****
WOW!!! This bio is ancient. I'm closer to 60 than 50 now.
Too old to care that the formatting got messed up in some website update. LOL
My girl Sparta and I Summer of '22.
****
BIO Divorced.Mother of 2 young adults. Yes, I married young, and yes, my ex-husband is their father (people always ask about that one LOL)Oma of a little girl. :D Owned by many pets.Age: Forever 28 LOL...Ok, you got me...I'm 43 ;P I'm actually a kid at heart.Multi-lingual...my latest venture is Portuguese classes...I'm relying heavily on the French I learned in my distant youth. ;P Quirky.Canuck.Rebel with a cause.Personality:So multi-faceted it will make your head spin. LOLIn some ways very old and wise, in other ways very young and playful.In some ways very shy and private, in other ways very open to the point of being shockingly blunt sometimes.In some ways very free-spirited to the point of sometimes seeming flighty, in other ways very solid and pragmatic.In some ways, very open-minded, in other ways, highly opinionated.There is a side of me that only a chosen few are privy to. They know who they are.Flaws: Prone to taking on too many things at once and letting the stress and fatigue drag me down into depression. I am working on that, very hard I might add, because it is not good for me or others close to me. For the most part, I have rectified that flaw in myself.Sometimes accused of being cold and/or cynical. The chosen few know different.Brutally honest sometimes.Likes:Many, many of them.I have an appreciation for most styles and genres of art, architecture, music, etc.Especially like anything art deco/moderne in style, and also anything 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's retro kitsch (something about the nostalgia makes me feel good).I also like really like Classical, Gothic, Medieval, Palladian, Georgian, Egyptian, Eastern, Asian and Oriental themes.Oh yeah, I almost forgot - anything Tiki or Googie. Totally gaudy, but I love it.The Chrysler Building. What a spectacular thing it must have been in it's day!Neon signs.Retro Sci-fi.Burlesque. I was into it looooong before it became trendy.Classic and vintage fashions. Think pillbox hats, gloves, pencil skirts, garter belts, corsets, open-bottom girdles, cuban heel stockings...High heels. It's a woman thing.Being barefoot. I'm as comfortable lazing around the house naked as I am being dressed to the nines.Sensuality.Chocolate. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. What more is there to say?Ice wine. See above.Nature - period. There is so much to learn from it if we just observe what is around us.Animals. I have an appreciation for all animals. Even yukky things have my respect. They have a place in the greater scheme of things.Miniatures. When my kids were little I built a dollhouse with each of them and helped them decorate them as they saw fit. And yes, I held my tongue. LOL. Little ones have some funny notions of good taste. :PElderly people. Yes, they can be very trying at times, but truly, there is so much to learn from them.Little children, before they have been ruined by the influences of those around them. To witness a toddler squealing with joy over little things we take for granted, like ants in the grass or butterflies landing on them, is truly heartwarming.Honesty (temper it with tact please).Integrity.Work ethic.Intellect. Education does nothing to impress me. But "smarts", that's something that gets my attention.A desire to learn.Common sense.Intelligent conversations.Loyalty.A good sense of humour. The sharper the wit, the better.Laughter.The ability to laugh at oneself.Scars. They are a roadmap of where one has been in life, a physical diary of one's experiences.Good manners.Traveling.Languages.Reading.Board games.Camping.Kayaking. I can't flip over though because I have a fear of being under the water. I was trapped under water twice as a child.Video games. Some really bad ones that good parents are supposed to be vehemently opposed to. Such as GTA Vice City.( I kept that one hidden for a long time. LOL ) I also really like the Tomb Raider and Max Payne games. And ( GASP! ) I liked the Tomba and Megaman games. I'm no good at just plain old shooters or fighting games. I much prefer a less linear game with puzzles that need to be solved.Underdogs. There is often more to them than meets the eye.Old wives' tales, not because I am superstitious, but because I like to try and figure out the reasoning behind it. Here's an example: "Shoes on the table is bad luck, someone might die." No kidding, considering they walked through all kinds of cooties that are now going to spread to the food that is going to be eaten.History, but one must make the effort to find out the truth. This can only be done by learning from the perspective of all sides involved.Science.PhilosophyRenovating. I'm doing my (130 year old) house right now as I find time. I am very proud of the bathroom floor and wall panelling, both of which I did all by myself.Dislikes:More aptly called hates.Liars.Hypocrites.Cheaters.Avarice.Cliques.Two-faced people.Free-loaders.Users.Control