Eupathic ImpulseNow, on to the important things. My own biography. Is the spotlight aimed correctly at me? To the left please...no, a little more to the right. Thanks. Maestro?

Ah, good.

Greetings, importunate creatures from the depths of misery. I know that you are grateful for being permitted to stand in my August Presence, and well you should be. For now I will discuss the most important topic on this board, and perhaps everywhere else in the world: me.

I am Eupathic Impulse. By night I am a member of the Lylmik Supervisory Quincunx, the ultimate executive power over the Galactic Milieu, charged with achieving the coadunation of the galactic Mind. I am millions of years old, and, as a Lylmik, my body is ephemeral and nearly imperceptible, but I can take on the form of other species, including human. I find your strange human bodies very clunky and odd as bodies go, and I think you would find it handy to have a few tentacles like our beloved Krondaku race, whom we first raised to Unity. Our leader, Atoning Unifex, has an unfortunate sense of humour and assigned me a human male body and identity when we wanted to go slumming at human parties; I find the male form, including certain rather odd external organs, to be particularly inconvenient. Asymptotic Essence an august and respected fellow Supervisor, who was assigned a more sensible female body, sometimes looks at me in a strange way when I am in human form, and I am at a loss to understand what it means.

By day, in my human form, I am a doctoral student working on matters relating to matters of language, mind, and computation. I have the identity of a Canadian presently living in some country (how quaint, you have countries) that seems to be called the You Knighted States. It is a curious name.

Most importantly, I have been greatly enamoured of a truly advanced and imaginative mind among your species, one known as Carolyn Janice Cherryh, who has written things you call "books" inscribed in chemical dyes on something you call "paper". Her writings raise my hope that the Quincunx will succeed in its project in bringing Unity to the Mind of Humanity and hastening the further Unification of the galactic noõsphere.Posted: 2:31 AM - Feb 11, 2007starexplorer<<<I think that might have been what we call "God">>>


[and i am a little scared] Posted: 6:57 AM - Feb 11, 2007the muleStar-ji,

no need to be worried It's just the not-to-subtle alien takeover thing. The small green hairy things from Alpha Centauri pull this now and again to make us think they are superior beings  . I normally reroute a Singularity Class ROU over that way and nuke them for a few hours just to improve their mindset when they get too uppity.



Mule
(Galactic Emperor)Posted: 2:02 PM - Feb 11, 2007starexplorerAh. I should have had faith that there was an approach to this. I guess I'll go change my shirt now. :calmPosted: 2:30 PM - Feb 11, 2007Eupathic ImpulsePuny mortals! Your impertinence is an insult to the universe itself! I would obliterate you with a single thought, but I am an elevated and Unified being and am thus incapable of using my powers for an end that I don't doubt your base and primitive selves would not hesitate to accomplish if you had my power.Posted: 4:05 PM - Feb 11, 2007hrhspenceOver compensating for a feeling of inferiority, now EI?Posted: 5:03 PM - Feb 11, 2007Char-jiah ... that "been indoors too long" Canadian humour.  You got out of the Great White North just in time.

Going to school in the You Knighted States? Any particular reason why you choose the US for your schooling? Just curious. 
 Posted: 8:15 PM - Feb 11, 2007ReptileCK: How terribly stressful for you. I have occasionally logged onto the site, been interested in Cherryh for maybe 10 years.

I remember your initials, though didn't look up a profile or anything. Valued your comments.

Must not have run into too many of the "guy" comments. I always assumed you were female.

I'm a 59 y.o. married male living in northern Manhattan (Washington Heights) with 23 y.o. son who just started City College. And I certainly would not say that I can instinctively pick up gender from writing choices, though I have a pretty good ear.

Just assumed it for some reason.Posted: 4:12 PM - Feb 12, 2007ChomijiOK, here's a fresh bio for our new home ...

I am Chomiji Kaharingai, and like Sherbs, I am using an RPG name - in this case, a Mahen medical technician that I played in a game that included Compact Space along with a few other space opera-type universes. Chomiji is the name that I currently use online everywhere, even though it turns out to mean "very short" in Japanese (translation courtesy of one of my new manga-loving friends).

