I am a 25-year-old college graduate living in Texas. Obviously, I spend a great deal of time reading and writing about reading. In addition to the type of books I review here and at TGTBTU, I also read graphic novels, manga, manhwa, independent comics, and webcomics. My favorite webcomics are Less Than Epic, an expressively drawn and perfectly paced road-trip romance, and Questionable Content, a slice-of-life series about hipsters in Northampton with some fantastic elements. I have an addiction to movie reviews, The Onion, and regularly read newspaper articles in an attempt to keep up with current events.
I work as a technical writer and am a contractor for a Fortune 500 company. I recently won an award from the Society of Technical Communication and my work is advancing to international competition. I also write for another leading international company. I wrote an awards submission for a project that took top honors in the competition. I am currently enrolled in continuing education to improve my technical writing and editing and speaking and management skills. I am also working to improve my skills with Framemaker, one of the publishing programs I use in my work.
One of my favorite things to do is travel. I studied abroad in England (Brasenose College, Oxford University) and I've made short jaunts to Germany and Canada. I've been to more than half of the states and hope to see all of them eventually. I'm adding Ohio in 2015, and added Virgina (as well as Washington D.C.) in 2014. Most of my travel is done by car, and I love finding strange tourists attractions and delicious dives along the road. There's a gas station in Douglas, South Dakota that serves an amazing fish plate.
My hobbies include dance and music. When I'm not doing them for fun, I read books about dancers and musicians. The greatest things about the dance and music classes I've taken through the years are the discipline they instilled and the friends I made.
Since I am a total nerd, I find most academic subjects fun. I like to read about developments in genetic engineering and then ask my former roommate to explain the more technical parts. I wish there were math competitions for adults. I haven't taken a math class since Calculus III at the end of my freshman year and I'm sure I'm getting rusty. Plus I have very rosy memories of math competitions in high school. (I did already own up to being a nerd, didn't I?) I do not have rosy memories of attending Academic State in Mathematics since my high school put us up in one of the world's scuzziest hotels. (And believe me: I know scuzzy hotels.)
I like spending time with children; however, I don't currently intend to have any of my own. (I know that sounds awkward but I'm getting to the age where people start asking questions about this . . . which is more awkward.) I took a course in Basic Aid from the Red Cross during my time in Girl Scouts and should probably do a CPR course now that I'm old enough. I also took an elective child development/home ec class way back in junior high. I use those bits of knowledge to convince people to pay me to watch their children. I also have a great deal of experience since I take care of my niece and nephew close to full time.
I think I sound boring, but my friends always reassure me that I'm not. Apparently I'm a terrific conversationalist despite my penchant for puns and other bad jokes.
