XheraltReferences to manga crop up on occasion in the "What I'm Reading Now" thread, some of which originate from yours truly. Manga *might* have enough adherents now to sustain its own thread, in the Tashrid (if sci-fi), or possibly the Quinaltine Steps (more general).Posted: 9:06 PM - Sep 17, 2007Neco the NightwraithAnd they definitely crop up from my corner more often than not.

I say we make a manga thread. And since not all manga (specially what I read) is sci-fi, stick it in the Quinaltine steps.Posted: 12:24 PM - Sep 19, 2007suzdalWell, I've put off writing a biography entry long enough. Mostly because I'm the kind of person who likes to get things right and detests bucketing. I'm in the category of people that detests being categorized (I was very pleased when an associate thought that I was a woman when indeed I am a man - not because my aim is to deceive, rather it means that I'm escaping categorization). It's also really hard to figure out what to put in that is both interesting and informative.

I have lived forty-eight years and a couple of months. It's been mostly good times but (of course) there have been some doozy-bad times. I have many good friends and a few fierce enemies. I dislike hurting other people intensely, when I do it's usually through disappointment. I have been prone to over-commitment in the past - "spread thin, like butter over too much toast". As a result, I have gone through periods of collapse wherein I've withdrawn and thereby hurt others. I'm trying to work on that. We'll see. I'm just coming out of a period of collapse. I'm curious to see if I can not repeat the pattern again. I think I can, I think I can...

Professionally, the bulk of my career has been in software development. Probably a big mistake. I made most of my career decisions based on what would bring me the most money, not on what the passions of my heart were. And I am a man of deep passions. As a result I make pretty good money and am mostly miserable due to thwarted dreams. I have too many responsibilities at this point to chuck it all and work for $25K a year. Serves me right, really. It is devilishly difficult for the rich to get into the Kingdom of God.

Myers-Briggs would place me as an NF personality type, an Idealist. I think that the description pretty much captures me to a T and I will quote it here:
wrote:IDEALIST NFs, being ABSTRACT in communicating and COOPERATIVE in implementing goals, can become highly skilled in DIPLOMATIC INTEGRATION. Thus their most practiced and developed intelligent operations are usually teaching and counseling (NFJ mentoring), or conferring and tutoring (NFP advocating). And they would if they could be sages in one of these forms of social development. The Idealist temperament have an instinct for interpersonal integration, learn ethics with ever increasing zeal, sometimes become diplomatic leaders, and often speak interpretively and metaphorically of the abstract world of their imagination.

They are proud of themselves in the degree they are empathic in action, respect themselves in the degree they are benevolent, and feel confident of themselves in the degree they are authentic. Idealist types search for their unique identity, hunger for deep and meaningful relationships, wish for a little romance each day, trust their intuitive feelings implicitly, aspire for profundity. This is the "Identity Seeking Personality" -- credulous about the future, mystical about the past, and their preferred time and place are the future and the pathway.  Educationally they go for the humanities, avocationally for ethics, and vocationally for personnel work.

Social relationships:  In their family interactions they strive for mutuality, provide spiritual intimacy for the mates, opportunity for fantasy for their children, and for themselves continuous self-renewal.  Idealists do not abound, being as few as 8% and no more than 10% of the population.
As you can see, pursung software development was probably a mistake.

Currently I live in Central New Jersey in the USA near the shore. However, in the near future I will be moving to Jersey City. I'm buying a condo there, which in the current real estate market is fraught with terror and anxiety. One thing I am looking forward to is that my new proximity to Manhattan might expedite Kokipy-ji and I getting together for  .

I have loved  since the 70s. I think I first read "Hunter of Worlds" - but it might have been "Hestia" - to be honest a lot of the past is very liquid. I have read many of her books, but not all. For some reason I have not yet read the Faded Sun books or the Morgaine books (well, I did read "The Tree of Swords and Jewels"). I'm sure I will eventually if life continues long enough.

I love science fiction. Again, it's hard to remember exactly my first - I think either "Judgment on Janus" by Andre Norton or "Thuvia, Maid of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs (I know, I know - I have no idea why I didn't start with "A Princess of Mars" - I think it's because I liked the cover of "Thuvia" better. I eventually did read them all).