In RL I am a U.S. Fed Gov't employee, doing website content stuff. I have also worked as technical editor and writer. I am 48, married, and like Aja Jin, I am the parent of a 15-year-old daughter. Cho Girl (the young lady in question) has read some  but mostly prefers Terry Pratchett at the moment. I am a Leo with Libra rising (and my moon and Venus in Cancer, so I am a sentimental mess), an INFP on the MBTI, and an Earth Dog via Oriental horoscope.

I have been reading SF&F since I was a wee thing (Space Cat at age 8 may have been the earliest, but I was an "Astro Boy" fan before then!). I first read  in college at the recommendation of a close friend whom I met through RPGing and the Society for Creative Anachronism (where I later met my husband-to-be), and the first books I read were the "Faded Sun" series. My favorites are the Chanur series (and Chanur's Homecoming is the finest!) and Cyteen, but I also have a soft spot for Hellburner and Hunter of Worlds.

Other authors I like include Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Martha Wells, Tanith Lee, Patricia McKillip, Peter Dickinson, Neil Stephenson, Diana Wynne Jones, Barry Hughart, Cordwainer Smith, James H. Schmitz, Dorothy Dunnett, P.C. Hodgell, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Ellen Kushner. And I am totally stuck on a manga series called "Samurai Deeper Kyo." For tunes, I listen to classic rock, folk music/world music, and musicals. I eat most cuisines, but am especially partial to sushi and the Afghani scallion dumplings called aushak.

Hello!

- ChoPosted: 1:45 AM - Feb 17, 2007CKTCThanks to everyone for their kind responses to my bio! I'm so happy. And I'm very happy to hear of Ms. Cherryh's definitions of what I was doing. Heh!

Yes, mule is awesome. I knew Shejidan would be in excellent hands.

Shoka, yes, I did have a ton of personalities online. I've dropped all but two of them now, and both these persona are accurately me. CK reflects my love of sci-fi/fantasy, and the other identity reflects a love for digital art. ^_^

Welcome, Char-ji!

RKnuckalis, yes, that artwork is mine, although it's really, really ooooold. (shudder) Thank you though. And yeah, I was always surprised that people thought I was a guy, consider I thought I was fairly screaming FEMALE in every post I made.

Ugh, my internet connection died on me earlier this afternoon. I finally got it to work again, sorta. Hope it holds.... 

RosimiGreetings, nandiin, nadiin. My attendance is intermittent, but I always return with a sigh of contentment to the conversation and the tea. I'll post my bio presently, but in the meantime. . .Canadian, started out as a physicist, advocate for gifted & Asperger's children, staunch sci-fi fan since the Jetsons, will never lose faith that we will achieve the Star Trek standard. I am very glad to have found this place; it's a pleasure to see how far humanity has come already.Posted: 12:54 AM - Feb 28, 2007starexplorerHad we but world enough and timePosted: 6:12 PM - Mar 01, 2007IdefixI just want to introduce myself. I'm in my late 30's, live in Northern California and create web applications for a public institution. I've been a pretty isolated SF reader (my husband prefers non-fiction and my son doesn't read yet) but decided to join in, suffering from major withdrawal after finishing Deliverer for the second time.
I've sometimes used the list of Hugo winners as a guide to try "new" authors and just before Christmas I decided to try . I brought home Foreigner, not having found Cyteen at the local bookstore and started it that evening. The next day, after very few hours of sleep, I went back to the bookstore to get the next book in the series. However, I couldn't figure out which one was next, must have been the lack of sleep or the fact that some of the paperbacks had the same text on the back cover. I ended up selecting Explorer and realizing that I was reading out of order (imagine my surprise when I read the line where Bren comments about Jago satisfying his sexual desires!), went back to the bookstore again and bought all the Foreigner books they had. I also pre-ordered the last two on Amazon. I must say that that's very unusual for me. By now I've re-read all 9 books and after 3 whole months with Bren and the Atevi, and I'm having a hard time thinking about how many years I have to wait until a new Foreigner book comes out. Oh well, I'll just have to learn patience. I've started Cyteen, it might make the wait more pleasant.
I've never felt that taken by a series of books. Being a foreigner myself, it brought back quite a few memories of my first two years in the country. Particularly when I first started dreaming in English! Also, having left all my family behind, family that doesn't understand what I'm doing here, I have lots of empathy for Bren. At least, I don't look like a foreigner everywhere I go, but as soon as I open my mouth... I always wonder if Bren has an accent in Ragi.
My other SF reading have been mostly Asimov, Heinlein, Le Guin, Arthur C. Clark, Poul Anderson, Philip K. Dick, Vinge, Simmons, Resnick, Sherri Tepper and more. Flashy book jackets tend to scare me, as well as long series (I don't know if I ever finished all the Dunes books I bought).
I assume that Banichi has been written about in quite a few posts, I have to catch up. I wonder what others think about the fact we know less about him than introverted Algini. He's from Talidi and it makes one wonder how he came to the service of Tabini. Also, a father-daughter partnership in the Guild must be pretty unusual, what happened to Banichi's previous partner? I know that one should not ask those questions, but one is so curious!
Posted: 6:25 PM - Mar 01, 2007SurtacWelcome in, Idefix! Do help yourself to some of our famously safe  . I've just made a fresh pot.


