DopeFiles2: What's new with you?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Great thread! :slight_smile:

I’m 20 years old and I live in the Toronto, Canada area. I am studying Information Technology Management at Ryerson University and I’m really happy with how it’s going. :slight_smile: I actually wasted a year at U of Toronto - Mississauga doing general business studies. I can’t tell you how scary it is to have your parents pay thousands of dollars for your education, while you’re bombing your courses and feeling like you’re not going anywhere. Ryerson saved me! Right now, I’m taking two summer courses at Ryerson.

I got my first real part-time job a weeks ago, so now I work at a shoe store. The only previous job experiences I had were in tutoring children and volunteering. Several extracurriculars too, but no one seemed to care about those. :frowning:

What else? Oh, I’m a Filipina, but people tell me I look mixed. I’m more introverted (I was more outgoing in high school) and I prefer people introducing themselves to me rather than the other way around. I had a conservative upbringing and it sometimes makes me think “too old” for my own good.

I enjoy music from many genres, especially pop and R&B. I grew up on 70s-90s pop, disco, and soft rock, thanks to my parents, so I know more about older music than other 20-year-olds. I am also a co-webmaster of a celebrity fansite.

I guess that’s it for now.

22

flamingbananas: I’d love to make you a dream catcher. I’m sending you email.

23

[shameless begging]
I’d love one, too.

24

laina_f , can you tell us a little bit about how you make them? Maybe even start a thread. When you mentioned that, I thought, “what a neat idea”.

I remembered making something like that when I was a little girl. Do you have any pointers on how to make one now? If I just got 2 twigs and some yarn, would that technically be enough to catch my dreams?

Thanks in advance.

25

I meant to ask this before and forgot about it. I knew there was something upthread I wanted to ask about.
What are your native countries? Did you meet here and get married or were you married before you came here?
Just being nosy, that’s all…

26

I’ll start a thread about making dream catchers after I’ve put together a bit of information, probably tomorrow. Today I worked 12 hours and tonight I’m oncall, and I’m tired.

27

Thanks for taking an interest. :smiley: I am originally from Poland, the Mr. is from South Korea, which is where we’re running off to in a few months. We both came here about 14 years ago, independently of each other, and met quite a while after that. We were wed a little more than four years ago, but I have to admit we are married only ceremonially. We didn’t file the paperwork, because it would have affected our school financial aid. I’m thinking we’re going to get legally married in Korea, just so people can stop pointing out that we’re not “really” husband and wife.

By the way, I’m suprised to learn that you’re a teacher. I always assumed you were a librarian, for whatever reason. In light of that revelation, any pointers on teaching anklebiters in Korea? I’ve taught kids before, both there and here, but I never seem to get any better at it.

28

I am a 21-year-old girl. I was born and raised in upstate New York, in a tiny town south of Albany that nobody’s ever heard of - I usually just say I’m from upstate, and if somebody asks where, I say the Albany area, and if they question me further I’ll tell them the name of the town; if I start off giving the town name I get blank stares… I met Gunslinger here at the boards in the Very Vaguely Creepy thread back in October 2000 and we have been a couple ever since.

I attended Ichabod Crane high school, which is familiar to anyone who grew up in the Capital District as “the school that closes every time they see a snowflake.” My graduating class, 2001, was under 150. I went to Mississippi State University on an all-expenses-paid scholarship for a year, but I suffered crippling depression and was unable to drag myself out of bed, much less to class, for half of the spring semester and so I was forced to leave school and move back to New York. I’ve been working to support myself ever since, but I plan on returning to school as soon as Gunny has his degree and a full-time job as a newspaper photographer so he can be the breadwinner. I want to be a copy editor. I correct typos on public signage - I cannot help it; it is a compulsion - and would like to be paid for that sort of thing.

I moved to East Texas in July of '03, although I did not move in with Gunny. I have my own little apartment. We’re moving in together at the end of the month, however, when we move to Greenville for the continuance of his education.

I seem to be trapped in a career path based on copy machines, having spent a year in the copy center of a Staples, then a year at Kinko’s, and finally returning to Staples when we move. Hopefully this is not going to be a lifelong thing.