freaks.War-mongers.Hate-mongers.Prejudice.Power hungry people.Narcissism.Sycophants.Those who take credit for something someone else has done.Those who have no respect for the earth or environment.I hate all of the above things with a vehemence that is almost frightening. The damage these things and people do is massive. Eliminate them, and you eliminate many of the world's problems.Betrayal.Another one of my most hated things because it causes the betrayed one to question everything about themselves, and they are seldom good, healthy questions. It is one of the most damaging things one person can do to another. Done to me or a loved one, it will likely make you an enemy for life.Children who throw temper tantrums and the adults who allow them to.Weak parents who allow their children too much freedom and let them behave disrespectfully.Get a backbone! A parent is not their child's slave and society does not have to tolerate their child's snottiness.Arrogance.I really like putting snobs in their place. Note - I do not consider a healthy dose of self-confidence to be the same as arrogance.Exploitation, especially under the guise of "freedom" or a "helping hand".Politics.Politicians (most of them).Blind loyalty.Oppression.Abuse of power.Abuse of children, the elderly, animals, anything weak, the environment.Zealots.Brown-nosers.Narrow-mindedness.Bullies of any kind.Rudeness.Tardiness.I really, really hate waiting for people who have no respect for the value of time. I only wait so long, and then I'm history.Greed, especially when so many are so poor.Gluttony, especially when so many are starving to death every day.Wastefulness, especially when so many have so little.Lack of common sense.That one drives me up the wall. LOLLaziness.This also drives me totally up the wall. One of my most hated things, actually. Note - Lazing around the house all day in your pajamas when you finally have a day off after working two weeks straight with no days off is not laziness. It is earned.Stupid excuses.Whiners that do nothing to help themselves.Those who refuse to be accountable for their own actions.Take responsibility for what you do or fail to do.Overly sensitive people who get off on playing the victim or being perpetually offended by insignificant things. Grow up!People who have no sense of humour.Political correctness.I'd rather say what needs to be said and have it out in the open so it can be dealt with honestly, than waste time coming up with pretty ways to say things so overgrown sucky babies don't get offended.Poorly translated directions, especially when the pictures don't correspond.Hand in hand with that goes missing parts and crappy screws that strip right away.People who renovate will understand those last two. Very annoying! I've been doing something artsy since I could hold a pencil. Had planned on a career doing something in the arts , but somehow life never goes as planned. About 10 years ago I had a minor accident (dish-washing, of all things) that sliced the thumb on my writing hand up quite badly, causing permanent loss of sensation. Have never quite been able to paint or draw the same as before the accident. A few years ago I finally got a computer and discovered art of a different type. In late 2004 I discovered 3d and was hooked. I do animal rescue, not as a profession, but because it's another one of those things in life that happens. I'll make a long story short. I live half a block from work. I work for relatives, who also do rescue. Hence, I have freedom to take my pets to work, as do others working there. There is a vet right across the street from work. A gent that worked there as a veterinary tech while studying to be a vet had a dream of having a no-kill shelter and providing very low cost spay/neuter services. He would bring us babies to foster. Opportunity knocked for him and he has a very busy shelter now. We gained experience in caring for orphaned kittens and puppies and along the way learned about some animal diseases. I also do volunteer work in my community, and am heavily involved in developing community-driven safety initiatives. About seven years ago I, along with four other people, was (and still am) involved in the creation of a pilot program in my city, a major metropolitan area, that has received accolades and awards. It is one of the things I am truly proud of. "Hmmm", you're thinking."I thought she said she hates politics up there. Sounds like political talk." It is in a way. I hate politics because I know politics. Once upon a very long time ago, I was painfully shy. Now, I have no fear of speaking my mind. I have been told many times that I say things at public forums that many other people want to say but are afraid to. There is an old saying - beware the shy (or quiet) ones. That would be me. LOL A little story about arrogance... Both my work and my volunteer work put me in contact with very influential people, high-ranking officials and such. A great many of them are pompous asses, and I mean really big asses. My way of dealing with them (and these situations have actually happened) is very