 Posted: 7:52 PM - Mar 01, 2007hrhspenceTwo questions for you Idéfix. 1, where are you from? and do you hang out with Astérix much?Posted: 4:53 PM - Mar 02, 2007IdefixI used to spend a lot of time with Asterix and Obelix. I was not allowed to have them at home though, for some reasons my mother thought that it was OK for my brothers to read comics, but not me! I had to read serious books. So every week, I'd choose a few grown-up novels at the library and spend the rest of the time reading comics. Asterix and Obelix were my favorites and they still make me laugh. Every time I go back to France, I add to my collection. Yes, I'm from France. I usually don't like to bring it up because there's so many preconceptions about the French. Even my husband can't help teasing me about it . But it's OK, I have a tough skin, I do have two brothers after all.    (that's me in the middle).Posted: 6:22 PM - Mar 02, 2007hrhspenceC'est bien ça! Je suis professor de français à un High School à Las Vegas.

So, if I slip from time to time into la Belle Langue, you will forgive me. :DPosted: 8:46 PM - Mar 02, 2007Sandi-jiSuch a wonderful *feeling* to find others who cannot get enough of the Foreigner universe. One is most grateful to being able to join this Association.

One has re-read the first 4 books within the past two weeks in preparation of receiving the pre-ordered "Pretender" from Amazon, and thus has been immersed in Bren's world to the point of the afore-mentioned daytime dreaming. I have actually found myself responding to my customers in an unusual for me incredibly graceful and diplomatic manner. Perhaps we can replace Dale Carnegie with a new School for Future Paidhiin.

My first experience with  occured shortly after Foreigner was released, and over the years I had picked up many of her other titles without realizing these books I enjoyed so much all had the same author in common. My favorite author had always been Andre Norton, but with the lack of new original books from her, I drifted into  orbit without even realizing how my man'chi had changed. So many of my favorite books are by  : the Faded Sun, the Morgaine Trilogy, and of course the Foreigner set. Normally the paperbacks I buy I trade in on more used paperbacks, but I have cleared off a section of my bookcase and commenced my shrine to Her.

I got my love of reading sci-fi from my father, and first read "Beast Master" by Andre when I was probably 10 or 11. He had a collection of first edition paperbacks by her that span the years from the '50's to the 90's. When he passed away in 1999, his collection was all I asked of from my brother and sister of his possessions. Given Andre's books place in my heart for their connection to my dad, you will perhaps understand the emotional implications of clearing room for Bren-ji.

In reality, I live in North Central Florida, home of the reigning National Champions in college football AND basketball, the University of Florida Gators.
However, I grew up in Columbus, OH and am first a passionate Buckeye fan. Oh, how my man'chi is torn! I am in my early 40's, divorced, but dating again. As I write this, I am struck by the preponderance of women such as myself on this fan site, and wonder at the fact given that Sci-fi is typically considered a "nerdy male" type of interest. I work as a contract manager for a small company that sells copiers and faxes (imagine my chagrin when I delved into Pretender to escape the daily stress of life, only to find that with the overthrow, Bren cannot find a high-speed printer in the Bu'javid to prepare his report for the hasidat. Sigh) I garden, and am currently re-landscaping my front yard with native plants. I enjoy many sports, including but not limited to running, kayaking, racquetball, mountain-biking and tai-chi. I have two feline Associates named Scully and Cleo, as well as goldfish in my self-built pond and a community of aquarium fish. I was much impressed with Lord Greigi's fish escape mechanism in order to preserve kaibu on the station.