I love reading in general. And movies (although it's been a pretty dry year as far as what I enjoy most). I don't watch much television. I don't get to read as much as I would like because I am very busy. 21st Century man.

There are so many thing I could say. I like tigers very much and always have. I'm not very athletic. I'm a liberal Christian (I think love is pretty much the key to everything). I'm a Cancer. I'm a great listener. I collect skulls (not human - although I was super tempted once). My family is large and complex. One of my dreams is to start a commune that doesn't devolve into psychosis, drugs, sex and weapons. Dammit, people like me. Usually.

Anyway, that's all. As I read back over it I'm not completely satisfied, but at least it's finished.

I adore Shejidan. Many thanks to the Guild and my other associates who make it a very special place.

Peace,
SuzdalPosted: 4:35 PM - Sep 19, 2007KokipyWhat a great bio, Suzdal. Your commune wishes make me think you should really really have joined us in discussing Dhalgren!! And yes, Jersey City should certainly facilitate  and  at Magnolia. Star-ji says he and his horde will come too down from the wilds north of the city. We'll have to start making some plans at Meetpoint Station.Posted: 5:00 PM - Sep 19, 2007starexplorerI would indeed venture into the morass of the over-occupied island for the pleasure of meeting suzdal-ji. As for the horde itself, that would require significant planning in advance ...Posted: 5:17 PM - Sep 19, 2007Kokipyyes, yes, Star-ji, but surely your wee ones like frosted cupcakes as much as ours do?! There are really none better in the currently known universe than Magnolia's. We can confidently expect they'll plug up their little mouths for quite some time and beg for more, leaving the adults with plenty of opportunity to visit. But I agree, advance planning will indeed be required. Perhaps such planning could occur during a preliminary lunch during the working day. Depending on where Suzdal-ji actually works, and you as well. I myself am conveniently located immediately across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, a highly desirable neighborhood.Posted: 8:34 PM - Sep 19, 2007starexplorerPractical. And there can be no doubt about the neighborhood and its desirability!Posted: 8:52 PM - Sep 19, 2007JeimaniSo nice to know more about you, Suzdal-ji. No fair that you all (Starexplorer-ji and Kokipy-ji) are ending up in the same vicinity---but one hopes you all have an excellent time and memorable  and  !Posted: 10:33 PM - Sep 27, 2007griffinmoonNever fear Jemani nadi, the "wilds north of the city" are outrageously overpopulated! The true Wilds don't start until you get above the Mohawk Valley (spot it on a map).
Might one ask: where are you Jemani nadi?Posted: 11:33 PM - Sep 27, 2007JeimaniI am in the "Vacation Capital of the World" , a/k/a Orlando, Florida. A bright, happy place containing thousands of lost tourists driving around making unpredicatable and breathtakingly dangerous vehicular maneuvers! :lol: (Had two really, really close calls this week while driving IN MY NEW CAR!!!  ) 

IliraNow that I’ve read a few of your bios, I feel somewhat inclined to post a bit about myself—it’s only fair, I suppose.

At this point I’m coming around on felicitous 33 (at least this is how I choose to look at it) on November 26. I have to admit, I was feeling a bit down about getting older, but the Atevi spin on it does make me a whole lot happier about the whole thing. Have had a total of one “starter marriage” and am now happily dating a writer/editor who also loves science fiction and fantasy the way I do.

On books and series: My first sci-fi read was “Have Spacesuit, Will Travel” by Heinlein. My dad gave me that book when I was eight, and I read the entire thing straight through from cover to cover. I was fortunate in that my home schooling included a fair bit of “non-traditional” fiction, since Catholic School wasn’t cutting it in the sci-fi/fantasy genre (though, we DID read “Stranger in a Strange Land” in 7th grade public school, and “A Wizard of Earthsea” in 6th). The “Dune” series is a perennial favorite, along with anything by Niven, whom I absolutely adore.

On Herself: I wasn’t introduced to Cherryh until recently, when I’d run out of books to read and re-read. The Chanur Saga was borrowed from a friend and became a diehard favorite, and at this point I do believe I’ve read the series seven times in the past three years. In looking for more Cherryh and while endlessly questing for the book after “Downbelow Station,” I ran across the “Foreigner” series. Part of me was curious to see what else Cherryh had written, the other part was sick of seeing the same dark-skinned blokes on a zillion covers without knowing who or what they were. That was about a year ago, and now I’m completely hooked.

