Well, me. What's to say? I'm 18, a freshman in college in NYC, English major with a probable minor in poli sci/international relations. Physical aspects: well, I'm abominably short (5'1-and-three-quarter" at the last count), with wavy red hair, lots o' freckles, and blue eyes. Irish? Just a little. More French, actually--almost half. Then there's a good deal of German, English, Scottish, Creole, and Native American thrown in for good measure. Oh, and I wear glasses. This isn't very coherent, is it? Oh well. My mind isn't a very organized place, anyway, so I guess it's a more authentic Fand experience.
I'm a vegetarian, and a political liberal--so extreme, in fact, that my political philosophy professor told me once that if the socialist party still existed I'd probably be a prime candidate.
Heh. I'm also an Aries, but kind of atypical in that respect since I'm really very cautious, and not one for taking the lead.
Religion plays a big part in my life--but not in the way you'd probably think, just seeing that clause on its own. I was baptised a Catholic, and as a child attended alternately Methodist and Catholic services. For the last few years, though, I've really been considering spirituality very seriously, spending a lot of time investigating and pondering. I have an innate distrust of organized religion, which I feel discourages, on the whole, questioning. I also see the Bible as a great literary resource and a collection of often fantastic stories (in both senses of the word), but as far as it being the final Word of God... well, let's look at it this way. There are what, at least a few dozen different versions--and each one differs from the others, if only by a few words. Translations, too, change words and therefore, inevitably, connotations. For all I know the Bible did start out as God's final word on everything; but after almost two millenia of Christianity--and well over a millenia's worth of religious texts--the chances that the Bible remained unchanged by human hands is zilch. Seriously. It may have been done purposely, translators changing passages to suit their own beliefs; it may have been an accidental side-effect of translation. But I refuse to believe that some of the bigotry shown in the Bible--damnation for homosexuals and the degradation of women, just for two examples--is true to God.
Anyway... sorry for the rant. But I told you--thoughts about this occupy a great deal of my time. I blame my father (an ex-Benedictine monk who is now thoroughly disillusioned with organized religion).
Also, if you demean homosexuals as a group and I catch wind of it, do prepare for a full-blown debate. I myself am straight, but especially since coming to college (I go to a school dominated by its theatre and music programs), I have tons of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender friends.
Well, now that I've tackled all those subjects you're not supposed to touch in polite conversation, on to the small-talk, yeah? I started seriously writing when I was twelve, and it was all crap. But I plugged away, and by the time I was sixteen it was only vaguely crap-scented. It's still not nearly up to where I'd like it to be, but I've got time, yeah? I used to write strictly fantasy or sci-fi, but lately I've been writing more stories set in modern times, or historical literature. I usually have a strong heroine, and yes, religion/spirituality (and especially the conflicts inevitably included within such) usually play at least a minor part in my themes.
As far as books go, I'll read anything within sight--seriously. Encyclopedias, thesauri, the backs of cereal boxes--nothing is safe. NOTHING, I TELL YOU! MWAHA! Ahem. On my own, I'll usually choose historical fiction--Austen and Dumas are two of my absolute favorites, and Dickens when he doesn't get too incredibly long-winded; I'm also tackling Dostoevsky at the moment, and Wilde, Twain, and the Bronte sisters are always good! I do however hate Ernest Hemingway with a passion unrivalled.
Music... ah, music. Well, first of all, I play the clarinet and have for a decade as of right about now (the middle of October); I was concertmistress and solo clarinet in my high school's symphonic band not only senior year, but junior, as well. I'd love to play the piano, but I have little kid hands (they're titchy) with little kid fingers, so it's a real challenge. I also have a very strong background in theory and composition. I'll listen to just about anything, too; the CDs in my stereo at the moment are Fall Out Boy and Dave Matthews Band, and before that were The Postal Service and Snow Patrol; I also listen a lot to Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, KT Tunstall, Nickel Creek, the Goo Goo Dolls... yeah. Lots n' lots. When I'm writing, I tend towards the more orchestral or classical side of things, with a bit of folk and/or Celtic thrown in for good measure--usually, the Master and Commander soundtrack.
I also have two cats: Zeke, who is huge (not just fat... seriously, huge) and thinks he's a guard dog, and Callie, who is just a little slut and will do anything for a tummy rub. Oh, and she thinks she's part burrowing rodent, too; she likes to hide beneath the covers of unmade beds. Makes sitting down a dangerous thing to do, as she also has vicious claws.
Goodness, goodness... what else is there to say? Well, if you've read this far, you're either incredibly bored or surprisingly interested, so if there's anything else you want to know -- ASK!
Pax,
Fand
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