Thank you all for your ideas, creativity and support of Shejidan, and one is most regretful for any misspellings of particular words or names from our shared universe.Posted: 5:17 PM - Mar 03, 2007shokaWelcome Sandi-ji. Most welcome. Please have some of our very safe , no noxious alkaloids, we promise you. I'm not familiar with Beast Master. One to look out for....

Posted: 5:24 PM - Mar 03, 2007KokipySandi-ji, Beast Master, and its sequel, Lord of Thunder, are among my early sci fi reads, at probably about the same age as you. I still enjoy rereading them. The moment when Storm rests under the pine tree, if you recall it, is still very evocative for me.
Welcome! 

Triscuit7I’ve posted a brief bio on other sites, but nothing here until now. I've been mostly a lurker, but here goes.

I’m Melissa (Mel or M’lis) aka Triscuit7. In a few days I’m entering my 49th year, which I hope will be very auspicious. I’m married in Canada, domestic partnered elsewhere here in the US. My partner, Darcy, and I are owned by two cats, Merlin and the Morrigan.  We’re both avid SF/F readers although in the past few years, my reading has outstripped hers. We’re both fen and will attend NASFIC and Gaylaxicon this year, possibly Philcon as well. While I live in NJ outside Philadelphia, I’m a born and bred West Virginian - it’s too, too flat here. I’ve a B.A. in History (WVU), an M.A. in Ancient History (UPenn) and all but dissertation in Egyptology (UPenn). The dissertation has been on hold for over a decade because of … well, just never ever work for your dissertation advisor.  Enough said.

Since 1993 I’ve been working as a bookseller and in 1996 became manager of the first of three B. Dalton bookstores. That changed this January when the 3rd one closed its doors. I’m now the receiving manager in a Barnes & Noble in NJ. In my spare time I read, cook, garden and write. Favorite SF/F authors are C.J. Cherryh, Lois McMasters Bujold, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Tanya Huff, and for Mystery Nevada Barr, Carol O’Connell and Ellis Peters. I also like children's books (especially the picture books Stellaluna and the Skippyjon Jones series), and some of the young reader/teen fantasies (Diane Duane, Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce).

I like Celtic music, some British rock, and hillbilly music. Favorite artists include Solas, the Pogues, Loreena McKennitt, Kirsty MacColl and recently Lily Allen. I do not like jazz or blues at all and while I'm not a fan of musicals, I do love the Wizard of Oz (with Judy Garland) and Les Miserables (on stage). On television at the moment I'm thoroughly addicted to Blood Ties and Doctor Who (how many more months until the new season?!!!!). Past addictions include The Avengers, Xena, and BuffyTVS (thru Season 5). I like most animals (snakes and spiders included), but my favorites are kitties,  all big cats, dolphins, orca, polar bears, wolves, horses, and  hyenas.

And that's who I am at the moment. Posted: 6:25 PM - Apr 16, 2007griffinmoonTriscuit nadi:
Welcome! One hopes you prefer tea? Wafers? Mint-like iced cakelets?One also predicts you will find many like-minded persons here. (Jes' nip back thru some of those bios!)Posted: 6:06 AM - Apr 17, 2007Triscuit7Many thanks for the tea but I regret I've just had breakfast so I must pass on the offering of wafers and cakes. One does wonder what Ilisidi would make of cereal...Posted: 4:18 PM - Apr 17, 2007griffinmoonTriscuit nadi:
...Ahhh! but she has what amounts to oatmeal for breakfast sometimes, along with thinly sliced breakfast meat (reads like bacon to me!).Posted: 12:55 PM - Apr 18, 2007ChomijiWelcome, Triscuit!!! And a happy birthday in advance, in case I don't happen by in time (which tends to happen...).

- ChoPosted: 6:27 PM - May 23, 2007Resa
hrhspence,Jan 20 2007 wrote:Some pix from the Spencean Horde.

