maiden name Jaeger).
Last time I did this, I tried to point to certain things, like the instability of my mother and her attempt to commit suicide infront of me when I was a child. I didn't mention her putting my hand on the stove or attempting to rip my ear off or her telling me I was useless compared to my sister, or the fact that she left when I was seven and never looked back.
I could use that as my explanation for so many things in my life and a few people have.
Confusion about my gender, my sexual preferences, my desire (or lack thereof) to have kids.
My father has accused me often of hiding in fantasies, as I'm sure many of us have heard some time or another. Maybe I really am Alice, as opposed to the Mad Hatter. Maybe I'm just falling down to Wonderland....or maybe I've just come back.
I've always been a bad student, and I've never had motivation. What do I want to do with my life? Hell if I know.
I'm the oldest of five, and, by far, the least successful of them all. I'm nineteen, stuck at home, with no license and no car, no schooling past high school (besides a crappy year of University), and a pretty crappy job.
However, though I complain about it often, I like my job. I like working. It makes me feel like I'm not nearly as useless as I think I would be without it.
I can admit I've done things wrong; I've been horrible in relationships, friend-wise and romantic, I'm not good at opening up, and I lie often. Or, I did. I'm working on it, and, I've been pretty good at it for the past five months or so.
Atleast, I'm not lying anymore. I still have a bad habit of losing touch with people.

For those of you who don't know, I have an explosive temper that goes off at the smallest of things, and I live in perpetual anger. I don't like this, and I often make a fool of myself or hurt someone's feelings.
I feel like I need to be loved, like, if someone doesn't like me or love me or whatever, that I'm useless.
I know I'm pretty and sometimes I hate it. I was an ugly child; I grew up knowing that, and being picked on. My recent level of attractiveness was like a late gift, and I don't know how to deal with it.
Often, I get accused of abusing it. Infact, someone once directly told me I use my bust and bottom to get what I want. I was terrified, because I wasn't sure they were wrong.
I guess, because I don't like it when people dislike me, I don't really like disliking people. It bothers me. It doesn't feel right.
I'm RHL; I'm supposed to love everyone, right? I want to connect to someone on a deeper level, know them, have them know me.
I just don't want to be alone.

On a more basic level, I love undead. Really. It started with vampires when I was younger, and, as I got older and disillusioned with the sexy, it moved onto zombies and liches and ghosts and any number of things. Am I afraid of death, total and complete? Maybe. I don't know.
I don't know a lot of things about myself, really. I'm a stranger to myself.
...At this point, I want to scream "Stranger Danger!" and giggle.
I try to be happy, and, in a way, I am about as happy as the average person; I'm just going through a downward arch right now. It'll pop back up, I know it.
Atleast, I hope so.
Colors and pretty music make me happy. Like Ego, I wish I could make music, play any instrument, sing well, do something. I want to contribute.
I haven't really done anything with my life.
Its not too late, is it?

>>
Also, I may actually have a relationship now that may be healthy and good for me. For once.

Alarra

2009-03-10, 02:25 AM

Don't fear that we won't last forever, Zeb sweetie, because we will...forever and ever, well, until you die of old age that is, many many years before I do. :smallwink:

I am Amanda. I was born May 23, 1981 to two moderately happy parents who unlike the vast majority of parents I know are still mostly happily married nearly 30 years later. I have a younger brother about whom I worry constantly, but who may *crosses fingers* have finally gotten his act together. My parents and I have a very close relationship, and though we yell at each other a lot, that's just our interaction style and we're really rather happy.

I am a worried optimist, always thinking that everything will turn out perfectly and for the best, but also constantly ruminating over the ways that it couldn't.

I care deeply about other people and want to help them, which is why I am going to be a therapist. There is a part of me that worries that I want to help people to increase my own feelings of superiority over them though, and that scares me. Maybe this is just another sign of why all therapists should be in therapy if they want to do what they do. This nebulous 'they' that I want to help consists of people I don't know and am not close to though. With those I am close to, I am irritatingly selfish and criticizing and I dislike this about me.

I am happy....really happy. I'm at a really good place in my life and with a person I love and I'm going to be a mom soon. This by turns delights me and scares the crap out of me. I have this sinking fear that I don't have the energy or motivation to deal with a kid. And the way I've been lately has made that fear seem even more real. I can't seem to make myself do anything but sit in front of the computer or sleep. I haven't even managed to get a job yet, even though I got my masters months ago.

When I'm not lacking in motivation, I'm creative. I'm an artist and a writer. I draw, paint, am working on several novels, one of which I really think is publishable. I am obsessed with doors, and those are my most frequent subject matter. And books....I pretty much live for books. I read faster and more than anyone I know, and yeah...books are pretty much the greatest thing in the world.

I'm smart and a perfectionist and when I'm not the best at something I tend to get upset. I worry that I'm so used to being good at things, especially since I've been in school for so long and I'm really good at the book learnings....that now that I'm out I'm going to find myself completely unprepared to exist in the real world.

I am shy, quiet and often unduly worried about the impression I make on people. I'm getting better at meeting new people though. I love to have fun and laugh and be with friends, and I'm so glad I've made so many here.
.... and somehow this got really really long. Sorry. :smallredface:

And Rabbit? It's never too late. Sorry if that comes out sounding kinda cheesy...*wanders off feeling silly*

PhoeKun

2009-03-10, 02:30 AM

Its not too late, is it?

No, it's not. It never is. But especially for you, there's loooooots of time. So don't despair, pretty Rabbit.

...What? Say something about myself? No. You all get to learn about me the old fashioned way - through conversation. :smalltongue:

Reinholdt

2009-03-10, 02:36 AM

Me?
I'm the really shy, private, introverted, redundant kid with a whole lot of secrets he prefers to keep bottled up. I do enjoy reading about your secrets though and will do so.

And that's all you're getting.
@ Rabbit - Grats on finding that relationship. I hope it works out. :smallsmile:

Felixaar

2009-03-10, 02:43 AM

I'm not happy with who I am

You're a good person, rabbs :smallsmile: and I don't care what you have to say in opposittion to that.

Don't fear that we won't last forever, Zeb sweetie, because we will...forever and ever, well, until you die of old age that is, many many years before I do. :smallwink:

...this is a very scary statement, especially if they bring out a new brand of Poison named "Old Age".

...THATS A GREAT IDEA! I HAZ NEW PRODUCT!

Also, you two... Ten bucks on a Boy. But don't let me find out until birth! I want it to be a surprise.

Trog

2009-03-10, 02:49 AM

I am Jeff. Most of you here know me as Trog. Some that even know me as both still only know me as Trog. I'm sure the U.S. Border Patrol agent was most amused at that name amongst the list of real names given when asked "Who will you be visiting in the U.S.?" :smalltongue:

But I digress.

I'm 37 and a single dad with two kids ages 12 and 9. I got an amicable divorce a few years back. A counselor we were seeing at the time commended us on having (as far as the mental well being of our children were concerned) an exemplary divorce. Strange that a divorce can be something you can be proud of, yes?

Right now I live for my kids. Primarily because I am at that age where one's social life tends to wane. You have friends and you may talk to them often online or over the phone but you hang out less and less as life intervenes and steals your time away. I manage to still game roughly once a week though. Though that should be on hold for a little while here as my best friend just had his first son a few days ago. :smallsmile:

I went to college for studio art for four years studying under the Hell's Kitchen TV show version of an art instructor. Meaning he was critical, English (studied at the Royal Academy as a matter of fact), and nearly always right because he was good at what he did. I lost whatever flame was within me that drove me to express myself through my art. I miss it terribly but try as I might I can never, myself, get it to light. I met someone in the past couple years who managed to rekindle that for a time... but that didn't really work out I guess.

I just got done with taking medications for depression/anxiety. I took myself off them on my own (gradually, of course) because I had read that Generalized Anxiety Disorder was often misdiagnosed in patients who had a high level of daily caffeine consumption. I drank a LOT of caffeine. So I cut down on both just to see what happened. Basically I feel back to normal. Maybe the small odd worry here or there but otherwise pretty good. So thumbs up on that. (^^)b

I had been working as a graphic artist for a public traded company for 12 years, but when the stock market crashed cutbacks were made and I was one among the many laid off. That was almost two months ago now and since that time I have basically taken an at-home vacation, living off my savings and my severance package. I can go a few more months if need be but I hope to find a job in the area soon. I'll apply for unemployment only if I need to. Right now it's nice to be doing well enough not to need that. I -really- dislike owing anyone anything and unemployment, to me, sort of feels like that, so I'm avoiding it for as long as possible. Probably my silly pride somehow.

My days can be pretty empty without someone to share them with. On the days that I do not have my kids I usually won't get through my day without thinking about that I guess. I'm pretty shy in person and especially around women I find attractive. Which doesn't help the singleness all that much to tell the truth.

It has been mentioned to me several times by several different people that my real life persona is so very different from that of Trog, who many are used to here on the forums. I enjoy playing the character because it is an outlet for some humor. Contrary to popular belief I do not smoke in real life.

Um... hmmm.... I can't think of a whole lot else at the moment. Then again it's late and I was doing this in the hope of boring myself to sleep. Didn't work for me. Let me know how it works for you. :smalltongue:

Destro_Yersul

2009-03-10, 02:58 AM

Well, here goes.

My name is Duncan Fingarson. I am a paladin. No, I'm not a stick-up-the-arse self-righteous paladin. I'm what a paladin, in my mind, should be. I don't have any armour or carry a sword, though I could if I wanted to. I am just a nice guy, who tries to help others when he can.

I'm good at listening. Have always been pretty quiet myself, but I can listen. Lend a sympathetic ear, as it were. I'm generous with my money, though I try to avoid spending too much. Doesn't mean I can't buy the beer for my friends and I every now and then.

I don't drink much, either. Once in a while, with friends, or a glass of wine with dinner, or something like that. I'm not an alcoholic, and I don't smoke or do any drugs. Again, paladin. I'm the good guy. Which isn't to say I don't have some issues.

Mostly though, I've gotten rid of my issues by this point. They were part of me, but now they aren't, and I've learned from them. I had self esteem issues, but now I'm quite confident and can avoid worrying too much about what people think of my. I have been shy in the past, but I'm more outgoing now. I have withdrawn into my books, and been depressed, but this was a long time ago and was more a product of circumstance than anything else.

Speaking of books, I love to read. I'd go so far as to consider myself a book nut, though not to the level of some people I could name. I like fantasy and science fiction and mysteries most of all. My curiosity is what drives me. I always want to know who did what, even with people. Once I find it out though, that's it. I don't use the information, for the most part. The thrill is in the hunt.

Musically, my tastes vary. I'm probably one of the few people you will ever meet to like both Country/Western and Metal. Pretty much the only thing I don't like to some degree is rap. I don't currently play any instruments, though I did play the saxophone for a year a while back. Got pretty good at it.

For fun, I read, write, play video games and roleplay. I'd add drawing to that list, but I'm terrible at drawing organic shapes so I don't do it much. Occasionally I paint miniatures, or work with leather. I want to make myself a suit of leather armour at some point.

I learn quickly, and retain information well, but I am neither the fastest person nor the strongest nor the most attractive, though I have been informed that on this last point I am sorely mistaken. If I had to pick one word to describe myself I'd probably go with 'average', which is Ironic because I like to think I stand out from the crowd. Probably why I'm so silly.

Romantically, I'm a one-woman type of guy. I don't want or need more than one, and I don't enter into relationships easily. Not as more than a friend. I can be friends with anyone, male or female, and speak to them equally. As a romantic though, it takes a lot to get me to really go for it. For the longest time I thought I might never find anyone to love. I've currently got a relationship in which I am very happy though, so hopefully everything will work out on that front.

Anyways, that's it, that's who I am. Jack of all trades, master of none. I don't mind. I'm happy with being me.

THAC0

2009-03-10, 02:58 AM

My daughter is roughly 15 months younger than Serpentine.

You win! :)

Zeb The Troll

2009-03-10, 03:31 AM

RabbitHoleLost

2009-03-10, 03:38 AM

I have decided I officially approve of this thread and some of the insights it gives.
- insert many hugs for Alarra, Zeb, Ego, Trog, Phoe, Felixaar, Reinholdt, Thallis and other people but especially Destro and Raist here-
I love all of you guys.
<3

Anuan

2009-03-10, 03:54 AM

We should like....write a collective book from this thread. 'The Playgrounders'? Lives interacting?

