Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they’re doing. Do things without always knowing how they’ll turn out. [xkcd]
Female
35 years old
Louisville, Colorado
United States
Yes, I know, 1% is a sad statistic, but look! I've been to Quebec, and most of the states in the U.S. (It's arguable whether I've been to Alaska, but that's a long story, so I'll just leave Alaska off, here.) My point, though, is that I'd like to fill in this map more. Travel is one of my interests. Finding the guts to go do it is one of my challenges.
Music
Artists I believe I stumbled on myself, and therefore best show my true taste: They Might Be Giants, Dar Williams, Bright Eyes, Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette.
Folks I know personally, so that I’m not sure if I love their music for itself or because it comes from their wonderful selves: Wendy Woo, Brian Blommer.
Childhood music:Free to Be…You and Me, most classic Broadway. Also big band swing and 60s folk (Chad Mitchell Trio, Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, etc.) because they remind me of my dad, who I miss.
High school nostalgia music: Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, My Life with Thrill Kill Kult, Depeche Mode, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Manheim Steamroller, The Beatles.
Beyond that, I know little bits about many different styles, as I am easily influenced by my friends. For example, I really like…
From Brian: Neil Young (in most of his many moods), Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers
From Joe: Eddie From Ohio, Nickel Creek, Lyle Lovett
From Chris and Julie: The Indigo Girls
From Ron: Fat Boy Slim, The Housemartins, Strength in Numbers, Cake
From Rachel: Rilo Kiley, Death Cab for Cutie, Emmylou Harris, and my current favorite musical, Avenue Q.News flash! Brian Blommer, a good friend and a musician I admire, just got himself a MySpace page! Check him out at www.myspace.com/brianblommer.
Movies
I like many, but get attached to few. Movies I like that come to mind just now are: L.A. Story, Before Sunrise, V for Vendetta, The Darjeeling Limited, Pan's Labyrinth
Television
My time and place varies so much that I can't get into any show that has to be watched regularly to be understood. I am addicted to two syndicated, regularly repeated shows: The Simpsons and Northern Exposure.
Books
I love books! My favorite editing work is helping to make books, by copy editing or proofreading manuscripts to make the most beautiful, readable books possible.
Like most people who once worked at Sounds True, I read too many self-help books. My favorite fiction author is Margaret Atwood. I've also been quite fond of Tom Robbins and John Irving in the past, though I think I've overdosed on both by now. I'm three books behind in A Series of Unfortunate Events and I feel terribly guilty about this. In non-fiction, nobody beats Oliver Sacks.
What I'm Reading Now:Sleep Demons by Bill Hayes
I started reading this during a nasty, multi-day bout of insomnia, which has cleared up for now...mostly...though I know it will be back, eventually. Hayes' book doesn't give me much hope that I'll ever completely beat insomnia, as it is primarily a memoir of his own lifelong struggle with the same problem. Still, it's a fascinating read, and perfect entertainment for anyone who is up all night, unable to think about anything else but the elusive nature of sleep. Hayes mixes his own well-written memories with informative accounts of the history of sleep research, a discipline that has interested me ever since my days as a sleepwalking preteen.
This is a line of thought Hayes brings up for me: Most sleepwalkers only do it as children, from about ages 8 to 12, and then outgrow it. Sleepwalking in adults, in spite of its popularity in plots for CSI and the like, is extremely rare. I walked from age 8 or 9 until puberty, and then stopped, or so my mother tells me. (I don't remember, of course. I was asleep at the time.) In my adult life, I've occasionally lived with people who would probably have complained if they'd found me standing in a dark living room at 3am, glassy eyed and talking incoherently, but nobody has told me such a story. I seem to have matured from a night zombie into an occasional insomniac. Well, Hayes did, too. He sleepwalked at the usual ages (or so his mother told him), and has bouts of insomnia now. So I wonder: What is the connection between childhood sleepwalking and adult insomnia? Obviously, our sleep/wake systems aren't working too well if we're sleepwalking, but do most walkers get their wiring right as they grow up, or are wandering kids doomed to be wakeful adults?
And what else do sleepwalkers and insomniacs have in common? Do we share other personality traits? We might just be generally high-strung folks, but I wonder if we might have deeper similarities. Is there a social group of former sleepwalkers that I should join? Am I most likely to find my soulmate sitting up in the middle of a Wednesday night?
Heroes
Margaret Atwood, Alice Paul, Sarah Vowell, Elizabeth Zimmerman, Dar Williams, Kevin Chong, Barbara Sher, Neil Young, Amy Sedaris, David Sedaris, Isaac Asimov, Timothy Ferriss, Wendy Woo, Lisa Simpson, the Rock Bottom Remainders, Nina Conti, Jeff Dunham.
Anita's Details
Status:
In a Relationship
Here for:
Networking, Friends
Orientation:
Straight
Hometown:
Lakewood, Colorado
Religion:
Other
Zodiac Sign:
Aquarius
Children:
Undecided
Education:
College graduate
Anita's Schools
University Of Colorado At Denver
Denver, CO
Graduated: 2001
Student status: Alumni
Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Major: English Writing
Minor: Anthropology
Clubs: CU-Denver Advocate (newspaper)
1994 to 2001
Lakewood High School
Lakewood, CO
Graduated: 1992
Student status: Alumni
Degree: High School Diploma
Clubs: Nearly everything that wasn't a sport: speech & debate team, band, choir (including show choir), drama, National Honor Society, literary magazine staff
About me: I'm an actress, freelance writer, editor/proofreader, knitter/pattern designer, house sitter and cat caretaker—and that's just what I do for a living. I like to read and write fiction, to hike—since I'm lucky enough to live in Colorado—and to get out of Colorado and travel to new places as often as possible. I'm also loving learning to play the guitar and write songs.
For too much information about how my mind works, visit my blog.
You Are Lisa Simpson
A total child prodigy and super genius, you have the mind for world domination.
But you prefer world peace, Buddhism, and tofu dogs.
You will be remembered for: all your academic accomplishments
Your life philosophy: "I refuse to believe that everybody refuses to believe the truth"
Who I'd like to meet: Folks who are interested in any of the above. I finally decided to get a MySpace page when I noticed that many of my colleagues from the Denver/Boulder theatre scene are here.