Pic #2 is of our oldest son, his wife and their daughter.

Pic #3 is of our youngest two, who are graduating from High School this june.

Pic #4 is of the entire Horde.
Oh my gosh, that is one very lovely family! You've done yourself proud!Posted: 7:15 PM - May 23, 2007hrhspenceThanks, Resa. I'm kinda partial to them myself.Posted: 7:48 PM - May 23, 2007ResaOkay, I've read all 8 pages, cried a little, smiled a lot, and ... jeepers, am I glad that I found this place. You are all such great people.


And I suppose I should attempt a bio. But goodness, it is an intimidating concept. One does so wish to impart a good first impression.

I am somewhere between 41 and 43 ... because I decided about a decade back not to pay any attention to my age. So I'm in there somewhere. The older the better. To be really honest, I am actually looking forward to being MUCH older, as I think it would be great fun to be very old, and gray haired, and cantankerous. Basically, I want to grow up to be Ilisidi. She is my hero.

I have a wee green monster of a parrot who has been my companion since high school, "Talon the Twerpy Bird". I also share the house with a cat who is never satisfied with me, and two dogs who are fairly sure by now that all humans are mentally deficient.

Re: the dogs ... Try to understand. These doggies have taken the time to learn quite a few English words. They have even managed to learn the spelling of certain words like "food" and "bone" and "treat", and yet I still struggle to figure out what they want when they start bouncing around the house to get my attention. A very sad situation. I am in need of a dog paidhi.

My interests include camping, cooking, gardening and art. In the 90s, I worked for a while doing comic book stuff and that was fun. Currently I'm trying to improve my art skills enough that perhaps in a few years I might be able to get a little work doing cover illustrations. I mostly hope to retire into it, if nothing else. Something to do around smacking the butt of my cane into the flooring when I demand my tea.

And I guess that's everything that's interesting.

Best wishes to all, and thanks so much for being there.Posted: 3:21 PM - May 24, 2007griffinmoonResa nadi:

You are in very excellent company here! Many of us share your interests (as you no doubt read). There are a couple of artwork threads about here, so feel free to start one up for yourself. We'd love to view your work!Posted: 11:30 PM - May 24, 2007Resa
griffinmoon,May 24 2007 wrote:Resa nadi:

You are in very excellent company here! Many of us share your interests (as you no doubt read). There are a couple of artwork threads about here, so feel free to start one up for yourself. We'd love to view your work!
(grins) Yup, I noticed. Lotsa shared interests. And such a pleasant group, too.

And, I've got a thread up in the Bu'Javid, "Wanted To Post A Drawing Of Cenedi" which has one Foreigner piece I'm particularly happy with, along with a bunch of small head sketches.

I hope to have one more Foreigner piccy done in a few weeks -- a little under the weather currently -- that'll I'll share as long as I don't do something disastrous to it when I go to finish it from the outlines. (Hope, hope, hope it'll come out nicely!)

And again, so happy to have found this place!
 

flyingkaiHello! My name is Kai, I'll be 18 on 19th August, I live in Northern VA (aka Washington, DC suburbs), and my father introduced me to Cherryh's works with Foreigner when I was thirteen. Subsequently I became obsessed, and now I've read all nine of the exsisting Foreigner books multiple times. I like that the books give me and my father a common interest. He is fond of asking "What Would Banichi Do?". We are also Spades partners against my mother and little brother in our annual summer tournament. When my brother trumped my ace the other night, only my dad got the inference when I whispered nastily "May you be blessed with sons...".

I then got into the Chanur books, which I enjoyed as well as my cat(Who now prefers to be addressed at Captain Zoe....and insists that when I find her chasing her younger sister that they were just playing the Hani and the Kif...).
Then one night when I couldn't sleep, I 'borrowed' my dad's signed hardback copy of Cyteen, which I stayed up all night reading. It's probably my favorite of all Cherryh's books. Obviously, Forty Thousand in Gehenna, Downbelow Station and Merchanter's Luck came next. I also picked up Tripoint and Finity's End.

