Well, I suppose I should probably include a little more about myself than is included in the bare bones of vital stats, eh? I suppose I'll start off with some personal intrests, vices, etc and see where the page evolves from there..

• I have never found sci fi particularly stimulating. In fact, it gives me a raging headache, but I'm always open to new authors if you want to offer some.
• I'm not a big fantasy fan, although I have recently been introduced to a couple of authors that greatly amuse me..
• I love Salman Rushdie. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is probably my favourite by him, but I've read almost all the other and enjoyed him. Definitely a cerebral experience..
• Mysteries and thrillers are probably what I read most of. People like Michael Slade, Linda Barnes, Jeffery Deaver, et al.
• Okay, I admit it. I read romance novels :) I consider them brain candy. I usually read the historical ones (Garwood, Devereux, Quick) but I can be tempted with the occasional contemporary one..
• I was given the first three Harry Potter books for my birthday. I devoured them and bought myself the fourth. These are wonderful books, full of magic and adventure. They remind me a lot of Roald Dahl. I cannot say enough good things about these books and am anxiously awaiting the next one.

I love school. If I could afford to, I'd be a permenant student, but alas, this is not the case. Instead I've contented myself with diversifying my knowledge base as much as possible. In addition to getting a BA in Anthropology and a minor in biochem, I have also done a fair number of poli sci courses and English courses. I teach first aid as well as holding a ticket to do first aid. I also love languages. My English is fluent, my French is conversational (or better if I'm forced to use it), the same with my Spanish. I can get by in sign language if the people I'm talking to have the patience of saints and I'm currently learning Russian (a whole new alphabet, Ah!). Any suggestions of new languages to learn are welcome. I'm considering Italian, but it won't be that much of a challenge, being one of the romance languages (of which I already know two). I'd consider learning Latin if I felt it had any practical usage beyond making me seem pretentious at cocktail parties..

Music is definitely my biggest vice, after books. In fact, it may just be on par with books. Once again, my taste in music varies. My music collection starts with AC/DC and ends with Vivaldi. About the only things my collection doesn't contain are: rap, dance/techno, and R&B. Beyond that, I have seem to have something from most of the genres of music. It would take me forever to list everything I have in my collection (although at some point, when I update my catalogue, I may post it) so I'll just list the current favourites in my collection.

• The Eagles
  • I love the Eagles. I own all of their albums (on cassette, unfortunately). Favourite songs would have to be: Wasted Time, Tequila Sunrise and, of course, Hotel California.
• 50 years of Verve-Various Artists
  • This is a great 4-disc set of all the jazz artist the Verve has produced. While I admit to not listening to the later stuff with a lot of enthusiasm, the first 3 discs are amazing. Favourites include: Just one of those things-Ella Fitzgerald and an incredible version of Ella doing "Mack the Knife" at her Berlin show where she forgets the words and ends up scatting her way through it, making stuff up as she goes.
• Nirvana-Unplugged in NYC
  • I wasn't a huge Nirvana fan until I heard this album. Definitely one I enjoy. Favourites include: Where did you sleep (love his voice on that one) and Lake of Fire.
• Les Miserables (French and English versions)
  • I heard the English version first and still enjoy it a lot, but I fell in love with the French version. It has more songs and seems to have more feeling to it. If you like the music from Les Miserables, look for the French version. Most of the songs translate to be roughly the same, but..
• The Arrogant Worms
  • These guys are a lot of fun and know how to subtly poke fun at Canada and Canada's neighbours. The song War of 1812 is a prime example.
• Great Big Sea
  • This is a Canadian band from the Rock (aka Newfoundland) and they are a lot of fun. The have 4 albums out and my favourite would have to be the second one, "Up". It is a nice mix of traditional and new stuff. Very upbeat and easy to dance to.
• The song "Leaving on a Jet Plane"
  • I love this song. I don't know why. It is just nice to listen to. I like the lyrics to it.. Currently I'm embroiled in an internal debate as to which version of the song I like better. Chantal Kreviazuk did a cover of the song for the movie Armaggedon but John Denver did the song originally.

An evil vice that is slowly sucking my money out of the bank and causing me to spend long hours with a paint brush in hand is "paint-your-own" pottery. Basically the pieces are already made. You choose a bisque piece and paint it anyway you like. I shudder to think at the amount of money I've spent at Jody's store, but it is a very relaxing passtime and I've made a lot of cool gifts and pieces for myself.

This next section will hopefully offer some insight into the person that I am. I don't claim to always be logical. All viewpoints offered here are mine and mine alone. If you don't agree with them, I'm not going to be particularly distraught. If you wish to discuss my points of view, feel free to email me. I love to debate and am quite happy to verbally support anything I've textually stated an opinion on. I'll hit the "big ones" first and then work my way down :)

• I am pro-choice.
• I am pro-gay rights.
• I support freedom of religion. I don't personally participate in organized religion and don't appreciate having it forced on me, but if other people want to have religion, far be it from me to stop them.
• I am against capital punishment until a method of applying it equally to all members of society, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, social standing, or economic standing, can be found and the risk of incorrect conviction drops to near zero.
• I am pro-gun if people are taught to correctly deal with them from a young age. (Switzerland is a good example)
• I support freedom of speech (even hate speech). As long as speech is just that, I support it. We can't go around banning what we don't want to hear or don't agree with. Only when it crosses into verbal threats of violence, etc should the freedom to speak curtailed.
• I believe, however, that your right to the freedom of speech and assembly does not supercede an individuals right to safety. (see the abortion bubble issue).

• I ~hate~ shoes. I try never to wear them. Unfortunately, the northern climate necessitates some sort of footwear. I wear sandals year round. In the winter, I add wool socks. I know, it sounds a little odd, but it works for me :)
• I don't particularly like clothes either. I wear what Canadian law (and climate) dictates, but...
• I love to cook. I do most of the cooking in my family and I can bake for 40 people without blinking.
• I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. This stuff should be banned. My allergy to milk means I don't eat a whole lot of it, but there is usually a carton of it in my freezer.

• People who bring their children to rallies of any sort and make them hold signs and placards. Can you say "sympathy vote"? Talk to your kids about issues, make them aware of options but don't drag them out to protests. Let them choose to protest when they're old enough to make their own decisions.
• Religions that come door to door. Religion is a personal choice. If I want it, I'll come and find you. Don't knock on my door, don't sell it like a vacuum. I'm not interested and your little door visit only serves to strengthen my resolve to avoid organized religion like the plague.
• People who can't drive. They go 40 km/h in the fast lane, they don't know what a turn signal is, yellow lights mean hurry up or you'll miss it, stop signs are for other people and winter driving is just an excuse to do doughnuts. Look before backing up?? Get serious, that's for other people... I want you people to turn in your licenses and get off the road. Do it now before you're the victims of road rage (and much deserved road rage, at that..)
• People I meet while during first aid. Some of these people have had legitimate accidents. This is fine, but way too many of them are injured doing absolutely stupid things. My sympathy for these people has fallen way below freezing.