Other odd bits: Mom is Japanese, but I was born in the Philippines. One brother, as much a geek as I am. So is my dad. I play bassoon and baritone, and am a sucker for a good Soundtrack. BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in illustration/animation, then promptly went to work for a video game company. Once that got old, I moved on to Architecture where I learned quite a bit about computer art and animation. These days I’m a Graphic Specialist (according to my title) at a publishing company in Atlanta GA producing web and print directories. It’s not glamorous, but it’s a steadily growing niche market. I’m also a Naval Reservist, and am vaguely considering going back to school for an MEd in order to teach secondary public school.

I’m a fairly visual person—I participate in Live Action Role Playing (LARP) events, I sew, still do quite a bit of design- and illustration-work here and there, and am the Costume Director for a few area groups (which fortunately uses all of these random talents). I love conventions and costuming. I am a huge fan of Fanfic, even if I can’t write my way out of a wet paper bag; and I really enjoy looking at other people’s Fan Art. I’m a cynic-romantic and I believe civility and loyalty are two of the highest virtues. Apparently I would make a fantastic addition to any Atevi staff, since fussing about after someone else and their appearance is scandalous to me if I haven’t done it properly…

After searching around a bit online for Chanur and Atevi fan-art, here I am.Posted: 7:10 PM - Nov 01, 2007hrhspenceWelcome in Ilira; I enjoyed your bio.Posted: 7:23 PM - Nov 01, 2007Felicitous Sk8erIlira-ji,

Loved your bio -- fascinating & thanks for posting! One believes you'll soon love it here as we do. Shejidan is a wonderful, wonderful community!

Conventions & costuming! Be sure to check out MEETPOINT STATION for con reports. THE BU'JAVID is where I believe some of the costuming discussion & drawings are. You'll want to meet Griffinmoon, among others, as she is especially talented in this realm. I love costuming also, but am afraid that my imagination, skills, and knowedge are nowhere equal to Griffin's. Posted: 9:46 PM - Nov 01, 2007griffinmoon...*blushes furiously*...

Nand'Sk8er, your imagination is very much up to snuff! Look at all those skating costumes you've hatched for your friend to make for you.Posted: 10:09 PM - Nov 01, 2007IliraIndeed... the images here are an inspiration, and I thank you for them.  

BusiferNand'Suzdal,
you must be one of the very few who thinks such of Linköping :-)
One has at least two close associates originally from there and they are both glad to be gone.

One is most curious what takes one to such town? Maybe contract work for SAAB Aero? Or something in education?Posted: 1:16 PM - Dec 10, 2007suzdalBusifer-ji:

I was part of a start-up working on an edge-security device and we were partnered with a company there. I was there twice for over a week each time - and both times in December! Everyone told me that Sweden was a paradise in summer, but it truly wasn't bad in December.

Peace,
SuzdalPosted: 8:21 AM - Dec 11, 2007El RoninHello All.
I go by the moniker El Ronin. I've gone by it for nearly 10 years now.
I chose it for linguistic and personal history reasons.
A Ronin is a disgraced samurai or a college dropout in modern terms and as a former member of the U.S. Armed Forces, I am both. I received an honorable discharge, but the way I was discharged was dishonorable on the part of the military. I won't go into details.

I am 34 as of this writing and I must say I've lived a lot of life in 34 years.
I currently work as the Help Desk's Japanese interpreter/translator in the IT department the R&D division of a Japanese automaker here in Ohio.
Not only do I perform translation work, but I also do IT work as my main job, troubleshooting networks and server management.

I'm divorced with 2 kids who live with their mother in Japan. I lived in Japan for 8 years and while there I worked quite a wide variety of jobs.
I was an Graphics Specialist (Illustrator) for the Air Force while stationed at Misawa Air Base in Northern Japan. I married and left the service. In order to support my family, I've worked as an Illustrator, a contract worker on the base's flight line with passenger and cargo. While working on the flight line, I drove 5k,10k and 10k All-Terrain fork lifts as well as a staircase truck.
Staircase trucks can be scary, because you HAVE to trust the person spotting you in or else one can risk damaging a VERY expensive aircraft.
I've been a garbage man, a bar bouncer, a lounge singer and an English teacher.
I worked as a customer service rep for SBC (Now AT&T) before I contracted rheumatic fever and was on an extended illness. After I recovered, I worked part time at the local college working on the Graphics Department's Apple Xserve server.

