Jack of All Trades, Master of None

So here’s the deal: I am in my later twenties working out the issues that regular (or not-so-regular) joes in this age frame go through via the art of words. Our language can illustrate these problems and share them with the world. You might be asking, “What kind of hardships could someone in their later twenties possibly be going through, Bane?” Well, you’re in luck! Here they are: *thinking* that they’re getting too old, going through a divorce, dating an elusive recluse, wondering what the hell they’re doing with their life (note the proper use of “they’re” versus “their”– a major pet peeve of mine), depression, anxiety, early health problems, hating their job and/or boss, being rejected by their family… you know, common shit. Right? Dive into my cryptic poems and stories to dig out facts about myself. Hell, you may even figure out my gender.

On another note, I have a crap ton of hobbies that I rather enjoy, yet do not have the patience to sit and master them, so I collect. Here is a comprehensive list of what I love to do:

Gaming: Ever since I was a wee one (1984 to be exact– I was approximately 4 years of age), I’ve adored gaming. I’ve conquered games on the Atari, Intellivision, and… Mouse Trap! Okay, I think that came out later, but you get my drift. I received a Nintendo system for getting straight A’s in fourth grade. From there, I fell in love with Mario and Link. However, being raised in a less-than-average monetary wise family, we could never afford the new systems inspired by Nintendo’s successes. Fortunately, I had a lot of Jewish friends with all the latest gadgets. I carried on my gaming legacy to this day and plan on infiltrating the MMORPG “Warhammer” with my prowess. You lucky, lucky souls….

Soap Making: What the hell? Yeah, I make soap. It started as an innocent chemistry project back in 2002, and blossomed into a business. I can’t say I’ve mastered, nor perfected the art, but I can say that I am pretty knowledgable. I can make any kind of bathroom item you can think of (save for toilet paper, and sometimes ifI’m constipated enough…).

Music: Piano, violin, guitar… these are the instruments I chose to familiarize myself with. I played violin from third grade through eighth. I picked up the guitar at 15 and still play today. Piano was more of a love affair. My family inherited this beautiful upright Wurlitzer from my grandparents. They were no longer interested in keeping it, so they gave it to us. The shiny honey-colored wood and glistening ivory (plastic) keys beckoned to me. I poked at it– it made sounds! If I poked in the right places, I could sound out the music to my favorite games and movies! I was truly amazed. My parents decided it was time for lessons, so I stared at 10. I quit lessons at 16 when my skill surpassed my teacher. I taught piano in a little family owned music store when I was 20 for a few months before I moved to another city. I still give private lessons today, and I love to play to solve that little thing society calls “anxiety” and “stress”.

Knitting / Crocheting: There is nothing more fun and interesting than tying yarn into knots to form… stuff. I always need to keep busy with my hands, and what better outlet than rotating a needle over and over to make a blanket while watching your favorite movies time and time again? I’ve seen so many movies. And made so many things! This hobby is also an indication that I get bored really easily.

Languages: From Spanish to Latin to Chinese and Japanese, I love to learn languages. I even wrote my own to accompany a fantasy series that is in the works as of right now. I am not fluent in any language other than English, but it’s fun to try. I think my interest in languages spurs from my love for puzzles and “code”. Oooohh! What does THAT sentence mean?? Yeah, you get it. But for now, Watashi wa nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu. And that would be about it.

Outside: What? What I mean is, I like the outdoors. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, canoeing, etc. etc. I could change the category to “physical activities” because I would also like to include Kung Fu, ice skating, and swimming. There are stories for each one, but they’re not that interesting. I just like to feel my heart exploding in my chest– oh! and that feeling of accomplishment– whatever that is, right?

Other things about me (because you are on the edge of your seat):

I got married in 2001 and I am working through an amicable divorce this year. We are both good friends and have no regrets whatsoever. I started dating someone else in the latter part of 2006– some folks would question the morality of dating someone before being offically divorced, but, well, this is the life I’m living. I could be out killing people. Wouldn’t you rather I dated someone before being officially divorced than kill people? I thought so.

I am a chemist. I majored in biology. I taught chemistry in a high school temporarily. I majored in biology. I don’t think I like what the scientific job system does to my love for science. I love science! I really do! But unfortunately, unless you have a Masters or a PhD in the damn subject, forget about going anywhere or making any real kind of money. I should have stuck with art, where I KNEW I wouldn’t make any money in the first place. At least that way, my hopes wouldn’t have been dashed in the face like they were for science. Chemistry, to boot! I MAJORED IN BIOLOGY! *sob*

I live in a house. Yep.

I have a ferret. We rescued her from the throngs of hoosier-dom. She was kept in an 80 or 90 degree trailer, covered in fleas. We bathed her with cat flea shampoo and took her to the vet. She is a much happier ferret.

I have an amazing aptitude for picking up lyrics in songs. I only have to hear a song once or twice to know all the lyrics. That makes it easy for me to sing along (loudly) in my car.

No more info… read about it in my blog.