As you may have guessed, I'll read anything that stays still long enough. :lol: My second love is everything Joss Whedon---not just the mythology behind Buffy, but the style of filming. An aspiring filmmaker, I watch the commentary on every DVD after seeing it 'clean' first. After being recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I chose to spend school year '07-'08 taking Gen. Ed. classes at our local community college, and then transfer to a four-year school to get a BA in Communications. I also have an interest in languages--I took two years of German, and two of French, and am continuing with French in College.

This seems like a really cool community, and I'm glad I found it!

-Kai-Posted: 7:19 PM - Jul 10, 2007griffinmoonWelcome, Flying kai nadi!
 ?Posted: 7:41 PM - Jul 10, 2007Felicitous Sk8erWelcome, Kai-ji!

I loved reading your biography! And look forward to reading many more interesting posts by yourself. Posted: 2:03 AM - Jul 11, 2007ByranI have not posted yet. I have almost all of  hardback books, and have been acquiring new as they arrive. Been reading Cherryh since the Faded Sun series which I read in 1978-9 during my first Navy duty station. In the early 80's I read and was inspired by Cyteen, which has given me insight in the laboratory where I work. I do not post much. If anyone is coming south we should meet for  . Best regards, Byran (the female form of Bryan).Posted: 3:19 AM - Jul 11, 2007Felicitous Sk8erWelcome, Byran!

How far south? Posted: 5:27 AM - Jul 11, 2007SurtacWelcome indeed, Byran! Do have some fresh  , we vouch for its safety.

One echoes the question, how far south? I myself am downunder in the land of Oz. I'm not sure if anyone here is further south than me, except possibly qjr over in EnZed, the land of the long white cloud.



And of course Hakkikt in Tasmania is further south than me in Canberra. How could I forget that, as someone who grew up in Hobart? <hangs head in shame>
 Posted: 1:28 PM - Jul 11, 2007hrhspenceOr do you mean The South as in Mississippi?Posted: 10:19 PM - Jul 11, 2007ByranI very much apologise for North Americanism.  I meant South as in southern US, not quite Mississippi but south and somewhat west as Texas. Houston is a large multiethnic city, full of interesting people. I have not ventured into the NASA grounds yet. I worry about the saftey of  here due to petrochemicals in the bay.  But as you noted, if one has only hope, the bay will remain dirty!

Regards, ByranPosted: 6:06 PM - Jul 20, 2007sevenallI just wanted to say, CK, that I'm so, so glad to see you back here.Posted: 6:44 PM - Jul 20, 2007SurtacSevenall, it's nice to see you back too! 


 

hrhspenceMy copy of Okrand's dictionary spells it: tlhIngon Hol.Posted: 2:46 PM - Aug 03, 2007griffinmoonAhh! One would expect veracity from Nand'Spence!! One expresses graditude!Posted: 4:00 PM - Aug 03, 2007hrhspencePerhaps Tlingu is in a dialect other than the emperors?Posted: 9:08 PM - Aug 18, 2007JeimaniOops! One must wrestle the dictionary away from one's teenage daughter. Nandiin, you are so much fun! :lolosted: 2:35 PM - Aug 26, 2007kelanth56Having forgotten whether I ever posted any introductory comments on the old boards, I'll pretend I didn't and be as brief as I can -- all at the same time! 

RLN: Jan S.

Location: Michigan, USA

YOB: '56 (you figure out which century) :lol:

Status: widow (lost only husband ever [together for 18 yrs] to cancer in 01/03, not likely to ever marry again) with teenaged son ("oh, boy" is right!)  and two canines (1 red & white Siberian Husky, 1 mixed breed but looks most like a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog) in a little house in a village that is not Hobbiton, but could be if I squint my eyes just so.

SF "pedigree": Began in jr. high (now called middle school) with a 2-volume anthology which contained Alfred Bester's short novel "The Stars My Destination." That was Mindblower #1. #2 was Andre Norton's _Moon of Three Rings_. #4 was Harlan Ellison. #5 was . Since the mid-1960s, then, I have been in what might be termed a permanent state of hallucination. 

