Current mood:	content
Current music:	Hedwig and the Angry Inch - The Long Grift
Entry tags:	intro post, me, rambling, stuff

no one expects the spanish inquisition!
I got this idea from cetacea.

There are a lot of new people on my f-list, and something along the lines of 10-15 people who watch my journal that I haven't friended in return (I'm too lazy to look and see what the actual numbers are at the moment, hah). Well, if you're going to friend me, you might as well know what you're getting into, right?

This is a brief introduction for people who would like to get to know me a little better. If you think you already know me or if you're just here for the fic, feel free to skip.

This is also the place where anyone that has been lurking around my journal (I know there are a few of you) and might be too shy to say anything, can introduce themselves without fear of retribution. Er, not that there'd be retribution if you introduced yourself any other way.

One note: please don't ask me to friend you back. You always have permission to friend me (my journal is unlocked so that anyone who chooses to can read it), and like you, I friend people because I like reading their journals, but my f-list is already huge, so I may not want to. And you shouldn't take it personally, please, though I know some people do. If I find you interesting, it's likely that I'll friend you back, but I'd rather talk to you and make the decision myself than be asked to friend you. LJ is not facebook, I don't friend people just to make my f-list even bigger.


Basic Stuff

I am a 20-year old female (not as mature as the words 20-year-old woman would make me sound) from the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Essentially, I am used to crazy people, cold oceans, temperate weather, and good produce, none of which are true about the place where I go to college. Here in Colorado Springs, Colorado, they're very upstanding and republican, landlocked, used to snow, and the only organic produce I've been able to find comes from Safeway. I came here for the school (Colorado College, which is a wonderful, small liberal arts college, and though it's expensive as all get out I do highly recommend it) and because I thought the culture shock might be good for me.

I am many things that the people in Colorado Springs wouldn't approve of. Liberal for one, pansexual for another, and perhaps most damning, agnostic Jewish. I've also heard that some Coloradans judge me for being Californian, because apparently we're bad drivers.

Yes, I like driving fast. Yes, I like passing people. But I've not had any complaints from anyone that's been in a car with me; in fact, some friends that were afraid of getting in the car with me felt perfectly safe once we started driving. (Of course, they're Californians too.)

I like soccer, singing, writing, reading, science, many forms of art (though my skill level is as varied as my interests), and though I'm a bit antisocial (except when it comes to fandom), I do like people to like me. I'll admit that.

On the other hand, if you don't like me, chances are I don't like you either, if only because I think you're mean and/or judgmental. This is your chance to defriend me if you decide you don't like any of the stuff I've said, no bad feelings. I know I whine a lot.


Politics

Well, this is a nice touchy topic to start with, isn't it? That's why I like it.

I'm from Berkeley, California. That, right off, should tell you something about me if you've heard about Berkeley; we're not nicknamed Berzerkelians for nothing. In Berkeley, you get famous for being crazy and/or political. You know that university with the reputation for student activism? That's in my city. And let me tell you, the city is a lot like the university, but the city's Asian population is a bit smaller.

That sounds like a joke, but it's actually true. Berkeley is fairly diverse (and seeing as those statistics are from eight years ago, I'd wager a lot of money that those smaller percentage numbers have gone up since then).

The point of all this is not only to tell you where I'm from but to say that I love my hometown and I consider myself to be of the Berkeley 'mold', so to speak. Which I can't give a definition for because there is no ONE WAY someone from Berkeley is, which is the point. And if you're like one of those radio announcers that calls us "homegrown terrorists", well, I subscribe to the idea that questioning your government is the highest form of patriotism. To quote V for Vendetta, "People should not be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people."

All that said, I have no problem with whatever you believe. I'm incredibly opinionated and I love debating politics with people that won't get heated and pissed off at me, so if you have a different opinion, don't think we won't get along (after all, it's not like I get along with everyone that has the same opinions as me, why would the opposite be true?). Want to hear all my opinions, nicely summed up into one sentence? Liberal, registered Democrat, pro choice, pro same-sex marriage, anti-war, pro separation of church and state (some people consider this outdated, but I've been surprised at the differences between Berkeley public schools and schools everywhere else).