I tend to ramble when I write, so please tell me when I am doing so.

Nothing very interesting, just wide variety of work experiences, though, no matter where I went, I always ended up using Japanese and my computer skills (no computer at the garbage company though). When I went to college, my major was Comp-sci and Japanese. My dad said it was too hard then.
I pointed out to him recently that I have done my whole life what my major was, in one way or another. Now I'm working in the IT department of a Japanese company.

Posted: 10:15 AM - Dec 11, 2007suzdalA very nice and interesting biography, Ronin-ji. I think that your life sounds interesting enough to provide you with the grist for many great works of fiction. All it takes is the grinding. I wish you well and welcome you to Shejidan.

Peace,
SuzdalPosted: 12:19 AM - Dec 12, 2007penceHonorable associates: I am most pleased to have become a member of this felicitous association. It is comforting to read in the bios that one is not alone in starting to verbalize in Cherryh-speak after a dose of her books. I have gotten a few odd looks from muttering 'featherless gods' and in a Mahendosat Hell in public!
One is approaching 60 (the brain cannot comprehend this,persisting in some sort of 30 something space .. definitely not teens, wouldn't go there again for any money ... except for the physical resilience), have been a biologist in various US government temporary positions, interspersed with whatever paying jobs I could get. Minimum wage does get old fast.
The last professional possibility required a move to Alaska for a 1 year temp, which seemed a lot of expense for minimal return, so I did some sales work- books, plants, and then got absorbed by the needs of aging family.
One currently resides in coastal Massachusetts, but is contemplating relocating, but have not decided where, except that it should have a reasonable amount of winter and access to salt water.
I read obsessively, even cereal boxes if nothing else is available. My books keep multiplying. Shelving space is an ever increasing challenge. First SF read, If Dr Doolittle and Wind in the Willows counts, was at age 7.
To many favorites to list all, some are besides those of CJ Cherryh, Bujold, the late great Loyd Biggle (I think I'm the only one who remembers him!) James H Schmitz. first read in High School, Stevermer, Andre Norton ...again from High sSchool on,Elgin's Communipath series, Katherine Kerr's ' Polar City Blues'(not so thrilled by her fantasies) Elizabeth Moon, and on and on. Favorites do depend on which books I have fondled most recently.
Otherwise, I garden, embroider, walk the beaches, enjoy classical music, various sections of art museums,good food-both making and consuming, and would like to travel more if I can ever afford it.
When I finally came into the computer age  was one of the first authors I looked up, found her blog, and then to
Shejidan. I have been lurking in the fringes for quite some time,and am gladI finally took the plunge.
Incidentally; many thanks for the discussion on spybots, my machine turned out to be hosting quite a number of the nasty little parasites.Posted: 12:41 AM - Dec 12, 2007Surtac
wrote:the late great Loyd Biggle (I think I'm the only one who remembers him!) James H Schmitz.
No, you're not Pence-ji. Biggle's Monument is one of my all-time favourite SF books and one I often re-read. Schmitz is another personal favourite of old - I think I've mentioned somewhere in here before that somewhere deep inside me can still be found the 15 yo boy who was in love with Telzey Amberdon all those years ago. 

Thanks for sharing an interesting biography with us, and once again welome in.


 Posted: 1:09 AM - Dec 12, 2007suzdalI, too, loved a Biggle book very much - "Watchers of the Dark". Thank you for sharing your biography, pence-ji!

Peace,
SuzdalPosted: 2:23 AM - Dec 12, 2007Neco the NightwraithWelcome in, to all those who I've neglected to greet!

Have cookies. :D

                 Posted: 12:20 AM - Dec 16, 2007JeimaniOne is so gratified to learn more about one's newest associates. Busifer, El Ronin and Pence: welcome nandiin and thank you for letting us get to know you better. I look forward to many long and interesting chats. Posted: 4:01 AM - Dec 18, 2007AgariHi everyone! I´ll try to give you some facts about myself - and please excuse my english, I´m really not used to expressing myself in another tounge than Swedish.......so, I´m Anna/Agari, female 50+ and a devoted reader of fantasy/SF since the 70s. I´ve done all the classics (Asimov, C D Simac, Henlein, Tolkien, A Norton and so on) and slowly gotten into mostly female authors, where I found Cherryh the absolute best! It started with "Gehenna" and when I got to the Hani universe I was completly hooked.
I´m also a mother of two sons, have a cat, have archeologi as proffession and find the medivial times most interesting. I live in south Sweden, Malmö town near Copenhagen and love it.