Better yet, say three, four weeks of a selection of playgrounders living in a largish house with cameras in every room except the bedrooms and bathrooms. Like a big-brother kinda thing, but with slightly less invasion of privacy. I've been interested in doing a similar thing for quite a while.

Quincunx

2009-03-10, 03:58 AM

And I, on the other hand, am shocked to the point of voiding my bowels by reading all this stuff.

Felixaar

2009-03-10, 04:45 AM

Does that mean you actually did, or... nevermind, I don't think I want to know.

Annie, your perverse and thats sick.

Trogmeister, I feel the same way about debt and unemployment. Here's hoping me and you both get something soon.

_Zoot_

2009-03-10, 05:37 AM

I was going to post but i don't trust my self not to make a fool of me..... or to not give away my plans to take over the world and destroy.... NO, MUST NOT GIVE AWAY PLANS

potatocubed

2009-03-10, 05:44 AM

I am the sum total of a spatio-temporal string of events that can be traced back to the beginning of the universe. My real name is a closely guarded secret that any halfway decent internet stalker should be able to find out. I do not have Asperger's, autism, or depression of any kind; I am merely socially backward and moody. I do have problems with anxiety and hypochondria, which I find ridiculous. I find life in general ridiculous.

I am critical by nature, creative by inclination, and an editor by trade. I am an existentialist, a misanthrope, and I believe the purpose of my life is to enjoy it as much as possible. My outlook has been profoundly affected by formal logic, Buddhism-lite, and a keen awareness of my own mortality. I try not to take anything seriously. I crack inappropriate jokes. I am lazy.

I don't feel as old as I am, and I am often surprised by my own competence. I don't know where I learned half the skills I have. Facts bore me; I much prefer fiction. I find no challenge and little benefit in lying to people so I tend to be honest. I am secretive and prone to lurk. I like the cold and the dark. I was goth before I knew what goth was, but now I'm not.

KuReshtin

2009-03-10, 06:10 AM

Very few here know me. Some have met me at some UKitP meetups, but here's my story..

My name is Christian. I'm from Sweden. I live in Scotland. I work for a pretty large computer company, dealing with customers located in Norway, mostly. I just started officiating American Football.

I was born in 1975, which makes me 33 years old at the moment, I'm single, I have a pretty hard time to go out and meet new friends, and tend to stay very loyal to the friends I have.
Most of my friends are people I've met through the internet on different forums and the like (h2g2 and Travian to mention two of them) or through work.

I don't really enjoy my job right now, mainly because I've been doing the same thing for about 8 years and there doesn't seem to be any clear advancement opportunities available at the moment, but at the same time, I don't have any theoretical qualifications at all as I started working pretty much straight out of school and never had time or money to get a higher degree of anything.

I'm too lazy for my own good, procrastinating way too much, and even though I hold a membership to a gym, I never go. I keep intending to go to the gym, but never get round to it in the end.

I am 'the adventurous one' of my family, with both my brother and my sister staying close to home, near my folks, whereas I have been known to make rash decisions and sometimes ill-advised plans to do stuff, like taking a trip to the US with way too little money, and hoping that I could crash at friend's places, friends I'd made over the internet and never met before.

My parents met sometime during the late 60s, got married in the mid-80s and are still married. I have a good relationship with my parents and with my brother and sister. I speak to my parents a couple of times a week and the same with my sister. My brother and I speak occasionally, but not as much as we should.

I have a tendency to harp on about things needlessly, but I'm going to resist that and cut this short here.

That's me. If I could change, I could think of a lot of things I'd like to change. Maybe tomorrow...

Z-dan

2009-03-10, 06:24 AM

You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! But if you think you can, then here you go:

*intakes breath*
My name is Daniel Paul van Vliet, Daniel because it mean's 'god's gift' and Paul because my brother died the year before I was born. I was going to be called James until my mum looked up the name's meaning and saw that among other things it meant 'usurper' so figured it inappropriate. As you can probably tell by my last name I'm half dutch, on my fathers side- other than that I'm english, possibly with a trace of welsh.
I have no idea what my likes and dislikes are any more because I never stick to one thing long enough- though D&D's fun and sooner or later I'll finish my fantasy novel. I would say I like reading, but never get much time to- the few books I have read include all the Discworld ones and I reckon they'd be tough to beat. I have a role-playing forum all about the Discworld.
Until last week I had a girlfriend, but then we realised there was no love in our relationship and we were instead just 'friends with privileges', and because I have no income I have to move out. So I'm going back to my parents in Norfolk, where I intend on looking for a job anywhere in the country, and once I've found a job I'll find a place to live. Hopefully I'll end up in the North, because there's a girl I really like who lives in Durham and she really likes me too.
I'm also tempted to say I like playing computer games, but I'm not so sure about that either any more because out of all the rpg's I've got I've only completed a handful of them. I want to test my brain's ability but everything's dumbed down too much, and MENSA style tests get boring after a while...
Also, I'm famous for being able to help people without trying. An example would be a suicidal girl I know who I talk normally to and never say I pity her or that everyone loves her or anything like that because she's sick of hearing it- within a couple of days she's told me stuff she hasnt been able to tell anyone else.

So yeah, that's me... If you want to know more or if you want help with anything, let me know over messenger :smallwink: some of you already have me on your contact lists even if we've never spoken, but I'm always there to lend an ear or just chat in general :smallbiggrin:

Anuan

2009-03-10, 06:48 AM

Annie, your perverse and thats sick.

Stop making me feel guilty and immoral ;_;
...Also, how? D:

Felixaar

2009-03-10, 06:59 AM

*snip*

You forgot how cool you are.

Annie - putting cameras up to tape peoples lives is just wrong.

Jack Squat

2009-03-10, 07:02 AM

Might as well answer this one for real.
Life Story:
Name's Kyle Splane. I was born April 22, 1989 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. I have a twin brother, Mike. He reads the forums every now and then, but doesn't post.

I went to a Catholic school for grades 1-7. I suppose I was the one that was picked on, if you could call it that. I've always just sat and taken verbal abuse, but was never hesitant about fighting back. The "cool" (abused at home) kids kept mostly to verbal because of this. Every now and then, one guy would cheap shot me in "tag" football. Still got the scars from scraping across asphalt, gravel, and tree roots. Teachers always turned a blind eye, guess they just weren't payed enough to care. Not that I would have ever trusted them to help, these were the same teachers who had an authority complex and, on occasion, would come up with a way to get kids in detention so their rooms would be clean. There was always plenty of kids (ok, 4 or 5, but much more than normal) getting detention at the end of the year when the room was being packed up.

I learned just about every curse in the book by 3rd grade, but I never use them unless one slips through every now and then. Even then, it's mostly in context.

In the summer of 2002. None of the kids I was friends with said goodbye, story goes they were too upset to. Dunno if it's true; don't care.

I started a new life here in TN. Became more social, but never told anyone much more about me than "I moved from Cincinnati." They didn't need to know my life story. Actually, here's the first time I'm really talking about my past...at least more than segments of it

I had a chance to be popular. I was invited to some parties. Just about instantly started getting crushes from the girls down here. Guess they like a mystery. I wasn't really interested in any of them, I didn't want to be popular. Plus I'm really pretty shy when it comes to asking people out and tend to over analyze things.

In homeroom, I started hanging out with some guys who played DnD. This was my first exposure to it. Still have some of the same friends, some moved on.

Went on to High School, it was OK. Nothing special. Met my current girlfriend sophomore year when she was brought along by a mutual friend to a movie (Darkness...horrible movie). Don't remember much about then, didn't see her again until right before my Senior year anyways, so I don't really know why I'm telling you this. Anyways, I met her again at a party...then she was in my physics class. We became friends, talked a bit. She gave me her email to send a picture of some prank people did to the sign out front, it was an aim, so I swiped her screen name from it and started talking onilne as well as in class. We started talking online as well as off.

To cut out the boring middle part, I asked her out in March 2007, and we've been together since.

I'm currently studying at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, for a degree in Computer Science; although because I'm not a fan of the way the classes are taught (theory instead of practical...we only know C) I may switch over to a marketing degree, it's nice and general.

Don't know what I want to do after college, never really had a calling. I probably won't use my degree for anything more than to say "Look at me, I finished college...gimme work", which is fine by me, most people don't.

If you just want my personality, I'm a pretty easy going guy, and can be a bit sarcastic at times. Can't remember the last time I've been mad...just that when I do get mad, you don't want to be the one who caused it. I'm basically out in life to enjoy it, and am trying to keep that view from interfering with my school work.

Phaedra

2009-03-10, 07:29 AM

Well, there's not much to tell on my part and I'm excessively paranoid, but you can have some info about me, dull as it is:

You can call me Phaedra, since I don't like to give my real name out on the net. I'm 22, and I grew up in the rather pretty city of York, in the north of England. I'm an only child and my parents were (and still are) very loving, and a rare example of a couple who are still together over 20 years after their wedding.

I did well in school though I didn't enjoy it. I preferred the large sixth form I chose to go to when I was 16, which offered me more freedom. Met my first proper boyfriend there, who wasn't the best boyfriend, but he taught me a lot about myself and I'll always love him a little for that.

Met the boy who is my current boyfriend then too - he was actually dating a friend of mine. He split up with her maybe two weeks after I met him, but we kept in touch. We stayed friends after we both left for uni, and maybe 4 years later we gave in to the inevitable and started dating. Almost 18 months later we're still together and he's probably the best thing to happen to me.

I took law at uni, but decided I didn't want to be a lawyer since it looked to be an incredibly dull job. Managed to get a studentship (a funded place) for my masters and phd in law, and I'm currently in the first year of my phd. I enjoy it most of the time.

I try to be kind wherever possible, and I find most people nice if you give them a chance. I'm shy, unless I've had a drink. I flirt, especially when I've had a drink. I love to play RPGs and I'll read anything that stands still long enough. I worry too much, about everything. Before the guy I'm with now, no one had ever told me I was pretty, so I assume I'm not. I get depressed when I have nothing to work on.

...That's me, really.

Anuan

2009-03-10, 07:41 AM

Annie - putting cameras up to tape peoples lives is just wrong.
It'd be a bunch of volunteers, in a single house. I would be one of them. They would all know the cameras were there. I fail to see how people volunteering for something is wrong. If i were to put cameras in random houses...or...sororities...or something...>_>
But yeah. Think Big Brother, but without stupid challenges, and with people you'd want to hang out with instead of wanting to punch them in the face for being stupid.

SMEE

2009-03-10, 08:32 AM

Sure, why not.

I am Beatrice Bueno Iank.
daughter to Adolfo Iank and Juliane Bueno Iank on March, 1st, 1980. I was meant to be born on February, 29th, but it seems I've decided to wait a little more at mom's womb.

*snip*

That's it... now you all know FAR more about me than you ever wanted to know and the events that shapped me to be the person I am.

I guess...

Phae Nymna

2009-03-10, 09:23 AM

Just a city boy-
Born and raised in New Orleans-
I am Jules Paris Vetter. Online I am Jude or Julian. Offline everyone calls me Jules. I'm not sure how much I like my last name, and I'm considering a name change to my mother's maiden name, Bruno.

I was born on an incredibly rainy day, June 10, 1994. I am 14 years old and will turn 15 on June 10, 2009. I live in, and was born in, New Orleans, Louisiana. The house I live in currently is the house my mother grew up in and still lives in.

When I was younger my main interests were animals, archeology, and Egypt. More recently, my goals for life have been centered around Medicine, Law, and Graphic Design. Don't forget to throw in musical theater.

I'm a fairly indecisive person, but I always settle on something. Lemme put it this way, if you're my friend, you will never not be my friend. For instance, in Spring 2008 my best friend stopped talking to me entirely because I told him I'm bi. I need to mention that too... I am bi. And in a decently large closet. I'm out only to my closest family and friends. Continuing, that friend and I are once again best friends.