Fandom "pedigree": Knew it was out there somewhere but didn't get involved until 1996, when I first got online access and found the N3F (iirc, the site is at n3f dot org). Still a Neffer, as we call ourselves, and still enjoy the club activities it offers despite the lures of the Webworld. The N3F and a mailing list also got me to Pub My Ish (as faneds say), and my genzine Peregrine Nations is now in its 7th year. I'm also an eAPAn and, as some here know, have recently revived the Cherryhzine Ribbons; #3 is scheduled to be published in time for 's B-day (shhh, don't tell her!). My other editorial fun is spent on the international fanzine I co-edit with Bruce G, an Australian. Links to all of these publications can be found at efanzines dot com for those who're interested.

 "pedigree": Being a Norton fan, that author's recommendation in _Gate of Ivrel_ was enough for me, and I've been hooked for 30 years. Never met her or Jane in person but have swapped some emails and sent holiday cards to them over the years.

Confession: I haven't read all the Foreigner books, being allergic to series longer than 4 books (which also means I haven't read the latest Fortress book); it's all Robert Jordan's fault.  I also haven't read any of "the Russian books," and am not sure why.

Favorite  books: the Chanur Saga, Faded Sun, 40K in Gehenna, Serpent's Reach (yup, I'm *really* old school!).

Shameless self-promotion: I wrote an essay that was printed in _The Cherryh Odyssey_, the author study edited by Ed Carmien and published by Wildside Press about 3 yrs ago. Probably the best piece of scholarship I've done since the paper I wrote on Ellison for a college-level SF/F class. I've also reviewed books and written essays for The New York Review of Science Fiction, The Internet Review of Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, Tangent Online, and others now defunct.

What Else Do I Read? -- the list is so long, folks. I've always been an eclectic reader with a magpie eye, so it ranges far and wide.

Writers I Recommend: Peter Watts, Elizabeth Bear, Alice Sheldon/James Tiptree Jr., Charles Stross, Cory Doctorow, Bruce Sterling, Octavie E. Butler, Diane Duane, Paul Di Filippo, Andreas Eschbach, Philip K. Dick, Hunter S. Thompson -- and that's the short list.

How I Earn My Keep: Due to two chronic illnesses, I can't actually hold a regular job, so besides SSA and pension benefits, I peddle my critical skills (see the Shameless Self-Promotion section above), make and sell wirework jewelry and yarn goods, and recycle inkjet cartridges (PM me if you're interested in participating; it helps me raise money for my medical fund). I've also copyedited book-length manuscripts as a freelancer. Don't travel much because of the huge hospital bills I ran up two years ago, but would like to travel more if/when health and funds allow. I always joked that I'd love to be able to sit at home, eating bon-bons and watching soap operas all day, but now that I can, I don't want to (and I was never a soap fan anyway). 

Favorite SF cons: Wiscon (because it's so welcoming) and Penguicon (for the same reason, and because I had a blast the first time I went [this year], which is tough for an old phart like me to do). If I never go to any other cons, I will always (barring unforeseen circumstances) get to these two.

I think that's enough blather about me. It's nice to be here, very happy to see CKTC's return, and am glad to be reviving Ribbons. 



 Posted: 6:29 PM - Aug 26, 2007starexplorerVery interesting bio -- thanks for posting it kelanth56. You have been through much.
wrote:a 2-volume anthology which contained Alfred Bester's short novel "The Stars My Destination." That was Mindblower #1. #2 was Andre Norton's _Moon of Three Rings_. #4 was Harlan Ellison. #5 was   .
Curious: what was #3?Posted: 9:23 PM - Aug 27, 2007JeimaniSo good to know you, Nand' Kelanth56. I'm fairly new, so your new bio was very timely for me. Glad to see another Husky owner. One regrets that you've had such past hurts and are having health issues. Hope that  and  with your Shejidan associates helps to keep the skies sunny for you----I know it does for me! Posted: 6:20 AM - Sep 07, 2007Arianne_LuinithilI suppose I can't get out of this now... I've been posting way too much lately to claim shyness and lurking as cogent reasons not to post a bio, though necessarily curtailed as am not legally adult (yet! Another 2 months! ) in this jurisdiction. :lol:

I'm in college, live in a country close to Surtac's, and first encountered Cherryh through reading Foreigner. Bought it from the remainder bookstore cheap because of the cover art and dear Bren-ji looking so determined in a Come hell or alkaloid laced-tea you will not stand in my way expression, as well as Banichi and Jago's exotic looks. The summary on the back cover sealed the deal. "Fourteen words for betrayal and not a single one for love? That's it, gotta read this!" :lol: 

Got hooked immediately and reread the book at least three or four times in the week after that, then had the greatest fortune to snap up a copy of Inheritor at the second-hand store, and later completing the set with Invader. Rented Precursor from a rental store, and am now desperately saving money to order the rest of the series. 