And a happy Christmas to you! 

BusiferGriffinmoon-nadi,
One is not overly worried about those distinctions but up until year ago I was unaware of the fact that some UK books gets 'translated' before they cross the ocean. Since I learnt that I have grown more conscious about what edition to pick - UK for UK authors, US for US authors. A scone is a scone is a scone... Not to mention cupcakes, muffins et al ;-)Posted: 12:45 PM - Jan 22, 2008Felicitous Sk8erWelcome again, Kel-J-ji. One is delighted you found us, and yes! This is a very civil (and literate) Association. How did you find us? Have you read anything in MEETPOINT STATION yet, specifically about ShejiCon 1-Spokane*? Held last summer, man'chi was greatly strengthened.


One did not know how similar English & Swedish are. Fascinating. One speaks a few phrases of Russian (having forgotten nearly everything else). Also, "Labor & Delivery Spanish", a dialect Kel-J may well appreciate, living where he does. 



*thread link does not start at the very beginning, where there are a number of pages of chat about the possibility. The link goes to when ShejiCon is nearly actually underway.Posted: 1:38 PM - Jan 22, 2008Felicitous Sk8er
wrote:I sort of snuffled around here like a dus



Kel-J-
Ya gavarit po-russki ochen ploha!


Griffin-ji,
Kel-J lives only 2 hours from us, and not in the Southern Association near Spence, &  's former domicile. Maybe if we are all on our best behavior, and atttest to the safe  , Kel J will consider making the 2 hour drive north to ShejiCon 2-Spokane in August?Posted: 2:47 PM - Jan 22, 2008BusiferKel Julian,
swedish and english have some things in common, but I'd say norwegian is even closer with words like 'vindue' = 'window' whereas it's 'fönster' in swedish . I'm no linguist but it's a fact that german and french has been the two major influences to the swedish language. As you may know 'window' is 'fenêtre' in french... ;-)
If it wasn't for the pronunciation issues I'd say swedish and dutch is closer related than swedish and english, and in my experience the dutch are as adapt, or more so, at english than swedish people are.

The similarities in sentence construction is devious; as long as you don't try to say anything complicated you'll manage but often enough I can tell right away when a sentence in english is written by someone from Sweden. This, I can assure you, happens often enough as I work for a company recently bought by company headquartered in the UK. I have read loads of documents written by swedish people for swedish people, in english... and most times it's a frustrating experience. Because while words MAY be ALMOST the same they aren't always same in quality or connotations.
(And: a sentence as 'jag talar svenska' exposes the speaker as actually not speaking swedish ;-) Correct wording would be something like 'jag kan (prata) svenska', which translates to 'I can (talk) swedish' which at least I don't view as correct english. No insult meant, I only wanted to exemplify what I meant, OK?)

Lastly; people here are convinced no one knows about us and gets very flattered when someone do. Even in Europe people tend to mix us up with the Swiss ;-)

If you should happen to have your way around here I'm sure I can arrange some surströmming and hembränt. My husband's from the northern parts, where those things are from. ;-)Posted: 4:57 PM - Jan 22, 2008BusiferAgreed. Being a pure tourist, staying at resorts and doing resortey kind of things don't appeal to my curiosity; is not the way to learn about other places. Usually, though, I start with reading up in foods I don't want on my plate, at least not by mistake. Once, at 11 PM, very hungry after a ferry from Sicily to Sardinia arrived 12 hours late (a total of 36 hours, on sandwiches), I ended up with grey shrimps the size of a small fingernail in front of me. I'm not averse to trying new things, but everything has it's place and time, no? ;-)

I wish you luck with the greek. I'm not sure turkish would help matters though, but it varies from island to island. Greece and Turkey has had a violent and shared past, and not everyone greek is prepared to approve anything turkish.