I love history and reading and reading about history. I definitely prefer to focus on how people lived rather than what battles were fought when and where. I’d be big into living history if there were any such organizations in the area; if I ever move back up north I’ll probably end up joining a Revolutionary militia. I would do historical costuming if I had money for fabric and the slightest idea of how to sew. My current obsession is Nelson’s Navy, as a direct result of being active in the fandoms of the Pirates of the Caribbean and Master and Commander movies and the Patrick O’Brian Aubrey/Maturin book series (I’ve just finished #9, Treason’s Harbour).

I also absolutely ADORE penguins, and all other birds. I used to have pet parrots, although they’re all still in New York with my parents. I go visit the hand-fed baby cockatiels at the local pet store every couple of weeks. I may be single-handedly responsible for the well-trained “Step up!” command of every pet cockatiel in East Texas. :wink:

Gunny and I have been wearing each other’s rings for two years now, but we’ve only just set a tentative date for our wedding: it will probably be in October of 2006. I’d kind of hoped we could have it on Friday the 13th of October '05, as 10/13 is our anniversary for dating and I don’t want to have to memorize another, it falls conveniently on a weekend, and we could then take our honeymoon in England for the bicentennial of the Battle of Trafalgar aboard HMS Victory, but it is not to be.

29

You know, I always figured that I’d have accomplished more by the time I was edging on 35. With that said, I can’t complain. I’ve lived a good life, had good friends, great family, interesting adventures, some personal growth, and have been blessed with many talents and resources. And by my count, it’s not even half over.

I’m Canadian and have lived in the province of Alberta all my life. For the last several years I’ve been working in various facets of the commercial real estate industry.

I’ve been in love for about a year now. The lady in question and I had a brief spree of being a couple before reverting to simple friendship. Though even that has its perks ahem now and then. As much as I’m in love, I know that she and I are not right for each other - at least right now. But I’m not waiting, either. If things work out, then they work out. And if we move on, then so be it.

I’ve recently taken on a bit of a spiritual bent. I find myself flirting ever-so-demurely with Buddhist teachings. I’m not yet sure if that’s quite my thing, but I know it’s plenty closer than the Catholicism on which I was raised. Not heavy-duty Catholicism, mind you, but Catholicism nonetheless.

Of my many human faults, you will find procrastination and inability to finish tasks near the top. They don’t drastically hinder me or my life, but they don’t help it along the path, either.

I have a weird fascination with shiny things and flashing things. And gum.

I’m an outstanding cook. There exists not a soul that doesn’t rave about my culinary prowess (well, provided they’ve had an opportunity to try it).

I just learned to swim last fall. I haven’t been swimming since, but plan to head out soon. I just figured it was silly for a 33-year-old not to know how to swim.

I eat predominantly low-carb, but have one nasty little sweet tooth sometimes.

My favorite color of dog is brown.

I’m an exceptional speller (watch, just my luck there’s probably a typo in here somewhere).

Family describe me as supportive and dependable. Friends describe me as funny and outgoing. Colleagues describe me as dedicated yet insolent. Adversaries describe me as determined yet diplomatic. No real people were consulted in the crafting of the previous lists of qualities.

I don’t have any pets, but would really like a dog.

I wear size 8 shoes.

30

I forgot this before:
I am the proud owner of the cutest dog on earth (and the crummiest scanner on earth).

31

I’m 25, single, no kids, no pets. I grew up in White Rock, BC, where I had a fairly typical childhood, though I did wreck my knees figure skating. After I finished high school, I went off to Montreal and got a B.Sc. in Microbiology & Immunology. Despite loving Montreal, I decided I couldn’t take the winters there and came back to Vancouver. I got my M.Sc. in Immunology from UBC this past fall and after going to Europe for a month, started the dreaded job search.