simple. When given the line "Do you know who I am?", I respond with either "No, should I?" or "Well, you look a lot like (insert whatever name here lol), but WOW! you sure are way shorter in real life." Knocks the wind out of their sails every time. LOL If they pull the "I'm so-and-so" line I respond with "And????" A smart politician will respect you for this behavior, albeit grudgingly. A dumb one won't be in office long because he is too stupid to recognize potential adversaries. (This rule does not apply if he is a puppet. LOL) I had a customer (a very large man used to bullying people) once who came in and demanded something be done for him immediately. I didn't like his attitude and refused. He said "How much will it take?" I replied, "Nothing, because I'm not doing it for you." His comeback was "Everybody has a price." Little did he know I cannot be bought. His offer went up and up into many hundreds of dollars, and the higher he went, the more disgusted and obstinate I became. I informed him that the next time he needed something, he could phone ahead like the other people whose orders I was doing at that moment. He left empty handed, having learned a valuable lesson. He has since become one of my best and most well-behaved customers. And yes, he calls way ahead now. LOL In life, it is to a large extent who you know. However, it is not just who you know, but how you treat them. If you want to really get things done, get to know the little people too, the ones behind the scenes who often are the ones actually running the show. Treat them fairly and respectfully, and show some appreciation for their work, because they are the ones who can speed things up for you, or "lose" papers, etc. to slow things down. They can also spit in your food. LOL Today's secretary may just have what it takes to become tomorrow's C.E.O. Fears: Many, most of which I force myself to face head-on every single day. I'm still painfully shy, always will be. But I put on my public persona to deal with that. Speaking in front of people terrifies me, but I do it because it needs to be done and the "painfully shy" me shakes like a leaf inside. The "public persona" me stomps the fear down and is fine with it. LOLWhen my kids were little, I told them "Nevermind about if the snobby popular kids like you. Seek out the lonely ones, the shy ones and the ones nobody wants to play with. They are the ones who need your friendship the most." Did this make life hard for them? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes they were ostracized for it. But in the end, it will make them stronger and better human beings. Did it help the shy kids? Yes, it helped them build confidence and come out of their shells. Popularity can be very shallow if there is no substance or meaning to it, because in the end we want to be loved for who we are inside. It's a human thing.I'm a former honour roll student that attended what are considered to be among the best schools in my country, both private and public. I dropped out of school and let life take me on some adventures. I do not recommend people do this, as it placed some obstacles in my way, and removed some opportunities. I have made mistakes, some of them very big, and suffered some huge losses and hurts, some of which have scarred me for life. I have hurt people, not intentionally, but through my own stupidity, and sometimes through neglecting them because I was too caught up in my own problems. I have regrets, some of them huge. I have also learned many, many valuable lessons along the way. And in the end, I know I am a good person and a very fair person, with honesty and integrity, and I like myself. Favourite sayings: "The truth is ugly and it hurts, but it's still the truth." author - my Dad"Those who talk too much have no time to listen. Those who listen, don't waste time talking unnecessarily."The best translation I could come up with for an old folk saying my mom used to tell us kids (when we were yakking too much - LOL)."Why lie? It's a waste of time and hurts people."I use this one all the time because it's the truth."Never arrogantly assume you got away with something. Rather, question why I let you think you did." author - meThat one is for the type of people on my Dislikes list, how I deal with them.
Ahhhh.... the end finally. Bravo to those of you who read it all. :D Why such a long bio? So nothing is hidden and people know after reading it if they can get along with me or not...no nasty surprises. P.S. The most important part. A heartfelt thank you to those of you who looked at my images and took the time to leave such lovely comments. It is very much appreciated. I look forward to eventually making my way through each one of your galleries. P.P.S. Some of you may have noticed that my favourite artists, images and vendors lists are conspicuously empty. This is for a reason. There are simply too many and I fear missing someone. Suffice it to say, if I have bought stuff from you, especially more than one item, you're a fave. If I have commented, especially more than once, I really like your work. :)
thanks.