So, to recap so far, I'm 14, bi, and I am enrolled in what is quite possibly the single most conservative, LGBT unfriendly, and socially upper crust school in the city. Welcome to my Alma Mater- Isidore Newman School. I have attended Newman since Kindergarten, and I hopefully will continue my education and graduate. Why do I want to remain here? It's the best education in the city, and I have lifelong friends here. Also, Newman is becoming more liberal and accepting, and the social class has become more diverse. We recently got a new Dean of the Arts, Mr. Paul Tines, who we stole from Choate. Newman put on a three night production of The Laramie Project, and a bunch of classwork came with that. I think we're finally becoming a more modern and nurturing environment for ALL students.
And I got to meet Brian Batt AND Greg Pierotti. . .
Also, for further reading, pick up Christopher Rice's Density of Souls

I guess I'll cover my interests and hobbies and stuff.
Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Show: Sweeney Todd (The 1979 with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury, not that atrocity with Patti Lupone. . .)
Favorite Book: V for Vendetta
Favorite Manga: Death Note
Favorite Actor: Sean Connery
Favorite Movie: I must admit, I REALLY liked both Hellboy movies. . .

And, let's see, I play French Horn, Viola, have a healthy interest in fashion, am socially awkward to the extremes in real life, and I am atrociously flirtatious on the web (probably gonna be my demise). I love retro clothes, art nouveau, art deco, Tim Gunn, and Heroes. Avenue Q and Seussical are favorite shows too.

I have major crushes on Zachary Quinto, Princes Harry and William, Antinous, the original Silk Spectre (when she was young), aaand a binch of people at my school. That's not mentioning the massive list of people on GitP, once again proving that I am overly flirtatious on the net.

Also, I collect Militaria. My (small) collection includes a Russian gas mask and a ushanka, some Vietnam medals and a jacket, a pair of German jackboots from early WWII, a Taiwanese Captain's visor cap, and a Berlin Police visor cap.

So that's me.

afroakuma

2009-03-10, 09:29 AM

Damn. Also, why do I seem to be the measuring rod (or whatever the appropriate item is) for these things? :smallconfused:

You had the oldest declared age. :smallwink:

And yes, I believe this thread needs an automatic hugging machine.

Jack Squat

2009-03-10, 09:37 AM

And yes, I believe this thread needs an automatic hugging machine.

I have the perfect candidate (http://www.geekologie.com/2009/03/wow_im_shocked_robot_programme.php) :smalltongue:

afroakuma

2009-03-10, 09:42 AM

Yes. :smallconfused: That sounds like an excellent plan.

:smallwink:

UncleWolf

2009-03-10, 09:50 AM

Hmm... sister. I kid, Wolfie, I'd never.

I'd gladly trade my sister for xNadia. :smalltongue:

Lets see, a little more about me...

I can be very creative. What I call creativity, others call insane.

I have a great, but sometimes very... lewd, sense of humor.

My mind is always in the gutter.

I am an ENTP.

I can start projects very easily, but I get bored with them quickly.

I love the weather in Missouri since it forces me to adapt or die. I like those kind situations since they test my abilities to the fullest.

My favorite kind of weather is when it is barely above freezing and it is raining outside. If that is the case, I will almost always go for a walk.

I am a movie buff. I have likely seen more movies than any 3 of you combined.

Dallas-Dakota

2009-03-10, 10:05 AM

Walrus : :smallconfused::smalleek: I always thought you were like, I dunno, older then me? 17?
It confuses me that you´re now saying that you´re younger then me....

And if you want to know about me, then you´l have to ask.

Telonius

2009-03-10, 10:09 AM

Who are you ...

I think there's only been one totally honest answer ever given to that question. Still, I'll try to go with as much of a description as I can.

If I knew my name, I'd gladly tell it. As it is, people call me James, though my pen name is Nicholas Hylton. I'm a son, a brother, a husband, and (if all goes well) will soon be a father. I was born in 1980, and adopted in 1981. I'm originally from Erie, PA. I attended Georgetown University, and spent a semester in Tuebingen, Germany. I live in Virginia and work in Washington, DC (when I'm not posting on the message boards). I've shaken hands with Presidents, been struck by lightning, and been in more situations than I'd like to remember where I survived only by the grace of the Lady (as Rincewind might say). I'm an aspiring author. And just about everything else interesting about me is either against forum rules or not for public consumption. :smallsmile:

MalikT

2009-03-10, 11:14 AM

Trog

2009-03-10, 11:16 AM

Trog/Jeff,

I've met you a few times face to face. And you're friends with my wife so I hear more about you than I read on these forums. I read your blog. I muse often with her that we need to get your ex and your kids living in this area so we can hang out more. :smallcool:

It's good to hear that you're off meds and that it seems to be working for you. Bor would be proud. :smallbiggrin: Here's hoping your success continues.

I'm not convinced that Trog and Jeff are so different. The Trog persona just happens to be your sense of humor in concentrated form.

*enters advice mode, because he can't help it*

----eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee---------
This advice has been interrupted by the Emergency Zeb Censoring System.
Had this been a real emergency, the advice would not have been unsolicited.
----eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee---------
:smalleek: *hears the siren. Moves in an orderly fashion into the hall and squats next to the wall, hands over head, head between knees*
....
Wait. Or is that the tornado drill? :smallconfused: Or the impending nuclear war drill? Or the kiss your ass goodbye drill? One of those. Hurm...

Yeah more opportunity to hang out with you and the missus would be very cool. :smallsmile: Speaking of your wife, she read my post on here last night and declared "yeah...i read yours...i learned nothing i didn't know =("

So now I feel compelled to try and write some odd stuff on me that she doesn't already know. So here goes...

Random, unimportant stuff that's probably not interesting to anyone but it's all I can think of at the moment:

- I have a brown stripe in Tae Kwon Do (Chung Do Kwon) and was able to break pine boards with my bare hands when I was still in grade school. I was also capable of doing the splits both ways back then. No nearly as flexible now. Ah youth. I recall we were all called Communist Reprobates by the instructor (something we all found funny at the time) whenever we displayed any youthful flexibility that was now well beyond our aged instructor's reach. Heh.

- I once had a drawing of a knight that I did in high school get sent to Russia for an art show of some sort. I was told before it was sent that I wouldn't see it again. I took a blurry photo of it but that's about all I have of it. Oh well.

- At my senior art show in College there was a Czech Republic Art Critic that also ended up at the after opening house party along with myself, a Minnesota senator, and several friends and one co-exhibitor. He wanted to show my work in Europe. He was, by chance, visiting a friend in town that week. I was told to get a hold of him the next morning to make arrangements with him for the show. Sadly I was so drunk by the end of the night I never made contact with him the next morning due to a quite well-earned hangover.

- Once during a day when the temperature was in the 120's (that's 49° C for the rest of the world) I was stuck without a car and couldn't get a ride from any coworkers and was forced to walk the couple of miles home (whilst wearing jeans no less). I purchased a bottled water with the little change I had on me hoping that that would last me long enough.

So I walked for a few blocks and then I happened to run into this guy, this redheaded guy with a heavy, heavy Irish accent. I never caught his name but he was obviously -not- from around here. Here meaning the U.S. He was badly sunburned and had taken his shirt off and wrapped it around his head. His stomach was fish-belly white but his arms were lobster red. He stopped me to ask for directions to a church he was supposed to be at but got dropped off at the wrong spot by the bus driver, he said. I pointed him in the direction of where I hoped he would find the church, or at least a nearby mall to cool off in and we went our separate ways.

For a time.

I walked a couple of more blocks and though to myself "This guy needs this water far more than I do" and so I doubled back to try and find him, going probably a half of a mile out of my way trying to help the crispy Irishman I met in a heatwave. I never found him.

Cursing my stupidity and the Irishman and the infernal heat I drank the water angrily and greedily and plodded the rest of the way home. By the time I was close to my place I was delerious from the heat and couldn't think straight. I remember seeing a little girl out in her front yard who started talking to me saying that they took her mommy to the hospital. I was worried the kid was home alone and kept trying to ask her questions to see if, you know, everything was all right. I'm pretty sure I had heat stroke by this time and I moved on when I saw the shadow of an adult watching me and my somewhat lengthy conversation with this little girl from her house no doubt with a measure of concern for the little girl. Through the fog of my brain I made it home at last and spent the rest of the evening in front of the air conditioner being coddled by my wife who kept applying cold compresses to my head. I don't recall thinking straight all that evening.

To this day I wonder if the Irish guy was real.

AKA_Bait

2009-03-10, 11:17 AM

I'll tell a bit here:

I was born in 1981, in Einstein Hospital in the Bronx New York to parents John and Linda Woods, making me one of the old fogies on the oots boards. My given name is Patrick Woods, which is pretty much what I go by. All in all, life is good. I'm recently married, just got an offer of admission to law school including a large scholarship, and sucessfully quit smoking last November.

I have some strong talents and do things that let me exercise them. I enjoy writing, playing chess, playing pool and playing D&D. I love to read and am somewhat addicted to the Barnes and Noble downstairs from my office. I 've had my share of sucess for my age in debate and philosophical publication.

Not everything has gone according to plan, I'm going to be 28 by the time I start law school for example, but things are good. I have a beautiful wife, 2 friendly dogs, a grumpy tortoise, and I'm happy.

If you want to know more it is my week for being asked questions over on the Get to Know a Playgrounder 2 thread.

Dragonrider

2009-03-10, 11:27 AM

My name is unique enough that I'm not comfortable sharing it on the internet.

Let me know if you find a town named cranberry sauce.

I was born ten years after TPAM (exactly one month after Felixaar).

I'm a black belt in karate.

I have three younger brothers.

I'm sort of homeschooled and was really homeschooled (unschooled) till tenth grade. Now I attend a community college (though "technically" I'm still a senior in high school) and I'm going to Whitman College in the fall.

I'm a Firefox user. Not IE (and I'm curious that Firefox recognizes "unschooled" as a word yet not "homeschooled").

...I'm not really a vampire IRL.

Krrth

2009-03-10, 11:37 AM

Hrm.....here's some info on me.

Born Jan 1st, 1975 in Panama to active duty personnel.

First name is Curtis, which given that a poster here uses that as a screen name, gives me a start now and again.

I've played RPG's since I was 8, but despite my best efforts, I can't drag my wife into the hobby.

No kids, but I do have a rather frustrating dog, a strange cat, and lots of fish.

I've been married for almost three years, and I don't regret it in the slightest.

I also live in the Richmond Virginia area.

I'm also Roman Catholic, but that's somewhat of a moot point on these boards. It does influence my attitude and beliefs though.

The Rose Dragon

2009-03-10, 11:41 AM

Alright, the question is "who are you?". I cannot answer that question. I can answer a lot about "what are you?", but I cannot give you the one thing that makes me unique. That makes me me.

Some people around here know a bit about what I am. Most don't. I'm fairly comfortable with it, since those who do know me often hate me. Better you are amicable towards a me you don't know than hateful against one you do know.

B-Man

2009-03-10, 11:49 AM

Well, I've held off from posting in this thread for quite a bit so I may as well post as I've let the reply box load.

My real name is Andrew *middle and last don't matter*. I was born on 15 March 1989, 2 weeks overdue. I was born with orange skin and was taken into an incubator for a month after my birth. Shortly after my birth, my hometown was hit by a bad ice storm that knocked out the power in the hospital for an hour before the backup power was able to kick in.

I have a younger sister who is 18 months younger than me. She is the polar opposite of me.

I had difficulty learning to talk and didn't say my first word until I was 4 years old. My parents divorced when I was 4 and one of my earliest memories is when I was 4 and my Aunt and Uncle driving my mom, sister, and I in downtown Mississauga in their red Le Baron convertable and my mom had her arm in a sling. Still on childhood, my earliest of early memories is of me when I was 3 years old and I got further into Super Mario Bros. 2 then my 8 year old cousin.

I fainted off the school stage in Grade 5 and unconscious for 5-10 minutes. I had a mild concussion and was in and out of the hospital for 2 weeks after the fainting.

*skip the rest of the school years to the present*

I've recently moved back in with my parents after running out of money and after going through constant breakdowns. So I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia now trying to pick myself off the ground whilst fighting a plethora of internal stressors and trying to get along with my parents' "expectations" of me whilst I'm here in their house.

I've been fighting anxiety and depression for the last year or so. I've been in and out of counselling during this timeframe. I want to believe that I have had moderate success (excluding the one breakdown I had in January).

I think that's all I feel like sharing right now.

randman22222

2009-03-10, 11:55 AM

I'm a person that is forcing himself to write this down, in hopes that someone who knows me will be able to tell me and others where I'm distorting reality. :smallconfused:

...Anyway...