Religion

Same disclaimer applies here as to politics. I have no problem with your religion, whatever you need/want/choose to believe, so long as you don't preach to me. Religious debates are definitely welcome; I have an interest in all religion simply on a theoretical level, though I've never really needed to believe in anything. I trust in science, and its ever-changing ideas, because I want to believe in things that can be experimented on, tested, and learned from. Therefore, you should not expect me to accept your ideas as my own, even if you do present a very convincing argument.

On the other hand, I am Jewish by blood (a whole line of Jewish mothers and grandmothers that can be traced back to the Holocaust and the pogroms), and there are many things I like about Judaism. One of the things I like is the culture; I can certainly get behind the Jews' love of celebrating with candles, food, singing, and dancing. Then there's the mythology -- there is so much to learn about Judaism, from mysticism to numerology to demonology. I have read a lot of the Torah/Old Testament and I like it very much, but I'm not the type to believe every word in it, anymore than I'd believe every word in Harry Potter or even On the Origin of Species.

But most of all, I like the fact that it isn't entirely blasphemous to the Jewish religion to struggle with the idea of God a little bit; at least, not in the kind of Jewish community I grew up in. Then again, that was Jewish Renewal, I bet a lot of orthodox Jews would disagree with me.

However. There is a really cool thing about Judaism that is the reason why, if I found myself in need of spiritual beliefs, I would turn to this religion. One of the forefathers, Jacob, was given the name "Yisra'el" (transliterated), meaning "the one who wrestled with (the champion of) God" because he wrestled with an angel, a name that was passed on to his successors and to his people. My Hebrew school teacher interpreted this as a more intellectual struggle with believing in God, and I like that interpretation. I study religion because I find it interesting, but I have not yet found anything that makes me a passionate believer.

I don't know as much about other religions as I'd like to, admittedly. I've read parts of the Qur'an, which has the most beautiful poetry I've ever read, I have plans to read the New Testament, and I have learned a few things about Sikhism and paganism (which is a broad term, but I'm not sure what word would be better) from friends of mine who subscribe to those beliefs.

To sum up, I am not religious, but if you are, I hope you're willing to answer a question or two every once in a while, or at least tell me nicely that you'd rather not talk about it.


Goals and Dreams

It's always been incredibly difficult for me to answer the question "what do you want to do with your life?" because really, the honest answer would be: almost everything. I want to travel, to act and sing on stage (even though I'm not that good at acting), to play soccer, to be famous, to write a novel, to get married (eventually), to do something absolutely brilliant that will make people remember me for a long time after I die. I want to be a scientist, but I also want to be a dancer. I want to be a journalist. I want to be a photographer.

What I've realised in the last few years is that I can't do everything, my lifetime isn't long enough. My priorities, therefore, are science and writing -- I chose to major in biology, but I want to do something of each, or something that involves both. Science journalism is my latest idea, and I'm sad that I didn't get to complete the Science Reporting and Writing class I was going to do this block because my health got in the way, but it's not as though that's the very last opportunity I'll have to take a class like that.

I think it would be the perfect job for me, really. I'm very passionate about the pursuit of knowledge; I want to know everything, but I'm not particularly good at the technical part of designing experiments, following them through, and interpreting my results, if only because I tend to get frustrated when I don't understand or can't make something work. I have trouble keeping up motivation for teaching myself; I'd much rather be taught. I'm no overachiever, nor do I get the best grades, but I do love being a student, and I think I'd be happy following science for the rest of my life and constantly learning.


Hobbies

My biggest hobby at the moment is fandom, in general terms. I am active in the Harry Potter fandom and, more recently, the Supernatural fandom. I love Harry Potter because the world is so fleshed out, so populated, and so fun to play in, though I have my quibbles with the books and I enjoy it mostly for the fandom; I love Supernatural because it's so centred on the two very lovable Winchester boys and tends to satisfy all of my dorky, fangirl needs without my even needing to read fanfiction. They're opposite fandoms in that regard, but what they both have in common is that I adore the people in them, Supernatural fans especially.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't like Harry Potter fans; I've met some really wonderful people through the HP fandom. But HP is such an enormous and diverse fandom that there are also many people that I don't like or at least disagree with. Supernatural fans, on the other hand, at least in the part of fandom I've been involved with, tend to all be from the same general mold -- fangirls in their way, but also geeks about the mythological side of Supernatural. I may have sounded like a geek to you in the section above, but believe me, when it comes to religion/myth and that area of knowledge, I've barely scratched the surface of what most fans know. In the Supernatural fandom, I find a lot of the meta even more interesting than the fanfiction.