BTW, I'm impressed. You say it's been 22 years? If so, you remember more than I would do - it's been 24 years since my last lesson in spanish and while I can manage to order dinner that's about it.Posted: 7:49 PM - Jan 22, 2008penceDuring a brief immersive exposure to German speakers I found that, if I wasn't concentrating, I would often get some sense of what was going on in plat deutsch! I could not have identified individual words (even with a gun to my head) so I'm not sure if it was similarities to english or to remnants of the anglo-saxon I was exposed to in my midieval lit course!Posted: 10:35 PM - Jan 22, 2008griffinmoonNand'Sk8er:

...oooohhh! Yes indeedy! Yet another new person for Sheji II! Might one ask if yout could make it Kel nadi???Posted: 10:49 PM - Jan 22, 2008Felicitous Sk8er
wrote:my brain adjusts to change with all the agility of an elder regul on foot.
  Posted: 11:01 PM - Jan 22, 2008hrhspencelol! well put, kel!Posted: 1:33 AM - Jan 23, 2008BusiferKel-nadi, I didn't understand it was a cruise! I too think it a good compromise ;-)

Soo envious of all of those who will be able to meet IRL. I tried to make it over there, and then I mean the continent in general, eh, not any particular area, this year. But the conference I was going to - IS going to - have decided to, first time ever, take place in Europe this year!!!

And Kel; lutfisk is absolutely HORRIBLE. It's not a taste, it's slime. Yuk. 

Vetch
Kel Julian,Jan 22 2008 wrote:What got me to sign on here (something I do very, very rarely), besides the obvious common interest, was the general air of civility.  I am convinced that some people sign onto forums simply to vent all the fury and frustration of unfulfilled lives, or simply to let slip The Jerk Within.  I go for the opposite reason:  to enjoy myself, and to meet people I'll like, not dislike.
And that's what makes this forum such a special place.

I am busy getting up to date, reading many extremely exciting posts here. So many new members, wow! Some I have kinda 'met' already, also at LT, but reading your bios leaves me in awe. I have never been in a forum with such an interesting, decent collection of people. I think the Goddess can really be proud -- her books fascinate fascinating people. 


edit: Sadly I missed the discussion about Swedish being similar to English, and Plattdütsch got also mentioned. I can't understand Plattdütsch myself, but I think it is related to English.
Anyway, one thing I wanna add, about that "window" - "vindue" issue.
1. In German it's "Fenster", so that's close to Swedish, neh? Er, or rather French.
2 S/o told me - not sure if it's true - that "window" means 'wind ow' -> wind eye. Which would be "Wind-Auge" in German. So that would be the Germanic root, yes?
(I must admit that my linguistic reasoning is mostly based on associations and gut-feelings. )Posted: 11:53 AM - Mar 16, 2008BusiferVetch - yes, the german 'fenster' is very similar and related to the swedish 'fönster'.
Vindue is indeed 'wind-auge' when translated to german - originally it's the hole in the roof letting the smoke out... :-)Posted: 4:25 PM - Mar 18, 2008Chanor-jiI am a 59-year-old female living in Omaha, NE. I own what started out as a small specialty (mystery) bookstore that has morphed into a small specialty bookstore that also sells needlework charts and supplies and beads and beading supplies.

I have been married for the past 37 1/2 years to the same guy. We have four offspring -- three male and one extremely bossy female -- one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law, one grandson and one granddaughter.

At the bookstore, I have two  s. At home, I have one  and one dog.

I have been reading sf since I was in 4th or 5th grade. I can remember the town librarian asking if I really wanted to read all those "boy" books, and if I really wanted to check that many out at one time. I did, and I did, and I read Heinlein and Asimov and Clarke and Burroughs and Zane Grey. I read the entirety of Asimov's Foundation trilogy before I finished grade school. I also discovered Anne McCaffrey's first Dragon book.

But there were so many other things to read in HS and college (no degree, dropped out) and my 20s and 30s. But, eventually, I got back to sf.

These days, I am very, very selective of what I read. It's like working in the Godiva factory. After three weeks, you never want to eat chocolate again. Well, I own the Godiva factory. Over the years, the 50 page rule (give the book 50 pages to grab you) has given way to the 50 paragraph rule, then the 50 word rule. These days, it's pretty close to a 50 letter rule. In sf, I read the Goddess (  ) and nearly twnety years later am still waiting for the sequel to Barbara Hambly's last Antryg Windrose book, Dog Wizard. I love Simon Green's Darkside novels and just about everything Tanya Huff has ever written. I'm kind of so-so about Jim Butcher and Kim Harrison.

