A little about me

Hmm, let's start out with a little background info on my life. I am an Army brat - my dad was in the Army for 21+ years as a PsyOps guy. I was born in what was West Germany (try listing your birthplace as somewhere that no longer exists - it gets kicked back at you) in the disco haze days. I have one sister, who is 4 years older than me. She and I are very close and we share alot of confidences, even to this day. My parents are semi-divorced and live in Florida, where I went to high school and college, so I consider Florida my home state.

I'm a technical writer by trade, only by dumb luck. I've always just kinda fallen into things, job-wise. I started college with the intention of being a nurse, then chickened out and switched to elementary education and finished my AA degree. I then went to Japan for 6 months and worked illegally as a casino dealer (hi DSS and FBI investigating my security clearance :) and returned home without having a clue what I wanted to do with my life... so I joined the Air Force. After 6 years of fun and games (I actually had one of the easiest stints in the military I have ever heard of) as a Chinese linguist, I got out and morphed into a technical writer, because that is the civilian equivalent to 'cryptologic linguist.' So now I write software manuals and get paid quite well for it. All on a whim. Funny how things work out.

Physically, I'm tall for a girl, I have what I would call an average physique that leans towards curvaceous in the chest and booty areas, have a somewhat attractive, friendly face and a huge smile because I have large front teeth. I'm smart and funny, gregarious, and sleep-deprived. I'm a free-spirited Southern Bell feminist who supports the military and police (I AM a veteran) but also gay rights and freedom of religion. How's that for an oxymoron? :) I'm smart as hell, but gullible (go figure). I like dark beers, I can make household repairs all by myself (yes, I carry a Leatherman), and I can even change my own flat tire, but I'm not really into playing sports because my hand-eye coordination just sucks due to some funky eyesight.

In case you couldn't already tell, I am fond of parenthetical phrases because I am a very scattered thinker and must interject into MY OWN THOUGHTS... how sad is that?

Anyway, on the current affairs/personal side...

I have a serious boyfriend, R, with whom I just signed a lease, so I am officially living in sin for at least the next year. Much of this blog has been written about him and our relationship. Typical girl - always hyper-analyzing every little nuance. But at least I do it in my blogs or to my girlfriends, so I am not one of those whiny annoying bitches who is always pestering her man to talk about their 'state of the union.' Don't get me wrong, we voice our issues when needed, but I don't constantly ask him how he feels about me and what he thinks and blah blah blah every freaking day. I hate that.

I am also currently in the middle of a divorce. That sounds bad, taking the previous paragraph into account, doesn't it? But let me explain. C. and I have been separated for 16 months. Maryland requires a one year separation prior to filing for a no-fault divorce, unfortunately. No instant gratification there. He and I were married for 9+ years, most of which was bad, in my opinion. I finally realized that I was just wasting my life and any true chance at happiness staying where I was, so I left.

The one thing (well, 2) I don't regret about my marriage are my daughters, Lauren, 8, and Ashlyn, almost 4. They are the most wonderful, frustrating, and puzzling things that have ever happened to me, and I love them to bits, just like every mom does.

What else can I say... oh - I have great friends, most of whom I met in the military so I have known them for 11 years now. We've been thru marriages, affairs, and divorces, pregnancies, kids, illnesses, moving, new houses, jobs... the whole kit and kaboodle life has to offer. They haven't run away screaming yet, so I guess we'll all be Best Friends Forever. :)

That was way more than you really wanted to know, wasn't it?