Months of searching later, I finally got a job as a research associate at a biotech company in Victoria, and I moved over here and started work a bit over two weeks ago! So far I’m enjoying it - the work’s interesting, and my co-workers seem really nice. Luckily I hit it off with the person I’ll be working with the most almost instantly, which will make things much easier as the projects we’re working on together get more involved and we put in even more overtime than I have already. I’m still getting settled in to my apartment, which is kick-ass by the way - great location, ocean view, and the rent is dirt-cheap compared to Vancouver. Despite my horrendous sense of direction, I’m learning my way around Victoria, though it’s so small that I’d be ashamed of myself if I couldn’t. Now all I need to do is meet some people and make some friends outside of work, and I’m even working on that by volunteering at the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

Random facts about me:
My toes are webbed.
I can touch my nose with my tongue.
I’m (mostly) vegetarian
The first concert I went to was New Kids on the Block
The most recent concert I went to was The Thrills
I’m clumsy and I bruise easily, a very bad combination, so I’m still black-and-blue from moving.
I’m 100% certain I’ll think of something really cool I should’ve added to this list the instant I hit submit.

32

Okay, then, since I think I was at least partially the inspiration for this thread, here are 12 things to know about SolGrundy:

  1. I’m 33 years old, male, and single. Very, very single.

  2. I’m a computer programmer in the videogames industry, but am currently hoping for a major career change (out of programming, videogames, or both)

  3. People think that I’m surly, angry, or cold and sarcastic all the time, but I’m actually big, goofy, naive, overly romantic, and overly earnest.

  4. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, but have lived in the SF Bay Area for about 8 years now. I still consider myself a southerner, even though I’ve lost most of the accent (until I get drunk).

  5. I am a mostly unapologetic nerd/geek. I like comic books, videogames (natch), DVDs, sci-fi and blockbuster movies, and Disney theme parks.

  6. My favorite television series: Mystery Science Theater 3000, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cowboy Bebop, The X-Files (first 4 or so seasons), Best Week Ever, Futurama, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Sealab: 2021, and most of Twin Peaks. In my past, it was Battle of the Planets and Starblazers, but they, like me, have not aged well.

  7. I smoke like a fiend and plan to quit as soon as my job situation is resolved.

  8. My favorite drink is Jack Daniels and Coke, and I can and do drink lots of them. My favorite beer is Guiness, but I can’t drink much of that, so I usually stick to Bass when I’m binge-drinking (which is frequently).

  9. My favorite writer is Roy Blount, Jr., a fellow Georgian who writes mostly columns and essays. However, my favorite essay is by David Sedaris and is called “You Can’t Kill the Rooster.” And one of my favorite books is Watership Down, although I’ve only read it once and am afraid to read it again because I might not like it as much.

  10. My favorite movie is Miller’s Crossing. I’m also a huge fan, still, of the first two-and-a-half Star Wars movies, and still think they’re great movies.

  11. In the past two years, I’ve traveled to Japan and southeast Ireland, London, and Paris. Kyoto is the coolest city I’ve ever visited. Dublin is the friendliest and funnest city I’ve ever visited.

  12. I have no sense of smell. This is not because of the smoking, but because of an operation I had as a child to stop frequent nose-bleeds – being four years old and waking up in the middle of the night covered in blood, is not pleasant. I have to go and ask my neighbors to smell my milk and tell me if it’s expired. For some reason, the only thing that I can smell is heated vinegar. I learned this the first time I microwaved an individually-wrapped barbecue sandwich. When I opened the door, it was like a scene from a low-budget version of The Miracle Worker, where I could smell something for the first time.

  1. Standup Karmic is a better man than I am. I’m currently in the pathetic downward-spiral tail-end of a massive, completely unrequited crush. I’m still trying to work it into a good friendship. But every time we talk I just lose all the progress I’ve made, and I become completely smitten again.
33

Well, here goes.

30 year old male, married to fellow doper, but sadly, don’t remember her handle. (oops). One very cute kid, currently 16 months old.

11 years ago, my wife and I started an educational-software company. Created some really great products that got worldwide recognition, won a crap load of awards, but we never were good at selling. Still we survived fine until the educational market crashed, and a particularly shitty con man put an end to the company a few months ago.

Now we both work at home, doing contract work and selling custom plugins, and playing with the kid a lot.

Hobbies are wood working, gadget-mucking, canoe-tripping, and welding when I get the time and money.

34

I wonder if I used some of your software in my classroom. What were the programs called?