In mystery, my favorite authors are Lindsey Davis (Marcus Didius Falco), Carol O'Connell (Mallory), Criag Johnson (Walt Longmire), Eliot Pattison (Shen) and Colin Cotterill (Siri Paiboun).

In addition to reading, I have spent the past 25 years doing counted cross stitch and counted canvas work. (I get to play with all those wonderful over-dyed fibers!) A couple years ago, I got into beading. I am a very sad example of what happens when a fiber junkie meets beads. (It's not a very pretty sight at all.)

Right now, because of the store and because Himself and I are care-taking his elderly mom and aunt, I don't travel. I am looking forward to the day when I can hit a few sf cons. (Take my word for it: mystery conventions are extremely boring and pedestrian compared to a good sf con.)Posted: 10:38 PM - Mar 18, 2008penceWelcome Chanor-ji Have some  while stitching. Nice to have another who combines stitch addiction with book addiction.Posted: 12:58 AM - Mar 19, 2008griffinmoonChanor nadi:

Welcome indeed! "Fiber junkie", ehh? Well grab a chair & join the club! There is one lace maker & two spinners/weavers here. I just met Mrs Starexplorer who is also a weaver.
Please allow one to pour you a safe cup of  !Posted: 11:56 AM - Mar 19, 2008Chanor-jiNadi griffinmoon:

A lacemaker and three spinner/weavers, eh? Woo-hoo! Bobbin lace or needle lace? The closest I ever got to spinning was attending a demo/lesson on drop spindle spinning. As for weaving: I do have a very expensive inkle loom at home that I used to mess around with card weaving. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and haven't gotten back to it. I also have a kurohimi square thingie and a book so I can learn that some day, too. (Work is the curse of the leisure class!)

Kel Julian: I don't know if what I do would be classified as "beautiful" crossing stitching. I know people who do a so much better job than I ever will.

So far, I've been able to avoid quilting -- even though I love beautiful fabric -- mostly because I can't sew a seam on a sewing machine to save my life. I think my kids were the only kids in the world who went to school with mended clothes done in whip stitch with very, very carefully matched DMC embroidery floss! The only reason I even have a sewing machine is the bind the edges of cross stitch projects. But the machine stopped working over a year ago, and I really need to take it in to be repaired.

After glancing through some of the other biographies, I see there are very many talented and knowledgable people here in Shejidan. joekc6nlx even has a degree in Latin! (I took four years of Latin in High School -- about the single most useful thing I ever studied.) I am so looking forward to a leisurely perusal of these boards,  in hand.Posted: 1:49 PM - Mar 19, 2008Vetch
Oh wow! I feel so insignificant. I have crocheted a bag for my tarot-deck... does that count?
And an even more interesting question: will there be photos of the results from you people's craft in the Bu'Javid?Posted: 3:37 PM - Mar 19, 2008Chanor-jiNadi Vetch wrote:
wrote:I have crocheted a bag for my tarot-deck... does that count?
You bet! At Stitch'n'Bitch (the stitchery group that meets at the bookstore a couple times a month) everything counts! We have one lady who does beautiful wood carving. One year for Christmas, she gave all of us big fat kids pencils with Santa faces carved into them. Another year, she gave each of us teeny, tiny rabbits. This lady also knits like a maniac. She knits mittens for a charitible organization which gives them to the poor. Some of our other ladies have started knitting mittens, too -- just not at the woodcarver's rate of speed.Posted: 11:04 PM - Mar 19, 2008ChiaAdd a knitter to the list. Yup, that would be me. Currently, adding things to Ravelry a online database for knitters, catalogs needles, stash, pattern books, projects and projects in planning.

Welcome all.Posted: 1:00 AM - Mar 20, 2008griffinmoonChanor nadi:
See? I told you!
The one person is/was a bobbinlace maker. I've tinkered with that but am more prone to needlelace, knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, beading, etc, etc. We also have a charitable group that does the same thing. I've considered it as an outlet for stuff made in my varied ways, but it's like you said: work cuts into the fun stuff.


Vetch nadi:
Of course it counts! Even if only done once: you've tried something.