I have an overinflated view of myself, but for some reason, I can only see this in retrospect, never in the now. I don't have much motivation, and it surprises me that I'm actually writing the reflection I'm supposed to be writing. (Homework stuff...)

I used to be far more introverte— well, I still am. :smalltongue:
It's just that after two years, I have enough comfort within my school that I can talk to people without seeming 'frozen'. And I suppose I'm better with strangers now.

At any rate, I'm just finishing up high school, after far too long. I've known what I'm going to do for three years now. High school gets old when you've taken all the music, bio, chem, and etc. classes you'll need before beginning to study forensic science and its related sciences at a college level. That and contemporary composition/performance. I live in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and before that, lived in Singapore. Moving around every once in a while is something I'd recommend to anyone.

I do not, and will not drink, smoke, or really anything that alters my state of mind. I'm trying to stop drinking caffeine, but I have a thing for Earl Grey. :smallsigh:
Without going into detail, I'm very moralistic, but not usually outspoken about it. Perhaps I should be.

I'm quite mellow, and have a strange sense of humour which I haven't looked at much, so I can't accurately talk about it.

I would write more, but right now, the introspective thoughts that predominate my mind are ones regarding how inflated my view of myself is. :smallconfused:

Thufir

2009-03-10, 12:01 PM

Well...

Not telling you my name. Find me on facebook if you're that bothered. I was born in 1988, in London. Moved up to the Newcastle area in 1995.

Always been socially awkward, though I'm finally getting better, starting to get the hang of this 'social life' thing people tell me is so great...
My best friend is almost entirely responsible for the fact that my life doesn't suck. He got me into both chess and singing. The former is fun, though I focus less on it than I used to. The latter is possibly the best thing in my life, and joining choirs and the university G&S society is the reason for my recently increased social aptitude.

I love my friends. To varying degrees, of course, but for my really good friends, I would do anything but change. That is, change who I am. I might change how I act, how I dress, whatever, if they really wanted, but not who I am.
Anything else they might ask, however; I'll do it if possible.

I'm really analytical and try to apply rational thought and logic to everything. I just find it the most effective method, and I know I'm good at it. I might come off as arrogant at times, but from my point of view, I know I'm smarter than most people I know.
Significant point: smarter, not necessarily better.

Sometimes I think I should think less and act more.

Quincunx

2009-03-10, 12:05 PM

I started this thread to confront my paranoia. I don't like to leave personal data anywhere. It took me two years to decide to register on this forum. Last night I said "why not" and posted most personal stuff about me. I was certain nobody else will post to this thread. I thought that people feel safe behind their screen names and avatars, that they don't like share personal info with strangers. I was wrong. Probably I forgot how much people like to talk about themselves :smallsmile:.

Maybe I'll post something more about myself later, paranoia is still here but I'm fighting it.

Felixaar thanks, glad to make you proud.

Now I am quite glad to have been the first person to open a reply box to this thread, write out my own paranoia--and then delete it on the grounds it wouldn't do anyone any favors. Still, I've dealt with the kind of people who make a body paranoid about the Internet, and posting what you did ("I am here, I am myself, and I will not be surprised by you!") is the best defense against them. I'll raise a toast to you with some fruit juice--caffeine does not sit easily with guts loosened by fear and paranoia--and be happy that you'll never be startled while you're with us.

Midnight Son

2009-03-10, 12:11 PM

I'm Batman!

I can't believe no one said that yet.

afroakuma

2009-03-10, 12:12 PM

A fellow Halifaxian? Random! :smallcool:

I really should actually post my own at some point... can't give my name, though. First name's too unique, last name's too generic.

Trog

2009-03-10, 12:14 PM

I'm Batman!

I can't believe no one said that yet.

That's because no one else is Batman. :smallamused:

The Rose Dragon

2009-03-10, 12:26 PM

See, "I'm Batman" is a viable response to "Who are you?". Because there is only one Batman. Barring dimensional travel and / or poor editorial choices, there won't be another.

I don't have such a thing to define me. That may be why I cling so hardly to the "the" in my handle: I'm the Rose Dragon; that is as close to uniqueness as I can come.

Ego Slayer

2009-03-10, 12:40 PM

Props and cake for MalikT since he started a very interesting thread. :smallcool:

THAC0

2009-03-10, 12:44 PM

And, let's see, I play French Horn

Horn players unite!

Nameless

2009-03-10, 12:51 PM

I don't understand this thread. Am I supposed to come up with something or ACTUALLY give out my life story?

If I gave my life story, it wouldn't be one paragraph long. xD

You sound just like one of my three best friends: artist, programmer and ex-philosopher now a soldier, guess which one? And I think you are no longer a nameless one.

Umm, I'm hopeing eather one of those. :smalltongue:

I'm Hallifax!
Woke up this morning feeling fine, we've a current account that'll blow your mind! We could--
I'll stop now. ._.

banjo1985

2009-03-10, 12:59 PM

I'm Banjo, and I'm very very tired...

The real Schtick:
My name is Adam, I'm a 23 year old guy from Halesowen, UK. I work for the university I graduated from about two years ago, doing a job I could have done without spending four years getting a degree. I spend most of my working hours either heavily stressed or hopelessly bored, my home life and this forum are pretty much all that keep me sane. I have aspirations of being a professional writer, but the way things are going aspirations are all I'm ever going to have.

I grew up in a middle class family, no issues with my parents, or any other relatives. I've spent the last five years watching most of my extended family die, including all four grandparents. I've watched how it's affected my own folks, and been careful not to let it outwardly affect me.

I'm an introvert, I'm a thinker, and I do what I can to avoid conflict. I bottle negative feelings up inside and let them keep me awake at night. I'm good at letting things go though, and I don't hold grudges well. I'm actually happy with large sections of my life, but in the same way I struggle to show negative feelings, positive feelings are similarly difficult. The only place I let out my joy very much is here, thus the persona which barely fits all the crap I've written so far. It's usually very hard to tell what I'm thinking or feeling, happy sad, angry, upset, tired, everything is modulated and ironed out so that my outside veneer doesn't show any cracks. I've been told I lack emotion, which isn't true, I just keep most of them to myself, and open up to only a small handful of people. I have confidence issues, which have got better as I've got older but have never completely gone away.

Mrs Banjo is my everything, the bright light to my darkness. My life would not really be worth living without her, and I dread to think what I'd be like now if I hadn't met her. We marry next year, and I hope we will never part. She's the one person I can open up to, the one person to give me confidence.

I don't drink often, and don't smoke at all. I'm not a big clubber, and would rather have a laugh over a curry and a film than trawl around pubs and night clubs until 3am. I feel I've got less and less in common with my established friends, and fear that we'll start to drift apart. I also can't see any way of making new ones. Getting engaged and moving into my own place has matured me a lot, so much so that I'm starting to find some of my wilder friends childish. The people I'm staying close to seem to be those with their own responsibilities, and that proves to me, if nothing else does, that my childhood days are well and truely gone.

I should warn that I'm closing in on the end of a 13 hour work day, so the above will probably sound far more depressive than it has any reason to. To be safe I'm not reading it back. :smalltongue:

KnightDisciple

2009-03-10, 01:30 PM

I'm Batman!

I can't believe no one said that yet.

Hm? Oh. I see how it is.:smallwink:

Sorry my friend, but I'm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9G18qHPhcM&feature=related) Batman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4qgTk8Vfyc&feature=related). I understand that people want to emulate me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ6Fq-0A-JM&feature=related), but I'm going to have to ask you to stop. Or we may have to have a little talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDiXlZlwds&feature=related). Unpleasantness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPsV3T6UTm4&feature=related) may follow :smallwink:

...Right.
Anyways.
So, "Who are you?" My name is Jon [rest of name left blank]. I was born in 1985, making me just recently 24 years old. (Ror a while, I thought I'd be the oldest to post in here, but that was proved wrong.)
I'm a Christian. I'm a man. I'm a son. I'm a friend. I'm a "nerd". I'm a professional. I'm an amateur fan of a lot of things. (I put those pretty much in the order of priority in my self-definition.)
I was born in the Midwest. I've lived in the Midwest my whole life. I even went to college in the Midwest. I'll likely live out my days in the Midwest. And I like it that way. :smallsmile:
I was never one of the "popular kids", really. I've always been bookish and introverted, so that didn't really ever help. I had a couple of friends through the years, but it took until about 6th grade before I made a couple of deep, long-lasting friendships with men I now consider as good as brothers. In high school, it was worse, because I, shock of shocks, generally followed the rules, respected authority, and tried to get good grades. Apparently this made me less worthy. I'd note that I was attending a small private Christian school throughout this. Not one of those megabuck funded ones; just a regular small, struggling school.
Went to college for computers (that took a while for me to pin down, let me tell you); specifically, Computer Information Systems. Translation: Tech Support Degree. That really was my general directional goal after college: tech support type work.
I succeeded at that, at least. I've gotten some good experience over the last couple of years, though I am (sadly) currently unemployed. :smallfrown:
I'm still single, and I even still live at home (you try thinking of a budget to pay of large student loans <i>and</i> any form of rent/utilities/etc while making less than 30k a year). I'm still looking for a job. I'm also still on the lookout for the right woman for me; I'm sure I'll find her one day (if we haven't already met), by the grace of God.
That pretty much sums it up.

AmberVael

2009-03-10, 01:45 PM

I don't frequent the FB forum much, so I might not be that well known... but I suppose that's all the more of an argument to put something up. :smallwink:

Chronological order is for wusses.

My name is Amber- nothing else. No last name, middle name, or other name. Just Amber.

My legal name, of course, is different. I'm not going to put it here- if I trust you (which includes most people on the forums), you can find it out easily enough. If you're a creepy stalker who happens to be looking around on GitP to take advantage of personal information, you can go look somewhere else.

What is important to note, however, is that my legal name is male. While many people would label me as such, I do not identify as transsexual, transgender, transvestite, or anything like that. I am a woman, I want to be a woman, and unless I change my mind that's the way it is.

I'll grant that I've changed my mind before (as in, I decided I was not male identified, just to clear up potential confusion)- and relatively recently at that. While I was in college, I had a huge mental breakdown- and its hard to explain. It would be easy to say (and I've said it before) that I realized I'd been denying who I was all along, but it wasn't truly like that. It didn't feel like it had been niggling in the back of my mind for ages- it felt like it had been quiet for all of my life and then suddenly roared into life out of nowhere. Less "hey, did I leave the oven on?" and more "MOUNT SAINT HELEN IS ERUPTING! AAAAUGH!"

It was a traumatic experience that kept me locked away from the world for a couple of days. It wasn't just my gender, but my entire identity that collapsed around me. Just... none of it was right. I was pushing myself like a perfectionist, denying my emotions, acting purely out of logic and a cold calculating assessment of what was "best" that abused my desires and left them ignored.

That's not the kind of person I am. Though I am very self conscious, and often serious, I have a playful side to. I'm that person who dances like an idiot when no one is watching and sings terribly when there is no one to listen. I have far more little impulses than anyone would guess, but I hide it all away because I'm easily embarrassed, and afraid of being judged, laughed at, and otherwise outcast.

Possibly that's a result of my childhood and teenage years. I got picked on quite a bit- not as much as some, and perhaps not as often as many others, but it continued even into high school. There's just something about a shy, geeky kid with no muscle and feminine traits that attracts bullies, I suppose.

Yeah, I'm weak and frail (despite having a bizarrely strong resistance to disease). I've never been a big athlete- and I suppose it should have been telling that the most athletic things I've done have been a minor amount of hiking (which I swiftly abandoned), gymnastics, and dancing. Lately I've been thinking about parkour, but I'm afraid I've got some kind of respiratory problem, so I'll need to check that out.

Strangely, despite being the stereotypical geeky kid, I was never brilliant at school. I mean, okay- I was in advanced classes, and my reading and writing levels were far above many of the others, but I never excelled. I never tried. I got by with A's and B's without every putting an iota of effort into it. The only thing I really put effort into was music.

I've always been a musical person, even now when I have no outlet for music creation. In elementary school I joined chorus. In middle school I played trumpet for one year before switching over to French Horn, which I then played all through high school, joining Marching Band and the top notch Symphonic Band there. Even though I didn't continue it into college, I still have symphonies and music that just play themselves right into my head and drift off unnoticed.

To come back to my previous focus- the problem, I suppose, is not that I am lazy, but that so little actually captures my interest. If you find something that I am truly interested in, I will be dedicated, but otherwise I will only give what is needed, no more, no less. School and athletics never caught my eye, it was only creative arts that did.