Can't remember when exactly I began reading sci-fi/fantasy, but it's almost all of what I read nowadays, along with all the thriller/mystery/classic/religious/whatever. Yes, I'm an omnivore of the written word--anything printed/painted/stencilled that are words catches my eye immediately, even roadsigns. If it has the written word in it, I'll be on it in a flash.

I'm obsessive that way--I don't think I've stopped reading ever since I was four and learned to spread newspapers out on the floor for easier reading. Reading for me isn't just a habit--it's a part of me, like having two eyes or arms. Not a day goes by that I don't pick up some novel or other to read. I actually get cranky when I can't find anything I want to read.

Favourite books: Long, three-mile (at least) list: Tolkien, Rowling, Asimov, Eddings; current list-topper is of course, -- there are so many books I've read there can't be any permanent favourites--wouldn't know how to begin weeding. :lol:

My personal library now spans close to 400 books and counting, and I look forward to further expanding my collection with more of nand'  's novels, starting with the rest of the Foreigner series I don't own. Now if only the bookstores wouldn't insist on making an extortionate profit... *sob*

I am very glad to have found Shejidan, nadiin . There are so many wonderful things here, and the people! Sheer joy...It's become the first site I visit every time I fire up the browser. It makes me feel less lonely knowing there's an entire close-knit community of people who share my interests and who don't think that obsessing 24/7 over fictional characters like Bren and Jago is insane. (In fact my obsession with Foreigner has only gotten worse ever since I started lurking hereabouts...I catch myself addressing others in my mind as nadi and wondering how Bren would react/say/do in various situations...)

In fact this is the first fan forum I've been in that actually made me feel welcome, and encouraged vigorous participation, with an atmosphere that is so vibrant you can almost hear the laughs, jokes and wicked comments shared in the various Forums vibrating in the air.

Shejidan...is Home. One is very glad to have come Home, and found a rousing welcome within.    all so very much.Posted: 10:18 AM - Sep 07, 2007hrhspenceWelcome Home, then, Arianne!Posted: 11:58 AM - Sep 07, 2007Neco the NightwraithSheesh! I read my own biography a second ago and realized that most of the stuff I wrote was out of date now! So, here's my effort at updating it:

Name is Neco (or Neco-ji or Neko-chan etc depending on where you see me logged in). I'm 20 years old and live in California, where I attend the junior college.

I have succeeded in gaining my Baking and Pastry Certificate, and have actually decided to forgoe diving out into the big ocean so I can achieve my AA degree. I am currently in a Humanities major, which I am enjoying immensely. I think two more semesters (the current one and the next, aka one more year of college) and I'll have everything finished up.

I got a job! Of course, it's not too demanding, as it's only two days a week, but I work as an assistant in a daycare for infants and pre-school children. I usually am baby patrol (takin' care o' da bebehs! :D) and I really love it.

I have not too long ago started reading manga and watching anime, which has spouted an incredible fetish for all things Japanese. I am so serious about it in fact, I even want to GO to Japan. I have learned to love Japanese food, as it tends to be much healthier than classic American fare. I have almost mastered the art of making onigiri. And I have discovered a very cool and convient asian grocery store not too far from my house!

I enjoy reading (manga have been extremely high in regard lately, but bigger novels and even the Dalai lamas autobiography has made it on the list), writing (I actally haven't written anything in a long time, except for a few snippets about fleeting plot ideas), role playing (haven't done much of that either, I'm afraid :o but I'm working on getting back into it), drawing (the manga/anime/chibi styles have caught, and I've drawn several), and learning about anything Japanese. :D.

I still love long walks on the beach, sunsets and thunderstorms, growing things, and little kids.

I still want to travel, to Japan, England, New Zealand, etc. I probably won't stay to live in California on my own though. It's too expensive here.

I still want to marry and have two or three children.

And that's I can think of at the moment. :D