MAY 17th, 1977, 9pm, st. Petersburg, Russia BIRTH: Incidentally , I share the month and day with Trent Reznor, Dennis Hopper, Sugar Ray Leonard, Edward Jenner, Sandro Botticelli, and gasp....Enya, Ayatollah Khomeini and Bob Saget!!.

1977-1989 B.I. (before imigration)-The years of blissful (and sometimes not-so-blissful) innocence which nowdays I regard as my "previous life". This was our urban place of residence.

1990-1996 THE DARK YEARS: Vienna and especially Rome + the suburbs thereof (immigration checkpoints) were birthplaces of the new, post-pubsecent version of myself. Upon arrival, it took quite a bit of time to break the language barrier, absorb the local mores/culture, and to begin searching for my true self. Most of my current interests: i.e. art, history, theatre, film, music and travel, originated during that time; and so did my tendency to deviate from the conventional and get a kick out of it. A long battle with teenage depression (and general adoslescent angst) has gifted me with a totally different belief system, i.e.THE PLAN and a penchant for all sorts of rebellious/vintage music. I also have to give tremendous credit to my family and friends for their unconditional support.

1997-1998 THE PROGRESS:Things began to improve with the undertaking of an epic cross-country road trip (which culminated in the 4 Corners Area i.e. CO,AZ,UT,NM - a fulfillment of my longtime dream) during the summer of '97, and other momentous events. Also kickstated an extensive CD collection that is by now into quadruple digits; and created a few websites, including this one. In the meantime I finished up my double major in history and art history. In other words, an upper hand in the battle was reached and sustained.

1999-2000 THE DOT COM BOOM: After graduation and a trip to Belgium/Holland (home of my favorite art, incidentally), the "real world", in which I thourougly refused to participate, was just about to get the best of me, until I finaly found a real job in (surprise, surprise), web design. As a newborn "young professional", was it time to shed the punk garbs and surrender to the corporate soul-crushing cubicle culture ? The first part proved inevitable, the second remains to be seen...
This lucrative employment has resulted in shelves-full of books, 300 DVDs, new hiking gear, and a Subaru Forester. Nothing like stimulating the good old economy by relentless consumption - until it all goes down the drain, that is :) My first 2-week vacation took me on another adventure in the American Southwest.

2001-2002 THE SHAKEDOWN: After being acuqired, surviving 5 rounds of layoffs, and experiencing more "Office Space"-like scenarios than I would care to relate, it was my turn to feel that proverbial termination. Currently I'm in grad school, working on an MLS (Masters in Library Science degree). On another note, my travels have continued with forrays to Russia (the consequences of which proved rather disastrous in the end), UK, and Atlantic Canada. And on a smaller scale, my new independent means of transportation allowed me to hike and daytrip all over New England.

2003-2006 NEW HOPE: Unemployment lasted only 4 months, and by January '03, I returned to the workforce, switched the student status to part-time, and made sure the 3 annual vacation weeks were spent well...:) Florence and Venice were my next desination, many visits to my brother's new home in Portland,OR, including his wedding! A work/vacation trip to Israel, Sinai, and Jordan followed. MLS Degree expected in Spring 2006

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back home. For more pics of yours truly, click on the following: [1], [2], [3], [4],[5], [6], [7]