I've broadened my creativity as well, branching out into vector graphic art (I've never been good with a pen or pencil), writing, and of course, roleplay. Vector graphics came from my dabbling with avatars here, of all things (though I've gone far beyond my original purpose and skill), while writing and roleplay have been around far longer (though neither of the stories behind them are truly interesting).

To move on...

I'm a pretty introverted person, I focus on myself, and know my own mind pretty well. I can focus on other people, but I've gotten used to focusing on one person at a time, so in large groups I just get utterly lost and confused. You want to talk to me or get me to have a fun time, take me somewhere and talk to me one on one.

Speaking of others, a little bit about my family life...

My family is a typical four person family- two parents, two children. My father is a rather rant and argument prone perfectionist, with whom I have little to no real relationship with. I think that makes both of us sad, but neither of us really know how to breach the gap, or if we truly want to. We have a lot of differences, and he voices his opinions very strongly, loudly, and almost hostilely. Still, he's very dedicated and loving to his family when his "rant" switch hasn't been flipped.
My mother is a social butterfly and sometimes I'm not sure she realizes it. She has friends in practically every state and country, and can make a new friend just by standing in a grocery store line with them. She's caring, but I have a hard time connecting with her since she (rather like me) rarely displays how she feels about things.

My brother is perfect and I'm jealous of him.
At least, that's how it feels.
My brother was always the best student in school, and has a mind, drive, and base of knowledge that puts most everyone else to shame. He exercises daily and has a lean, muscular physique. He got a scholarship that pretty much paid for all his college, he has a job tutoring that pays him ridiculous amounts of money for someone his age, he lives in a great climate near the beach, has a good social life and has most of the same talents as I do.
We're talking about a guy who, when he plays with legos, builds things like the Taj Mahal, the Sphinx, and a 6ft tall to scale appropriately colored model rocket that smoothly comes apart in all the right sections and contains a lunar lander. (Lego does not have instructions on how to build these things- he made them from scratch with huge buckets of legos he bought).
I think it is pretty easy to see why I idolized him so much as a kid, and why I envy him now.

I've rambled on too long. If people really want to read more, I'll type up more in another section, but only if it is asked for.

LucyHarris

2009-03-10, 01:55 PM

I'm Banjo, and I'm very very tired...

Sailor Nothing fan? :smallwink:

Me, I'll just throw a bunch of random facts around:

--My real name is Sarah, though I have been called Lucy in real life before, though only by friends I made online.

--I was born May 4, 1981. Which means I'm probably older than a lot of you folks on here. :smalltongue:

--I was born in southern California and lived there until I was eleven, when my family moved cross-country to Florida. I've lived in Florida (heck, the same city) ever since.

--I am one of four kids, and am the oldest; I'm the only girl, and I was definitely the boss of my brothers. :smallamused:

--I am Latin American, though really, if you ever actually feel the need to refer to my ethnicity, I'd prefer if you just said "Cuban" and cut the PC mumbo-jumbo. Don't call me Hispanic. Ever. I am *not*.

--I am the first generation of my family born in the United States. My parents came to this country when they were children, their families fleeing the oppression of Fidel Castro. My mom and grandmother, along with my uncles, managed to leave by plane but they were forced to leave my grandfather behind. They didn't know if they'd see him again, but he made them leave, as they had a chance even if he didn't (thankfully, he was released from his imprisonment and he joined his family several months later).

My father's family had things much harder. Because my paternal grandfather was in the local militia (a group of freedom-fighters), the government was actively looking for him and out for his blood. My father's family had to practically smuggle themselves out of the country, making every attempt to stay under the radar and avoid Castro's police. They made it, of course, and safely (though it was a very hair-raising experience. You should hear my grandmother describe it--I got chills).

Regardless of the circumstances under which they had to leave, both families had to leave everything behind and start from scratch in their newly adopted home, Torrance CA. They rose up from nothing and built for themselves a life of prosperity, on the same level of what they once had in Cuba. When I listen to their stories, about how they struggled both under oppression and then under financial strain, I am extremely proud of them and in a little bit of awe. I'll never know what it was like to go through what they have, for I've always lived in a very different country, and things are a lot easier here. I thank my lucky stars every day that they took the risks they did, so that their children and grandchildren could have a better life. My appreciation knows no bounds.

--I got into gaming later on in life, sort of backwards to the way a lot of people seem to: most get into as teenagers, but I wasn't introduced to gaming until I was twenty. But since then, I've loved it and have gotten just a little bit cuckoo with it. Pfft, it's all in fun.

--I'm short. Er, shorter than my mom, at least. Also skinny, but that's a natural thing thanks to metabolism. Believe me, with the way I eat, if it weren't for that metabolism I'd likely be overweight. (Watch that damned metabolism turn off the moment I hit 30...)

--I like...a lot of things. My room is a huge mess of movies, music, video games, gaming books, regular books and all sorts of sub-genres and whathaveyou (Cowboy Bebop next to LOTR next to Watchmen next to the Oxford English Dictionary next to The Complete Phantom of the Opera...ahahahaha). In essence, I'm probably an extremely nerdy person. GO NERDS.

Jonesh

2009-03-10, 02:25 PM

Hi all, I would start by saying that you're welcome to add me to messenger if you'd like to know more about me or just chat with a wacky Swede :smallbiggrin:
EDIT: Edited in family relations since I saw so many others telling about that too

I was named Jonas at the 9th of August, 1988 (8808...09!!!! :smallmad:) and have had a bit of an uneventful and geeky life.
Started talking and reading early, but not at the same time of course... :smalltongue:
I read mostly sci-fi, fantasy and horror in that order of preference. Favourites include among others "A Song of Ice and Fire", the Discworld-novels and the Foundation books by Asimov.
I'm not big on music but I mostly listen to alternative rock and electronica if I have to mention any genres.

I'm a constant under-achiever because of lack of motivation, I'm such a bum :smallredface: So right now, I'm unemployed and studying, hoping to make something of myself before my friends and my dear mother get mad at me for being so slow :smallredface:
Since I have no others to turn to, I'm giving it my all but I think I'm not allowed (because of lack of time or something) to read enough courses this term to qualify for applying to school next term. And that kind of brings me down since I don't want to be homeless or have to live at my mother's or at my friends' no mo' :smallfrown:

I have many other hobbies, like of course, roleplaying, video-games and martial arts and stuff. I like to say I've a little bit of interest in everything :smalltongue:

I'm generally happy though, chatty and playfully flirtatious, more so via Messenger, a bit less so in real-life unfortunately but I can still be quite charming I'm told :smallamused:

I'm quite "liberal" as you yanks might say, or you might just call me a communist :smalltongue:

EDIT: I'm the youngest of another son and a half-sister, respectively 2 and 12 years older than me.
I loathe my father since he has proven time and time again that he harbors no love for anything, not even his own children. Also since that time he tried to hit me and failed miserably, called the cops and tried to make them arrest me for abusing him. Tried being the keyword here, the police just told him to calm down or they would call social services.
My relationship with my mother and my siblings is alright I suppose, not much to say about it.
That's all I can come up with now, but as I said before, feel free to add me at MSN.
I also signed up for "ask a playgrounder" some time ago but I have no idea how long until my turn comes up.

Dragonrider

2009-03-10, 02:34 PM

I am one of four kids, and am the oldest; I'm the only girl, and I was definitely the boss of my brothers. :smallamused:

Woo hoo! Another big-sister-with-three-little-brothers! :smallbiggrin: Mine are 19 months, 6 years, and 12 years younger than I am.

Hell Puppi

2009-03-10, 02:43 PM

Well my suggestion was less "MTV Real World" and more because it's so interesting to me to see how everyone's lives are so different and yet have similarities. How we all sort of meet up on the forums and cross paths even though we're from so many different age groups and countries.
It's amazing to me, but I like stories. :smallredface:

I guess I should try...

My name is Ashly. I was born feb 11th, 1985 to Darrel and Lori. They got got married and had a son, my little brother Bradley. I'm very protective of my 'little' brother even though he's been bigger than me since the age of 6.
My parents had a messy divorce around the time I was nine. My mother tried dating and unfortunately there was an accident with a live-in boyfriend that left me with a very large scar on my chest. I had to be in the hospital for burn treatments for a few months and had 6 surgeries to correct some 'growing problems' having a scar on a girls chest would cause. I don't blame my mother or her then-boyfriend, though I think she still feels guilty about it to this day.
My mother got re-married to a guy in the airforce named Joe. Joe's been my dad ever since. My brother and I had a nasty falling out with our 'real' dad and though Joe isn't perfect he's done the best that he can to raise us like we were his.
I did pretty well in school. I'm fascinated with stories and art. I try to write but I'm my own worst critic and am constantly changing the plot. I'm decent at art. Well I'm good at a lot of things, but great at absolutely nothing. I'm fascinated about why people do what they do and about the whole good /evil thing and what makes each what. I like blurring the lines, which is probably why my own personality is so 'gray'. I take a long time to make decisions because I like knowing the whole story. I think there's always 2 (or 3 or4) sides to everything, new information to get.
Because my dad was in the air force, we moved around a lot. He retired while I was in High school though and I've managed to get a great group of friends from there that have been with me ever since.
I've had an oops-baby with an (now ex) boyfriend that was adopted out to a wonderful couple. They send me pictures on his birthday. He's already been to disneyland and he's just barely 4 years old. My parents and family were really supportive of the whole thing and I felt really blessed to have them.
I got married last year to my high school sweetheart. His name is Joe, and he's in the airforce. He got in right out of high school. The cycle of life continues, I guess. No kids and no plans for them for a while, though we have a welsh corgi named Rosie. The military gets on my nerves a bit, especially with the whole moving thing, but I'm used to it.
My little brother just joined the Army. I'm happy because he finally found something he wanted to do, but I'm scared for him. He's still my 'little' brother.
I'm now going to school to become a grade-school teacher. It's a lot of fun. :smallbiggrin:
Who am I? I have no idea. I'm just a lost soul, searching for something though I have no idea what. I stay on the fringe, watching, listening, taking in information, trying to learn.

Yeah there's more but I don't want to do a biography :smalltongue:

Cristo Meyers

2009-03-10, 02:48 PM

Ohh! Waxing philosophical about yourself! Finally something I'm good at!

Imagine an apple on a table.

Now surround that table with people taking issue with the condition of the apple, the condition of the workers that harvested the apple, the future supply of apples, the current price of a bushel of apples, whether the apple is red or yellow or green, why I would want an apple instead of an orange, that I got my apple from here instead of there, accusing the apple of being a tool of oppression, all the way down to how they think all apples should be peeled.

Now then, which one am I? I'm the guy that just wants to eat a damn apple.

Crispy Dave

2009-03-10, 02:48 PM

I am Steven Awesome Dereck(no last name but those are my initials) I was born on May 29, 1993 I am currently at the age of 15.I Live in Oregon with my mother but I spend most of my time with another family who tutors me.

I can't stand my family my parents are divorced and my dad recently re-married to a huge bitch. My mother is a single parent and sits in her room smoking weed all day. I want to live with my uncle for the rest of high school and hopefully I can move at the end of this school year. I haven't spoken with my father in about a year now and I don't wish to.

I spend most of my time on computers and I am always trying to learn new things about them. I started a small business with computers for an economics class I am taking.

Right now I am running my business doing other schoolwork and I am involved in a youth Shakespeare program.

In the future I want to own a small game store/computer business.

I also have terrible grammar and spelling:smallsmile:

wadledo

2009-03-10, 03:04 PM

I both doubt that any of the people here care enough about me to bother opening this at all except as a passing fancy/obsessive need to read, and that it would be interesting anyway. PSYCH! I might have something up when I get back from the library.

Liffguard

2009-03-10, 03:08 PM

The truth is...I am Iron Man.

Dun dun dundundundun dundundundundundundun dun dun dun daaaaa!

Ok seriously:
I am a biological machine with the designation "Colin Penn." My blueprints were confirmed in early 1986. The initial stages of manufacture were completed on the 16th of December 1986. Since then there have been numerous modifications and improvements to my original configuration. Currently, my frame stands 170cm tall with a mass of 76kg. Vertical lifting capacity is currently equal to a force of 1600N, though this value continues to increase as subsequent modifications are made. The pigment-variable section of my photographic sensor array is coloured a brown-green mixture. The colour of my outermost protective layer can be best described as a pink-beige mixture though is often referred to as "white" in colloquial terms. My follicle-derived protein filaments are brown and are maintained at a length not exceeding 1.5cm. Self-diagnostic is continually ongoing and further parameters are being consistently added to my central data storage unit.

