So I finally succumbed to the meme going around Facebook of being tagged by friends wanting you to share things about yourself. Pasted below is my own foray into a random list of 25.

A Disclaimer: I never usually do these but I had noticed in a lot of friend's Facebook feeds that this meme has been going around for awhile and then I was 'tagged' in the last couple of weeks. So for the several who have tagged me recently and others who I have read theirs and gained insights from and those I would love to hear more on... here goes.

The original post is here.

The Quasi rules: Share

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

My random 25...

1. My mother is seriously mentally ill and has been all of my life. This means my experiences growing up and with my mom now are probably different than the usual norm but I never felt it something to be sorry for myself about. At her base my mom is an amazingly warm soul and that shines through most days so I think of her disability as being akin to having a love one suffer from diabetes; there are ups and downs, some in one's control, some not, and like say diabetes is no less an illness and certainly something no one wishes for.

2. I am a bibliophile through and through. I started reading at the age of 2. At that point just bits of words here and there taught from my dad while he was reading the newspaper. By 2nd grade I had a 4th grade reading level and in 4th grade an 8th grade reading level. I nostalgically miss the guilty pleasures of being a teen and reading a whole science fiction novel in one night.

3. I currently own thousands of books, have carved out an actual room that is my library and even though I am intensely embedded in online spaces, still rather enjoy reading a tactile paper book.

4. The earliest personal memory I can recall is of myself and a favorite cat as a young child.

5. Throughout my life I have always had some sort of pet, including once a pet duck, but cats share a special place for me. My current kitty is almost 16 and she has been my little companion from my early 20s til my now, late (gasp) 30s. ( <3 my >^-.-^< )

6. At points art and specifically drawing has been a respite, an outlet, a frustration, a way of collaborating, an intimate shared experience and just damn fun. My earliest drawings were of animals, specially cats and horses. (yes I am so a girl eh)

7. Speaking of horses, my favorite book when I was 10 was Black Beauty. I read it over and over and it became the jumping off point for trips to the library on how to raise horses. One day it culminated in me rushing home determined I would be able to care for a horse and that my family should get one even though we lived in a third floor apartment in a city.

8. It wasn't until last year that I actually got to actually ride a horse.

9. I have always been drawn to natural sciences. As a teen I bred tropical fish, gardened and even practiced cross pollinating my flowers to get new color mixes. I studied in college horticulture, biological illustration, did a stint under a Prof Emeritus at Brown Univ on drawing human anatomy, and continue to be part of a local gardening club.

   1. I was incredibly shy as a young girl.

   2. My first job ever was at the age of 15 in a summer teen program as a videographer for a documentary filmed for elementary students. I got to interview our city's Chamber of Commerce VP who is now my Senator.

   3. For a couple of years, during college, I was a live in roommate for two developmentally disabled women. One fairly profoundly who was non-verbal, the other autistic in almost the movie "Rain Man" way. Her memory was amazing, the day she met me, she asked me when I was born and told me what day of the week that fell on.

   4. I worked my way through college.

   5. I spent an entire summer running a co-op named Moondance with friends, down by a beach in MA, making and selling jewelry and crafts. I can still weave a mean Dreamcatcher and have tons of beads packed away.

   6. I always have some sort of sketch book on me to jot down thoughts, poems and images.

   7. I have been using the name Rhiannon as an online identity since 1995. It stems from a love of myth and fable in stories and Rhiannon is character in a story of Welsh origin. She was of the fairy realm, it translates to "queen of the fairies". Her story is a bit tragic but all works out and she is often thought of to be the "Lady of the Lake" in the King Arthur stories.

   8. I am intensely curious person. It is both a bane and a skill that has taken me down amazing paths in life.

   9. Probably part of the curiosity thing, but I love to solve puzzles, which in my practical day to day means finding best possible solutions to problems and connecting together people.

   10. I have an amazing memory for conversations and details, but I forget people's names all the time.

   11. I love meeting and talking with people but I quietly fear giving large group presentations.

   12. I hate doing dishes.

   13. I have played pen & paper Dungeons & Dragons, gone to Star Trek conventions and dressed up for Renaissance Faires.

   14. I have never been a formal teacher, but have taught informally mostly art to children including several summer workshops at the Boston Museum of Science teaching a young naturalists course.

   15. Throughout my life I have met many amazing people who have through crazy odds done wonderful things in life and that has always served as inspiration to me and insight into the bigger picture of being human.

   16. My biggest vice is sometimes biting off more than I can chew. In genuinely wanting to help I easily commit to things and if in the worse case I drop the ball on them, I always remember that I did. Sorry if I ever have to you.

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