Because I'm newer to the Supernatural fandom, I haven't really gotten particularly active in it yet. I read the newsletters, follow the crack/hilarity that is capslock_spn, and run my own community spn_support, which is for people who like to watch episodes over and over again, especially during the breaks between new episodes. I've been neglecting it lately because of my real life problems, but I plan to get it back up and running again as soon as I can.

Harry Potter is a different story. I have been writing fanfiction for almost two years now, and RPing for a little less than that, but it's with RPing that my real love lies. I love writing on my own, but the dynamic of writing with different people and reading the different interpretations of each character has been a big influence on my writing. My one great love in the Harry Potter fandom (that basically explains how I was drawn to each RPG, and the basis for every fic I've written for myself, essentially) is Draco Malfoy. I say that he's taken over my brain, and it's essentially the truth; he's endeared himself to me in many ways, especially because of his flaws, and I love writing about him or from his perspective. I should have one of those nametags that says "Ask me about my opinion on Draco Malfoy!" because seriously, I could go on about him for hours and hours.

I also like Luna Lovegood. Many people that I've played with think this is because I'm quite a lot like her, which is probably true. I'm a little more grounded than she is, but I definitely have an odd thought process compared to some, and the Ravenclaw's objective view of the world. If Luna is the main aspect of my personality, then I get the rest of it (ego, slight vindictiveness, and a touch of elitism) from Draco. Odd combination, but it works for me.

Aside from RPing and fanfiction, I have recently gotten into sorting communities. At lumos_sorting I was sorted a Ravenclaw and stamped Slytherclaw; at hogwarts_elite I was sorted a Hufflepuff. I was confused by this at first (I think that the Ravenclaw and Slytherin community at Lumos understands me quite a lot better) but I think that with the dynamic of the H_E community, I probably am a Hufflepuff. I like the idea of having that stereotypically loyal subcommunity within such a huge community as a whole, and they've earned my loyalty simply by being fair, loyal, and awesome people, even if they do like glitter and muffins more than should be humanly possible. I'd stick up for them the same as they'd stick up for me, and that's what makes me a loyal_badger.


Random Stuff

I am a dog person, but I like almost all animals, including insects that most people consider scary. I have held tarantulas, hissing cockroaches, and scorpions; I love looking at pictures of weird animals or microbes and playing god with bacteria in the lab. I like giving hugs, and I'm always willing to listen to a friend in trouble, though I don't think I give the best advice. I like dyeing my hair random colours, and have so far done henna red, henna brown, bright pink, and blonde highlights (this list is likely to get longer within a few years, and I am open to suggestions). I tend to sympathise with the bad guys and I like them less when they get redeemed. Stubbornness and inability/unwillingness to see things from a different perspective annoys me more than anything else, and I am incredibly rigid about that fact (just kidding). I have a strong stomach, and I tend not to believe in Too Much Information. I am incredibly lazy, and my favourite time of the week is Friday afternoon (which it is right now!). I will eat almost anything: except for seafood and meat other than chicken, turkey, or beef. I am not vegetarian, but I was for several years, simply because I don't really enjoy eating meat. I like weird foods like tofu (in almost anything), cheese on almost anything, and chips dipped in plain nonfat yogurt. Salad (the more veggies, the better) is one of my comfort foods, along with chips, chocolate, ice cream, and multiple kinds of salty snacks. I'd go into my health here, but if you follow my journal, you know all about that -- suffice it to say that I have a hypothyroid condition and the beginnings of carpal tunnel from being on the computer so often, but I'm addicted. I'm very random and tend to switch from moody, gloomy moods to cracked out ones. I'm very attached to my family and my close friends, and I'd do almost anything for them (except maybe die, but even that's debatable), but I suck at romantic relationships, as a rule. Which is a shame, because I'd probably make less sex jokes if I was in a relationship; or maybe it'd be worse, who knows.

I love LJ friends, whether I know you very well in person or not. I do try to keep up with my entire flist and I like comment-spamming people, but I'm a busy person on the internets, so I don't always have the time or the inspiration to do so. If you've decided after reading this that you don't want to watch my journal anymore, that's fine. I'm impressed you got this far.

And if you have any questions that weren't covered in this long ramble/essay/thing, feel free to ask.