Things that I am.

Things that I am.

Most people who keep up a presence on the web have one of those "About Me" pages attached to their site. I've been posting to the internet regularly for over two years now, and I still don't have a page like that, nor do I feel the need to make one. I'm fully aware that most of the people who hit this site know me, and I'm more comfortable letting people who don't know me learn about my life through what I write.

But I love reading other people's personal information pages. What better form of voyeurism could there be? 'About me' pages tell you how a person really sees themselves, or at least their internet perception of themselves. The reason I still don't have a page like that, truthfully, is that in addition to thinking that not many people would read it, I'm lazy in my web design, and the whole point of this blog is to show how quickly my life changes from one day to the next. I'm a different person than I was two years ago, or even yesterday.

I love even the variation in the "about the author" sections of online diaries and blogs. These five are entirely different ,and their setup says as much about the person as what's in them.

Of course, Callie just has all those words on her main page to let you know who she is, but she might as well use her wishlist to tell you all about herself. Check her wishlist, and it's all there, just like when you read someone's bookshelf in their house. Up until a few weeks ago, I was way too shy to make a wishlist. Then I did, but was too embarrassed to mail it to anybody. Well, part of having an internet blog is learning to share parts of yourself you normally don't show. So there.

More I feel like sharing today, in the spirit of About Me pages:

I'm an atheist, but I don't claim to understand the universe.


I have a thing for vocabulary.

I have a lot of adventures. I don't understand how people can live boring lives when the world is so large and full of interesting things.

I believe in the ACLU, and I'm a little afraid of people who don't understand why the ACLU is necessary.

I have an offbeat sense of humor, and I'm prone to inappropriate laughter.

I am anti-war.

Once upon a time I lived in a land far away.

I love being in crowds.

I love my family, and I really like watching the children I'm related to. They're a lot of fun.

I've made peace with my inner geek, and sometimes even revel in my nerdlyness.

I once thought about becoming an anarchist, but only because they're the most organized group of dissenters around.

I once had a supervisor write on my work evaluation: "Elizabeth has a highly developed sense of irony."

Of course, I gave up on the anarchists, because I can't commit to any one line of political philosophy. I suppose this is the same as with most Americans, only I'm more aware of my own contradictions.

I have problems committing to anything except that which I am solely responsible for. I won't even commit to reading the same comic books from month to month, because I'd be letting someone down if I didn't pick them up on time.

This often leads to complications in my romantic life.

But I'm OK with that. Except when I'm not.

I have amazing friends.

I like baking cakes and pies for loved ones probably as much as I enjoy eating them.

I have a Master's of Science. That doesn't mean I get to use it as often as I'd like.

Despite my age and education level, there's nothing I enjoy more than a good afternoon with some Juvenile Literature, like E. L. Koingsberg or Robert Cormier or even the mice of Redwall. I hope I never grow out of that.

I am an adult, though.

I admit to reveling in my vices. Once Aral and I tried to count up how many rules of society we broke in one week, and we found that we covered most of the Christian Commandments and the seven deadly sins on a fairly regular basis. We able to accomplish most of this without actually leaving our apartment, or even really changing our daily routines.

I think that's enough disclosure.

I nominate Dust as ruler of the About Me web pages, because his personal stuff comes in five or six different well organized parts, each with its own design.

See, because we're on the internet, I can make up my own awards whenever I want. And even make a button to go with them, as if that meant anything. Man, I LOVE the Internet sometimes.