Winterwind

2009-03-10, 04:13 PM

Who are you?

Hmm. By the sound of what will follow, emo and drama queen might fit. Oh well...
My name is Michael (actually, Michał, the Polish form thereof), born 15th June 1983 in Wrocław, Poland. When I was four, my parents and I moved to Albstadt, a small town in southwestern Germany, while the rest of the family stayed in Poland. The first few years were fairly normal; I caught up with the second language, made a few friends (though only one of these friendships passed the test of time), and while I tended to rather write stories than do sports, like most other kids, everything seemed fine at that time.

Then 5th grade came.
You see, in Germany (at least in the state I was living in), after the first four years of elementary school, all children are split amongst three types of schools, depending on their grades - the ones with the best grades to a more academically profiled school (Gymnasium), the ones with worse grades to other more practically oriented school types (Realschule/Hauptschule). I got to Gymnasium... but none of my friends did. That didn't really harm our friendship, but it meant I was alone in that new school. I figured I would make new friends soon. How wrong I was.

I'm not even sure what, exactly, caused all the kids in that school to hate me so - maybe, as some of them claimed, I still had some remnants of an accent back then that set me apart, maybe it was just jealousy on their part (my marks were far better than anyone else's in the year), as all people whom I spoke with about this assure me - suffice to say that what followed were several years of daily, incessant humiliation, insults, bullying and psychological (and sometimes physical) terror. In the 7th grade I switched to the 8th grade in the middle of the year (as the teachers found I was just wasting time in the 7th); sadly, the new class didn't prove to be in any way better than the old one. Worse, rather.

To make matters worse, as if them being in other schools didn't suffice, all of my friends, without exception, moved away just a few months after I got into this school.

The five years from 5th to 10th grade (with one jump) were pure hell. By the end of them, my personality had drastically changed - I used to be cheerful, confident and outgoing, after these five years, I suffered from depression, considered suicide with increasing seriousness, had only self-loathing in place of self-esteem and had gotten so shy that I have problems with calling friends on the phone out of fear somebody else might answer it - talking to strangers is panic-inducing.

As an anecdote, that's the period that spawned my account name - during this phase, I started to write poems (though I cringe at the cheesy- and emoness of most of them nowadays), and over time I started to develop a symbolicism of my own. The winter wind represented a yearning for other, better, more magical, more natural worlds. Generally, I could spend hours walking through the forests or gazing at the clouds passing by, the beauty of it all sharply contrasting with the hurting reality I had to deal with every day.

Gymnasium goes to 13th grade (or rather, did, when I was going to school), but as it was a small town spread over a rather large area (due to mountains and forests all around), it had multiple Gymnasiums that had only classes 5-10, while 11-13 were in one big central school, so after that I switched schools again. It was a massive relief, as the new class I got to finally consisted out of more or less mature and likeable people, and those who came with me from the old class behaved better, too (some of them even apologized to me).

So I started to build up some new confidence... which was all shot to hell when one of the only two friends I made during the previous years, together with the circle of "friends" we had built up at the new school, spontaneously told me they were not interested in having anything to do with me anymore. I had spent a lot of thought on whether this was in any way my fault, but I really cannot find anything that would have been the cause of that. Besides, whenever I recall memories of that event, I feel blind, seething rage rising up again, so I prefer not to do that.

The only good thing about this was that when I let go of these people, I found there were a lot of other, far better, far more interesting people around, and I made a few real friendships that have lasted ever since. 12th and 13th grade were the only time since elementary school when I felt, overall, happy again.

I went on to study physics in Heidelberg. It was a great time, overall, doing something I enjoyed, with lots of cool people sharing my interests around. But there was one problem - I had been so good in school that I had never fully learnt how to study. I never had needed to - reading some notes for ten minutes the evening before a test had perfectly sufficed to let me score A's or A+'s. At university, this was not sufficient anymore - but I had not learnt the willpower to just sit down and study for several hours straight without distraction. In addition, these were mostly oral exams (something that practically had not existed in school) - and I mentioned already that talking with people who were not friends or family was a terrifying thing to me. Suffice to say, for the first time in my life, I started to get not only good marks, but also mediocre and sometimes outright bad ones.

Rationally, there was no reason for me to be upset about that - I still was good, and my parents fully understanding - but after school, after all the years when good marks were the only thing that I could point to and claim that I was successful in something that counted for something in the real world (as opposed to poems and stories and whatever), it was a shock. The other thing was that I slowly realized that, even here in this new environment where people actually respected me, I still didn't have the courage or confidence to be open enough to strangers to get into any relationships that went beyond friendship. These two things combined sufficed to crush all of my newly built up confidence and send me straight into depression and suicidal thoughts again. If I neither could get into a relationship nor be successful at my job (and to me, anything short of nigh-perfect results equaled failure), then, so I reasoned, I was an utter failure in every regard.

From all the depression came burn-out, which caused me to almost fail my studies. I just barely managed to recover more or less in time thanks to the support of my mother, and took the time to set things a bit more into perspective.

I am now making my PhD studies on an interesting topic, in a new location, with new hope and enthusiasm, and am trying to hold onto reason and not let depression overwhelm and paralyze me again. It doesn't help at all that I am, again, physically apart from my friends (though we use phones, Skype and such things to stay in contact practically as close as if we were nearby), especially as my shyness has effectively prohibited me from making new contacts here, but at least I believe I have made a few closer contacts here on the Playground instead. What the future will bring, I await with wide open eyes to see.

I am generally optimistic, except with regards to myself (and I'm trying to apply it to myself as well, as far as I can manage). I freely admit that I am an idealist, a romantic, a dreamer and dwell in realms of fantasy probably way too much for my own good, but I wouldn't want it different. I am not sure if I am a good person - I sometimes think my thoughts are way too focused on my own misery for that, when there are so many people far more in need than myself, but I am trying to be. And contrary to the major part of this post, I do not dwell in incessant depression (anymore) - I usually find something fun to do instead to occupy my mind. :smallsmile:Huh. This was strangely cathartic. Maybe I should be posting in the Depression thread after all.

EDIT: Oh wow, how long did I make this? :smalleek:
Don't ever give me an opportunity to speak openly about myself again...

Edge

2009-03-10, 04:19 PM

I am Owen E. Griffiths. I was born on 20th June 1991 in a hospital in the south of Greater Manchester. I live with my parents and my (2-years) younger sister.

I can't really complain about anything in my life. Anything that's gone slightly badly is my own fault. My parents have supported me throughout my life educationally. I got the reading bug hard when I was young, specifically non-fiction. Up until high school, I filtered everything through a scientific viewpoint. Fortunately, the openness of my family kept me from becoming an obstinate atheist.

Primary school was good for me - I sailed through pretty much all assessments with ease. My only problems were my stupidly easily provoked temper and an outsider joining my circle of friends and turning them against me for good periods of time over three years, incidents which often sparked the former problem. Other than that, life was good.

Then came high school. I was (and still am) a geek, so my social-standing was never brilliant. However, with the lack of the outsider manipulating my friends I reconciled with them and got over my own temper (eventually - took me three years to repair all the damage). I also acquired some new friends in my third year, friends who taught me that being kooky, different or just plain weird wasn't wrong - that it was, in fact, awesomesauce. My teachers were, on the whole, largely awesome, too. Props to my French teacher, Mr Kilmartin, for introducing me to D&D, and by extension RPGs in general. Props too to my Religion teacher for just being generally epic, my English teacher for helping me realise that I could use my writing talent for a living.

So, college.

I screwed up first year pretty badly. Considering I never had to revise or work for good grades in school, I messed my ASes up, but not unrecoverably, and as such am now pumping effort into my A2s (English Language, Religious Studies and Classical Civilisation for those who don't know and actually care).

Romantically, I'm an unfortunate. Beneath all my layers of cynicism and nihilism, I'm a romantic at heart, but this is coupled with a personality that is painfully shy with strangers, and by the time I'm comfortable enough to talk openly people, they've generally slid into the "friends" or "acquaintances " category. I've yet to have any form of romantic relationship.

Yeah... not much else to me, really. My family are by turns uninteresting or so crazy it's not worth trying to reiterate their exploits... so... yeah...

LucyHarris

2009-03-10, 05:50 PM

Woo hoo! Another big-sister-with-three-little-brothers! :smallbiggrin: Mine are 19 months, 6 years, and 12 years younger than I am.

Heee! Mine are 2 years, 4 years, and 7 years younger than me. :smallsmile:

Llama231

2009-03-10, 06:02 PM

What do you want?
Why are you here?
Where are you going?

Dallas-Dakota

2009-03-10, 06:13 PM

WW :I like to think I´m among those? Despite that I don´t hang out in the gaming forums that much...Where you usually are.

Wadledo....But I doooo

B-man, orange skin? Move here and you´l be called in to lead the nationalist party.....

(The dutch colour is orange! Its our colour!
Yes, we´re awesome enough to have a colour)

B-Man

2009-03-10, 06:26 PM

Hehe. I guess that I could... if I still had an orange tint to my skin.

I've been told that it would've been diagnosed as jaundice if I turned orange after being born. They didn't know what was wrong with me so they just observed. By the end of the observation, if I didn't get better they were going to do a total blood transfusion to see if that would work.

More childhood memories: When my father first picked me up in the hospital I farted in his arms. There is picture proof with his reaction if I can dig up the photo album. Apparently it really stunk. :smallbiggrin:

zeratul

2009-03-10, 06:26 PM

Oooh, this should be interesting.......:smallamused:

Well my name's dan for starters. I have an ironic last name which I may or may not reveal if you PM me. so, storytime now?

Both of my parents are actors, and they currently both teach at a Liberal Arts college in the city where I live. I'm the only member of my family who's been in no way involved in high school theater although I do like theater (the theater kids at my school are pretty lame nowadays and the programs become pretty crap as well) I get along well with all my siblings of which I have four (one 26 to 24 and 1 18). Were all really nerdy (but in that good way)and have similar senses of humor and basically all cook and do some form of music.

Elementary school is basically the same for everyone so lets kip that shall we? Middle school was horribly ****ty, and I hated it. Everyone was a jerk to me and I developed serious anger and depression issues, but ultimately it was a good thing. This would lead to my discovery of goth music (voltaire, cruxshadows, thoushaltnot) which would influence my look and persona considerably from the rather annoyingly happy whiny type kid I'd been before.

Then came that fateful summer before ninth grade where I discovered metal and one of my best friends in the same summer. I was hanging out with a few people one day after I;d been exposed to one or two metal bands from forum people (blind guardian in particular) when the guy who's now the lead guitarist in my band and a good friend of mine showed me Korpiklaani, Children of Bodom, Alice Cooper, Hammerfall, and Cradle of Filth. He would proceed to sort of become my metal mentor showing me more bands untill my knowledge became as wide as his and I turned into a full blown metalhead. Others such as B-man and Dragonprime from the forum have also showed me lots of bands, D-Prime being responsible for showing me Blind Guardian, the catalyst to my metalness. This summer there was also a lot of crappy depressingness involving this girl i was kind of in love with but I'll spare you guys the details 'eh?

High school comes around and wearing my trench coats, long hair, leather and spikes with pride, people stopped messing with me (although there were a couple discussions by kids in classrooms about them being worried about me blowing the school up or something >_>). I gained new found confidence, got more and more into metal, had a good year, and started playing D&D . I also became good friends with B and Ego Slayer the summer after 9th grade. Currently I play guitar and sing in an aspiring band and play D&D a lot and such.

Aside from D&d,metal, and the making of metal, I'm also really into cooking, gaming (Play Station all the way), reading Marvel comics, fighting friends of min, practicing swordplay, studying norse mythology, and lighting things on fire. I have a thing for goth/metal type girls and me and my friends havea tendency to blame our lack of girlfriends on the lack of them in this City (it would appear from my guitarists ventures that they all live in Maine, but that's another story entirely). EDIT: Also I snowboard which is good times.