35

Pointers? Hmmm. Patience, patience, patience? That seems to work. Plus treating them as equals (for the most part), and making sure they know they are important to you and listening to them. Talking to them, not down to them.

36

The Digital Frog
The Digital Field Trip to The Wetlands
The Digital Field Trip to The Rainforest
The Digital Field Trip to the Desert
ScienceMatrix

Any sound familiar?

37

For those who asked, here’s a link to my thread, “How to make a dream catcher”.

38

I’m game to post some about myself…

I’m 32 years old and live in St. Louis.

I have a 14 year old beautiful daughter, who has tons of attitude and has yet to realize her full potential.

I have a dog that I swear to you is on crack, and causes me nothing but joy and grief on a daily basis.

I work in an privately owned video store that happens to have a “back room”, and always have stories to share. I have worked there for almost 2 years, but this is not my career. I used to work for a local hair salon chain as their general manager, but decided that my daughters mental health was more important. The flexability the video store offers is far more valuable to me then the amount of money I was making before. they weren’t willing to work around Drs appointments :mad:
Oh yeah, and before I forget, I am engaged to be married on 2/12/05 to Crunchy Frog possibly the most egotistical man I know. :smiley:

39

SPOOFE is:

-A 23-year-old something-or-other. I feel half-dishonest in describing myself as a student, even though, technically, that’s what I am, but WHAT I’ve been a student of has changed drastically over the past five years.

-I like artwork, and like to consider myself an artist.A half-decent one, if I do say so myself, despite the fact I have a hard time finishing projects… ::cough::

-I make movies.

-I’ve done far too much theatre work for someone that doesn’t want to pursue it as a career. If anybody in the Los Angeles area needs a good stage manager on the cheap, send me an E-mail.

-I hate politics, but can’t stay away from it. Gar! Frustration!

-Above all, I would consider myself a writer, and have several dozen writing projects up in the air and in incremental development at pretty much any one point.

-I am socially awkward and pretty damned accepting of that fact. This probably carries through to most of my dealings on and off the Boards.

-I am not single, and have been going out with a wonderful girl for almost eighteen months, now.

Uh, and, uh, that’s about it. I swear I’m not very interesting.

40

Antigen in a nutshell:

I finished a degree in Physiology at McGill University, found it didn’t lead me to where I wanted to be, and so I backtracked to do a career program in Medical Laboratory Technology. Despite being surrounded by giggly 17-year-olds at school, I love what I’m learning and can’t wait to be working in the field.

Right now I have a summer job with a company that runs clinical trials. I’m at the screening center, where we make sure the wannabe guinea pigs are in good enough shape to participate in studies. I spend my day doing vital signs, ECGs, urine tests, and tons of paperwork. Despite very long hours and some very smelly participants, it’s the best job I’ve ever had and I’m enjoying every bit of it.

I teach people. At school I’ve become the “answer girl”, and I tutor a group of friends. I’m also helping a couple of my francophone friends to learn English. Sometimes this teaching instinct can make me come across as a know-it-all, even though I don’t mean it that way. My brain collects random information from everywhere, and I can’t help wanting to share it!

I’m 23 years old, and I’ve lived in (well, across the river from) Montreal all my life. I still live with my Mom and brother. It’s tough, but we need each other, so we make it work.

My most recent trip was to Washington and Oregon, where, cleverly infiltrating a friend’s geology field trip, I learned about the Cascades range. I’ve fallen in love with the area and I know I’ll be back.

Extras:
-I can bend the first joint of my thumb back 90 degrees.
-I read so much that the local librarians ask me what new books to read.
-I don’t watch much TV anymore but when I do it’s usually TLC or The Simpsons.
-I find Monty Python stuff hilarious.
-I wear glasses, because otherwise everything looks like a Monet.
-Given a delicious soup, and a fresh loaf of thick-crusted bread, I’ll dip. Always. It’s just better that way.
-I have a big lazy cat.
-I stop at Tim Hortons almost every morning to refill my steel travel mug, which seals so well that I can flip it upside down when filled and not lose a drop. Large coffee, one cream, one sugar.