The Woman Behind the Curtain

Now that the first post is out of the way, I thought it might be nice if I introduced myself.

Greetings. (*waves*)

Like my two dear friends at Keep Calm and Om Nom and Spooky Silent Library (Anila and Rae, respectively, for future reference), I will do a list of things about me. But I will do twelve of them, just because. (To quote the picture, "Yes, I do need them all.") They're all facets you would discover eventually, but they might make your reading experience easier. And away we go!

12. I am a cat person. This means I talk and think about my cats A LOT. I have three and have known an additional two in the past. Each has had a very distinctive personality, as well as its own brand of weirdness. They know everything about me and if they spoke English, I’m sure I’d be blackmailed for ice cream. (Yes, they eat ice cream.) However, they are also adorable and funny, and I like telling stories about them.

11. I like quotes. It means you might see one or a hundred pop up sometimes. There are so many that are amusing or useful, and they can carry a theme (as well as make one look smarter.) Also, they lend weight to reviews. And I just like them. Cue gratuitous quote:

"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." - Coco Chanel

10. I read. There will be lots of book reviews, and lots of mentions of books, but most importantly, this means that I generally try to respect your intelligence SO PROPER TYPING WILL BE EMPLOYED AT ALL TIMES. (Minus any mistakes I don’t catch, which are usually few.) I read, therefore I expect you to be able to read something not in textspeak. I think it’s a fair expectation, if the base justification is flawed. But. That’s what you’ll find here. And if you comment, please, for the love of my supposed sanity, use proper typing too.

9. I love to laugh. And I often laugh at inappropriate moments, because I have a twisted sense of humor. I will be laughing long after everyone else has started to edge away in fear, and I have many different laughs (of varying degrees of obnoxiousness.) This tends to mean I am a generally happy person, whether I realize it or not.

8. I play favorites with companies. Or, you could say I’m a fanatic loyalist, or a corporate fangirl. Are there flaws to some of them? Yes. Do we acknowledge those flaws here? Absolutely not. This means you might come across the occasional breathless rant about the awesomeness of Google, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, Apple, or Barnes and Noble. Among others.

7. I like classical music and film scores. So don’t you dare expect me to know what’s popular, or scoff when I’ve never heard “Billionaire” (true story behind that.) Forget me singing the lyrics. It won’t happen. If you want to talk about Tchaikovsky’s genius or Michael Giacchino’s emotional poignancy, however, I could go on for hours.

6. I am a total ballet nerd. (As well as several other varieties.) I can at least offer the excuse that I’ve been a dancer for thirteen years, so I was bound to pick up something. I love classical ballet and its history, the culture, the art. It’s a standard of beauty for me and something of a measuring stick for my life. But that’s not the only nerdiness I indulge, oh no. I’m also a Whovian, Potterhead, Trekkie, Star Wars lover, and Fullmetal Alchemist fangirl. To name the big ones. And I like analysis of what I’m putting in my brain in the forms of books, movies, and series, and behind-the-scenes stories; I’m also an occasional hunter of little bits of trivia about these things.

5. I love costumes. To the point that if I need a distraction, I will think about sewing something, or the costumes I would design for a certain show, etc. I’m a teensy bit obsessed, so there may be a few posts related to costuming…or references in posts, you get the picture. No promises on it being comprehensible.

4. I am a feminist. Which means I’m a woman that likes to be treated like a person. It also means I’ve got a very few strong opinions on chauvinism and the like, and they may color anything written here. Feminist themes will be picked up on in books, and it will only expect this to get worse since I’m taking a class on women in the fall.

3. I speak fandom. There will be many references to the various fandoms, their practices, and tropes. Tropes are like a lingua franca across fandoms, because they apply to everything. What tropes, you ask? TV Tropes. But I’ve never heard of them, you say. That’s all right. You’re going to hear lots about them hear, and you might start hearing about them elsewhere on the internet as the site grows. Being a fan is important to me, and so you may see reviews or posts on fan-related things. And to connect the dots between this point and point five, there’s cosplay!

2. I am old-fashioned. I like pretty words and having a bit of dignity. I like modesty and hats, pale skin, dresses, and chivalry. I may be myself and very proud of my rights, but there are some things that might be nice to see back in practice. If you know (or meet) me in real life, you’ll see this most prevalently in the way I dress: I tend to wear clothing a little on the formal side for the occasion.

1. I am nuts. Okay, this is the important one. At least, as far as others perceive me, because I don’t really think I’m nuts (no one ever does.) But it could seem like it. Non sequiturs are my modus operandi, strange is my middle name, and different is a way of life. If you’d like a comprehensive description, I offer this lovely trope for your learning experience.

And one more little thing: there may be the occasional profanity here on this blog, if that is the sort of thing that offends you.