Oh and I don't listen to just metal and goth, here's an abbreviated list of a few of the bands I listen to FROZEN INFINITY, Opeth, Mindless Self-Indulgence, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, The Birthday Massacre, Nightwish, Nine Inch Nails, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Sonata Arctica, Turisas, DIO, Against Me, The Cure, Beck, Tyr, Killswitch Engage, Iced Earth, Fintroll, Smashing Pumpkins, Dimmu Borgir, Deathcab for Cutie, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Rob Zombie, The Nightwatchman, Voltaire, Seether Eluveitie, REM, Alice Cooper, Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom, Ensiferum, Stephen Lynch, Queens of the Stone Age, Ben Folds, Rage Against The Machine, Peter Murphy, Helloween, Foo Fighters, Barenaked Ladies, Nirvana, Dope, Norther, W.A.S.P., Antestor, Lamb of God, Soundgarden, Lesbian Bed Death, Amon Amarth, Falconer, Social Distortion, Dissection, The Smiths, Cradle of Filth, Jerry Cantrell, Blind Guardian, Stone Sour, Bauhaus, The Smiths, Demons & Wizards, Alice in Chains, The Decemberists, Emperor, Audioslave, The Postal Service, Within Temptation, Venom, War Machine, Korpiklaani, (old) Weezer, Guster, Rasputina, Tori Amos, Enslaved, AC/DC, Poisonblack, Static-X, The Cruxshadows, Sentenced, Black Sabbath, Thoushaltnot, Darkthrone, Tenacious D, Hammerfall, Metallica, Ben Kweller, SlayerA vast amount of the bands I listen to are still missing from the list unfortunately.

Well yeah that's basically me, Oh and I enjoy long walks in the graveyard :smallwink:

Eldariel

2009-03-10, 06:33 PM

Hm, I might as well give this a go.

I was born late July of 1985, named Jarno by my parents, or Jarno Aarni Olavi to be complete. As a free bonus, I recieved the "Porkka"-surname. Born and lived in Finland ever since, hit 23 last year and will be looking to break 24 in approximately 5.5 months. I have one little brother seven years my junior and at the present do not live in a relationship.

My life has taken me from elementary school (where I socially alienated myself from most people with my "anti-everything" behaviour; 12+ trouble also ensued from my strict denial of sexuality of any kind, which I of course got rid of later on) to Mathematics-focused high school into military service - compulsory around here; that said, I would've attended anyways, if only out of respect for my grandfather and after realizing I wasn't going to qualify for the air forces, I opted for communications corps instead. After that I spent a year as a school assistant, then continued my studies of Physics and now Language Technology (basically a combination of General Linguistics & Information Tech; that said, I care little for the latter) in the University of Helsinki, both for a year.

For the longest time, I semi-actively avoided interests everyone else was taking, probably to stand out or something. As I grew up I realized how ridiculously stupid that is, which finally lead to me getting into D&D & Magic among other things (which eventually led me here). Same story really colours my entire life; for a reason or another, I actively always went against the flow before realizing that it's just as bad as going with the flow as it still means I'm defined by others rather than myself. Anti-thesis of something is still a derivative of that something. Luckily I got over that; the idiocy cost me tons of enjoyment over my years.

I've taken an interest in just about everything. That actually led me to love studying (if not school because it's always wasting such a long time on every subject) and made deciding what to major in exceedingly difficult. That said, I've been rather happy with my present choice and will be sticking with it for the foreseeable future. Still, I love everything from languages (I've studied 10 foreign languages in my life; I have only achieved a reasonable command of 4 of them though, mostly due to the lack of persistence in my studies, those 4 being English, Swedish, French & German - others are Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Latin, Chinese & Quenya) to biology (who wouldn't want to know how they work?) to philosophy (surprisingly enough, I found Nietzsche's ideas the most intriguing of the bunch I've familiarized myself with thus far; surprising because of what they represent and how it's a polar opposite of my own views) and am so annoyed that I only have limited capability to acquire information. I'm also really annoyed by the fact that days are so short, because it means I just can't do everything I'd want to do especially since I'm slow to start things.

As far as hobbies go, I'm into everything from anime to chocolate to MMA. Extreme sports definitely have their thrills too; I've yet to try skydiving, but I will before I'm 30.

It's funny how much one ends up typing when not reigning it in. Mayhap I'll stop here for the day. It's also funny how much you can write on what you think is the subject without actually answering the given question. I can give you my name. I can give you my age. I can give you a piece of my mind, or even two in that. I can give you thoughts or images. Yet none of those truly tell who I am. Heck, I'm not sure I even know myself. Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man? Or a plate of...well, you know the rest.

CurlyKitGirl

2009-03-10, 06:57 PM

. . . eeeeh, why not?

Most of you know this already, so I'm Kitty Lorraine [no last name given]; I turn eighteen on the 23rd of March this year. Eldest of four; Elder Younger Brother (16); Youngest Brother (15); Little Sister (13). Though I'm actually very hazy about their actual ages and it has taken up to a minute or more to work them out even though I can rip off my pets' and parents' ages really easily.
Ummm, I'm a bastard. In the literal sense of the word meaning I was born out of wedlock. I was six months old when Mum and Dad married, if it wasn't for me my siblings wouldn't exist nd my family wouldn't be in the hellhole it is now. But they wouldn't change it for the world.
Big things . . . we're all ridiculously intelligent children, but as eldest I set the banner so it was hard for EYB and LS. Not YB as he was diagnosed very early with moderate - to - severe autism.
I've generally coasted through my education, I really just found school really easy. If I didn't care for the subject I put in even more minimal effort, so was seen as a gross academic nerd. Didn't care.
Got great GCSEs and an AS in Y11. Got great AS Levels - five - so again with the geekery. Am taking five A Levels which is quite ridiculous and one of the best days of my life was when I received my admissions letter to Oxford University to study ENglish.
SO from that you can tell that I love to read. This is a lie. I physically cannot go a day without reading, if I do I get all nervous and jittery, this isn't a problem. I started reading properly age four and never stopped and my personal library is enormous and wide ranging. I can truthfully say that books made me who I am.
I've never really been extroverted, but never an introvert either. The one time I ever got into a physical fight with someone (Y9) I won with one slap. We were friends from then on. I can't stand for bullies or those who speak false with one face and true with another; but even though people have tried to bully me I generally coasted through it unnoticing.
The one instance where this didn't happen would have been in Y8 where I believe I became clinically depressed. This was mainly due to bullying, but Iknow that Mum and Dad also had a large part to play as I became the confidante for them both. And they treated me as a proper adult, not merely a mature nt - quite - teenager so I was made privy and unwilling treasurer of dark secrets such as my family's general debt, alcohol and abuse problems. The truth behind my honourary aunt and other ar more immediate familial problems re: debt and things I truly have no wish to even think about. This has only gotten worse, but I'm no longer so young so I can handle it better.
My first truly best friend I made when I was fourteen and even though we can still barely see each other once a week it doesn't matter. She was one of the major changes in my life - I actually spoke loudly and was well, extroverted and fun and outgoing. She's the one who introduced me to manga, anime and the Japanese language which I am now slowly learning.
Then GitP happened. Aside from books and Best Friend this site has been, without a doubt, one of the most amazing things that've ever happened to me. All of my friends live far away, up to sixty or seventy miles away in fact, so I made online friends. I became less of a recluse living solely for books.
I got to broaden my horizons an found out there were actually people like me who were smarter than most, loved the same things I loved (or not) and introduced me to so many different aspects of life it's unbelievable.
My first ever serious, you know what? My first ever crush (and one I still hold) was for a forum member. I'm prolly very innocent actually as I've never even been asked out on a cruel joke date which leads to oddness - am I truly that ugly? Am I too smart for people my age? Am I asexual? Bi? What? Do I care? Perhaps I'm just behind other people?
I've always loved writing and since I founded the Shippingitp threads my creative writing has only got better, more concise, better structured and I've found I can adapt to a theme or word easily. I love to write. Critical writing has always been easy for me and I've always been complimented on my originality of structure and ideas - prolly a reason I got into where I did.
I've taught YB to read using 8 Bit Theatre (and hopefully soon Girl Genius), I'm sei -responsible for teaching him a lot of the things he knows; though since the advent of our 'nets he's found his own niche. He hates LS because she's downright lazy and yet she has all the opportunities he so badly wants yet will never have. EYB is YB's main support, but to alleviate EYB for his GCSes I've become his tutor for three subjects and spend at least an hour a day with YB. LS and I have a love - hate relationship. But at least she likes books.
I adore college and all my friends even though I do often feel on the very edge of them; I still feel frustrated by the slow pace of class and students but I'm used to it now. Apathy is a problem though.
But my imagination is always there.

What else?
For a few months I went through a minor period of abuse (uncle who has now been diagosed with moderate mental and physical side effects thanks to ********s on the NHS screwing up his presciption (he';s epileptic) for the past twenty years). This may or may not have resulted in an instantly dislocated and relocated right ankle (never got seen to) when I was pulled down the stairs backwards while hanging onto the banisters for a stupidly minor fault. It causes me problems even now. I was nine the I think.
I may have something wrong with my hormones. I hope it's this as the other reason for my problem could be cancer or a tumour. I'm short and proud of it.

I intend to have a Doctorate one day.

Huh. Long is long and rambling.

Felixaar

2009-03-10, 10:43 PM

UncleWolf

2009-03-10, 10:47 PM

*joins in the hug*

<.<

What?

@Felix: Did you catch my offer?

Sereg

2009-03-10, 11:03 PM

I was originally worried about giving this kind of info out, but after seeing so many people brave enough to do it, I decided to go ahead.

My name is David Philpott. I was born on the 29th of August 1986. I was raised in a town called Midrand and moved to Pretoria in June last year where I’ve recently started my Msc in Genetics at the University of Pretoria (I used to commute for my undergraduate and part of my honours degree). I don’t smoke or drink. I went to St. Peter’s College for my high school career. My mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was still young and died of septicemia in 2000 but my father remarried. My father is an analytical chemist and both my Moms are/were teachers. I have a younger sister and an older stepsister. I am a protestant raised in a Presbyterian church. Oh, and I also have never had a girlfriend yet. That’s enough info for the moment, to find out anything else you’re going to have to ask.

Phaedra

2009-03-11, 07:17 AM

I'm short and proud of it.

How short? 'Cause I'm 4'11'', so I usually win these contests :smalltongue:

A Rainy Knight

2009-03-11, 03:02 PM

I'll give this a shot.
I'm not comfortable giving out my name. I was born on January 29th, 1993, and I'm currently sixteen. I'm an only child, and I have a beloved pet cat named Lucy. I was a crybaby as a child, and due to shame and embarrassment from that I am now a reserved person and only show strong emotions when I'm at home. That goes for everything: fear, anger, sadness, happiness. I'm timid, quiet, and apparently sickly. I'm not good at speaking up for myself, and I'm thankful that people respect me for my academic talents instead of ridiculing me. I get along well with people in my own quiet way, and no one seems to hate me. I try to be nice to everyone that I meet, even the people that no one else likes, and people like me in return. I'm personally a complete pacifist, and I try to always forgive and never hate. I try to always enjoy life and be happy and positive, but I'm no fool; that doesn't always work. But I try, and I try hard. :smallsmile:

Dallas-Dakota

2009-03-11, 03:09 PM

:eek:
ARK is sixteen?

I keep finding out that some of you guys are closer to my age then I thought....

I thought you were like, 18 or 20 or something...

Jibar

2009-03-11, 05:42 PM

I'm Jibar, or Edward James William (Blank).

I'm 18 years old and in full time education at 6th form, studying Philosophy, Drama and English literature. Come next year I hope to be at the University of East Anglia doing an English Literature and Philosophy course, maybe even switching to a full Philosophy course. I'm a writer, sort of. I write a lot and have loads of ideas but I have little patience and can't see things through.
I've been suffering from depression for a while now, as well as a variety of anxiety problems. I'm obscenely paranoid and terrified of almost everything. I find it hard to leave the house, to the extent that I have blown off friends just so I didn't have to go out the door. I also totally and completely hate myself.
I spend most my time with video games, and place them very high in my life. I learn everything I can about them, insist on playing as many as possible and consider myself something of a Historian in regards to the knowledge I've accumulated. I can talk about minor details of games I've never played and sound like an expert.
I think too much. I have a 1000 thoughts a second and none of them related. I'm sure its some offshoot of OCD, but it means I live in a different world to everyone else. I see everything as linked in strange webs of causes and effects that no one else can see. I see meaning behind the most minute of details and can't take anything at face value. It also gives me an odd understanding of human nature, as I can appreciate
I'm a nihilist. I see that we have lost our concept of truth and meaning in a world dependant on relativism and acceptance. But I refuse to stop there. I will find a new meaning. And I'll find it, no matter how long it takes. I know that somewhere I will find a reason to be here, and it's that little bit of hope that keeps me going.
What also keeps me going is her. Maddy. The one person who I've thought might see the world the same as me, see all the links and see through all the bureaucracy and see flowers and trees and bird songs. The one person I honestly believed cared. I may not forever love her, but I know I'll never forget her.
And...
You know what?
I am trees and flowers and bird song.
I am peace and love and freedom.
I am paranoia and depression and anxiety.
I am a writer and a student and a philosopher.
I am Jibar and I am Edward and I am the one that no one ever sees.
But most of all, who I am is a Cat-Muffin.
Twisted and strange but wonderful.

Ilena

2009-03-12, 03:42 PM

What do you want?
Why are you here?
Where are you going?

Ah good old B5, but you also forgot the Who are you part ... which happens to lead into this ...

Well my real name is Matt, i was born in 02/24/87 in Kamloops BC, im close to 6 feet tall, i think like 5'10 or something like that, around 200 lbs (havent weighed myself in along while, could be a difference of 20 pounds eather way), blue eyes, and dark brown hair (with a cool bronzy color to it when its washed and sun hits it, actually matches my horse) ive been lately growing my hair out longer and its now past my shoulders but just barely, i hope to get it down to my waist at some point, but for me history. for my early life i was pretty much a loner, i never really spent time around kids my own age, ive always had animals, cats and dogs, (occationally fish for a point) and now cats, dogs, and horses ( get into that later),

but in elementary school, i had 3 friends that i hung out with in kindergarden, 1 guy, i believe his name was cody, or cole or something like that, and 2 girls, who both i think still live in the same houses no less, but that was from kindergarden - gr 2, before i transferred schools, from gr 3 - 6, i basicly had 1 friend from there, (whos still my friend to this day, almost 15 years if i recall), but he was transferred out of that school in gr 6, and at that point i had to branch out and ended up friends with basicly everyone in the class, but being the last year in elementary, and noone was going to my highschool from this one kinda pointless,

i do remember that i went to that school because mike (the fellow ive known for 15 years), and so from there i met another mike, and kyle, who are my current friends now, but again i limited myself to simply those 3 people, and was pretty much a loner, hung around them, not saying much, always the quiet one, definately uptight, i realize now that what i was doing back then was preventing myself from being hurt, from what who knows, but ive always been differnt from most others, but i did not bad in school, never did homework till hitting gr 12, did well on tests, but that only let me barely pass, i really only enjoyed the dc lab (basicly computer course where you did whatever you wanted as long as it was work, i used worldcraft for half life to create maps and a campaign, i also made and edited entiies for it, made the titanic :P) and science, always did well in that, upon hitting gr 12, i got into geography, best teacher ever, he was always hyper and active, engaging the class, he let us bring in lazy boys and stuff to sit in instead of the chairs that the school provides, (for those who didnt bring in a chair everyone would always rush to class and get there early to get a chair :P) if he ran out of room on the white board he just kept going on the wall, he once drew the entire solar system on a window because it was handy and nearby his desk, and this window being one of those large enough 2 people can walk sidebyside and not have to duck, he took up the entire window, his class is the only one i did homework for willingly and always, but pretty much those years in school, there wasnt much to me, id come home, sit on my computer, and thats about all, gr 12 is the only time that changed because its when we got elvis, our first horse, so i would spend hours out at the barn with him, do homework and whatnots,

but after grad, i got a job out at a place called heritage valley resort, washing dishes, not bad job, got to eat supper with the food that came down (always good food, usually chicken too which is awesome), but i didnt have any bills then so it wasnt a big deal, met my ex gf at that place as well, still friends with her too, but also around this time i think if i recall correctly, i started getting depressed (or more so if i was depressed before), i wouldnt really do much, just drownding myself on the computer, mindnumingness, stopped seeing my gf, (she was also kinda pushing me away at the time as well, but she was going through some problems she said later and thats how she was dealing with it is by withdrawing), but she ended up breaking up with me, at that point really killed what i felt for her, definately hurt, (also by this time i was working with our second horse, Dikota, my only brother i have (its a long story :P)) but i do admit the thought of suicide crossed my mind many times, came close to even attempt at some points, but at that point i had withdrawn so far and built up a soldiers ideals around myself, continue the fight, never give up, never surrender, and so forth, and that and my honor, would not let me stop and give up, basicly the only thing that saved my life to be honest, it was at that point that i also decided to become the self appointed guardian to my horses, their protector and all, gives me a reason to live for, before i thought it was my gf, ive learned that you shouldnt give that much reason to any one person, now it holds true for my horses, they are my main reason for existance, theres a few other things now that will keep me going now but they are still my main reason, but anyway so i survived that barely, i also happened to build a complete wall around my emotions blocking them off, litterally feeling nothing, very dangerous to do i found out, and still havent recovered fully from that, and still working at getting better and actually feeling, (this was like 3 years ago this all happened), i also quit that job and when to where i am now, and actually posting from, a call center, from there i got bored and went online, found this place, found a few friends on here and as a result from here, who i trust more then those around me, (tempest being one of those, a good friend he has always been), from there i bought dikota myself, that way i have final say in anything with him and full legal rights, i definately bonded with him, and i think he considers me a brother as well, but definately cares about me, i saw that when he bucked me off and dam near cracked my hip (landed on solid gravel trail, the saddle was pinching him and hurt him causing him to buck), limping for a week, he wasnt himself mom said until i came out there, told him that no i dont blame him for it, and that ill be fine, oh also in there somewhere , before i forget, my mom told me that my dad isnt my real dad but my step dad, i still consider him to be my dad simply because, hes been there since i can remember, always there, so he will always be my dad no matter what, but anyway, from there we went to a trainer, who we have been with for ... oh 2 years now? at laest a year for sure, and we have come along way with that, we also bought dikotas sister, troi, who i consider my sister as well, definately family, both good horses, annoying sometimes but good :P i also bought my first car 2 years ago, 2001 mustang, been a good car so far, got an extended warranty on it that has saved me quiet a bit of money when we had the tranny checked and some things fixed :P, but i got into dnd 2 yeras ago as well, has helped alot, met alot of people online from there, some i consider good friends, up to more recent time, im looking to possibly quit my job and go to an electrition, much better pay, more physical, and somehting new, going on a road trip with the aformentioned friends (and anthony who i havent mentioned yet whos an old brother to the first mike), going to alberta edmonton, drumheller and baniff, probably 2 week trip, take our time (most time spend in baniff hiking), in august sometime, and the last but not least (and actually most important) ive decided to find myself, i realized, actually the quotes at the top play into this, that i dont know myself, i dont know who i am or what i want, i asked those questions over and over, i think ive half answered those now, i know who i am, and i know what i want, but theres still more to find, more to learn, (the self i found is completely differnt then what you would expect, i wont go into it here because i dont fully understand it myself, but it plays out into my personality, my actions, my feelings, my desires, everything i have done and wanted in the past few years, what i found has created that,) but that self is a topic for a discution much later i think, and what i want is the same, they are good questions to ask, who are you and what do you want, they make you think in the world we live in, fast passed and no time to take your time and enjoy things, ... but anyway i thnik ive taken up enough of your time, if you even managed to read it all, this is basicly my history, it is what i was (aside from the horses, i love them with all my heart and that wont change, that is part of who i am now), still a bit depressed at times, but nowhere near as bad as before, and i think im finally moving forward again. well if you did go through all this, congrats! I did just realize this is a who are you not who were you topic, but that is who i was up until recently (a few things i left out as they relate directly to who i am now, and that is something that im keeping underraps until i fully accept it and acknowledge it, as i feel it is my true self,but that is another post for another day,

but ya sorry about the massive post, and the unorganized parts of it, it was more of just a write from the heart kinda thing, and dont stop till its done, but thats about as true as i can get it,

Toastkart

2009-03-12, 04:34 PM

Hi. My name is Karl and I was born in November of 1984. I come from German, Polish, Dutch, Irish, and Welsh ancestry. I have two brothers who are four and five years older than me. I was an unplanned third child, a combination of triangulation (i.e. make up sex), and my parents' being too poor to afford very much electric heating during winter (or so they say).

I've had what most would consider a normal life, which is to say, just normal enough to be abnormal. My dad is a firefighter and my mother is a housewife. They're still together after 25+ years of marriage, although I suspect they would have divorced at some point if my mother were capable of having a career and supporting herself. That's neither here nor there, though, as it hasn't happened and isn't likely too.

I'm a fairly avid gamer, but not very competitive. I like good shooters, good rpgs, and good action/adventure games. But my definition of good is likely different from everyone else. I'm also a voracious reader. Primarily science fiction, but some fantasy too.

High school was boring. I hated it because of the incredible waste it was. I wasn't being taught how to learn, I was being taught what to learn and that distinction was why I, who could teach myself, was able to teach other classmates. Unlike those people who hate school so much they refuse to do anything except whatever will let them squeak by, I hated school so much I was going to do the best I could in order get through it quickly. I graduated 8th out of 536 students.

While I was in high school, when I was 14, I wrote my first book. It sucked, trust me. So I wrote a second. It sucked too. Then I decided to scrap everything I had done and start over, leading to book number three. I'm more happy with the third book than I was with the first, but there's still something I'm not too sure about. I haven't finished a book since I was in 10th grade, but I have material for about half of the book's two sequels. I also have written about ten short stories and a dozen or so existential essays, including two I'm currently working on in my spare time.

The last year of high school I went to work for Michaels arts and crafts and worked there for six years while I went to college. It was a pretty decent job overall. I started as a basic sales associate and was promoted to Front End Supervisor almost three years after getting the job. I met a lot of friends at this job, but there are also things I don't miss about leaving.

The last week of high school I was asked out by a friend of mine, Shar`ron, who was black and bisexual, and in personality was very much the opposite of me. Where I was quiet, reserved, and introverted, she was not quiet, free, and extroverted. Where I would stop and think before doing something stupid, she would usually just go ahead and do it. We dated for three or four months, and then she broke it off with me right as I was starting college. Since then I've been what you might consider habitually single. I'm always on the lookout for a relationship, but what usually happens is the women I find myself interested in aren't interested in me as anything other than a friend. This has led to a lot of great friendships, but I haven't had an actual romantic relationship in a long time.

I was accepted into a bachelor's program at Clayton State University (Clayton College and State University when I first started going there). My major was going to be Psychology (and human services, but that's not what I'm interested in). The thing about Clayton State is that it's easy to get into, but hard to stay in. The core classes that everyone is required to take are incredibly hard for what a lot of people consider a community college. The psychology classes themselves were great and I met and got the chance to work with some really great professors in the field.

I graduated in May 2008 with a bachelor of science in psychology and human services, with a gpa of 3.4. I didn't want to go to my own graduation but some of my friends talked me into it. The reason why I didn't want to go was ostensibly because I can't stand crowds, have arthritis and don't like to stand in one place for too long, and things like that. I realized the real reason later. The fact of the matter is, I didn't go to college to get a degree. I went to learn. For selfish knowledge. I never studied for my classes, because it means more to me that I can learn something (or not) and give it back (or not) without preparation or priming.

I took a semester off and just worked, wrote, and did some photography. I made into a graduate program. I'm working on a Master of Arts in psychology at University of West Georgia. West Georgia is a very humanistic program. In fact, my first class is an advanced horizon seminar on nothing. Which is great, it's a fantastic experience so far, even though I've only been here about three months.

There is one thing I've realized. That is the fundamental absurdity in what we call everyday life. Everything from the repetitious, meaningless tasks of work to the presuppositions that we view the world through. I've been playing the infinite game within the finite game that is life my entire life. I would love nothing more than to do nothing with my life but be creative. Unfortunately, practical life has a tendency to frown on people who don't have money. So, the search for a job in a pretty crappy economy continues.

I offer these last few words of wisdom: dethingify your life and world view. This world we live in has been objectified, abstracted, and reduced in horrible, tragic ways. Take a few moments to experience what's really there in a subjective way and own that. And I challenge you to being human, if for nothing other than a change in perspective for a while.