So, at work there was this thing with a re-org and this new Sr. Director added to be head honcho of our department, and it's all very corporate bullshit nonsense as far as I can see, but it is what it is, and I just keep my head down, do my job and nod and clap at the appropriate places. Dear god, I've never been so glad to be a remote employee who gets to attend meetings via teleconference so no one can see me roll my eyes at the ridiculous bits.

Anyway, despite my misgivings, the new BossOfAll asked us to do this "Get to Know Me" thing. Which I thought was asinine and I was absolutely not going to do it, except the managers who have done it so far are actually interesting. And they are saying silly things too, like "I have a really big thumb" or "I wear a size 11 shoe" or "I bet I could out-eat anyone of you in ice cream." Of course there is the totally intimidating stuff too, "like I taught school in rural Nepal during the Maoist takeover" or "I have hiked the Nā Pali coast on the island of Kauai" and "I have run 2 half marathons and 2 Ragnar Relays over the past 18 months".

GEEZE! I am the most boring person on the planet!

Anyway, after seeing their lists, I thought I would take a shot. And, you, my dear flisties, get to see it first. I keep taking things off, especially the most fandom related ones, but one of the guys who already shared talked about Star Trek and being a gamer and sounded like a total geek, so maybe it's ok...

25 (not really) Random Factoids

1. I have three kids, my eldest is 26 and my baby just turned 19. I define my life as before kids and after kids, but to be honest I don't really remember much from before.

2. I'm a guy movie kinda gal. Are there fast cars, spaceships or explosions? I'm there.

3. I was a geek before it was cool. #oldschoolgeekftw

4. I play piano (so very out of practice) mandolin (also needs practice) dulcimer (a little) and guitar (decently). I'd like to learn banjola - it's tuned like a banjo on a modified mandolin body.

5. I have a terrible case of GAD - Guitar Acquisition Disease. I currently posses two Yamahas (an F series dreadnaught and an APX thinline cutaway) an Ovation Celebrity, a Larrivee Premier and an Art & Lutherie acoustic dreadnaught. I really want/covet/desire a 12 sting Guild cutaway, but considering they start at about $3500, that won't be happening any time soon. #guitarenvy

6. I'm in a (mostly) a cappella group called Harmonic Mayhem. The name really fits.

7. Over the years, I've run Hospitality suites at SF, Writer and Music conventions in Vancouver, Seattle, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Atlanta.

8. I've never travelled outside of North America, and I'm totally ok with that.

9. I like trying local craft beers and have hosted several beer tastings. I'll be happy when the current obsession with IPA finally fades. #toomuchhops

10. Cats. Just sayin'. I get that some of you are dog people, and I like you anyway, but... cats.

11. I sing harmony for two songs on my friend's CD - https://echoschildren.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-hazel-tree

12. My children and I often discuss what would be the best place to hole up in case of a zombie apocalypse. It sometimes garners strange looks from people passing by, but other times it results in interesting conversations with strangers.

13. My daughter and I are serious bakers - we start our baking in November, and last year we made 12 difference recipes, over 25 dozen cookies and squares. We mailed out over 30 boxes of baked good for Christmas.

14. My favorite cookie cutter last year was an old school rocket ship - this year I found NINJAS!

15. The Avengers Movie-verse is all that and a slice of toast. Marvel rocks, don't even talk to me about DC. #powned

16. I love me some Star Wars, but 2 things: Han Shot First, and We shall Never Speak of the prequels. I'm with ManagerH on Jar Jar. Because some things should never have happened.

17. When I was very young, we lived in Thompson MB, and often visited my grandparents in Churchill. I remember watching the aurora borealis stretch across the sky in the winter, and summer nights when the sun didn't set till nearly midnight.

18. I fell in love with mountains when I was a child, even though I'd never seen them in person. When we moved to Vancouver, we traveled VIA rail; as the train wound through the Rockies, I realized I was finally home. I live in the Best Place On Earth. #beautifulbritishcolumbia

19. I miss the aurora borealis, but I'm happy with the trade off - mild winter temperatures and virtually NO SNOW are just a few of the benefits of west coast life.

20. Last time I counted, I had over 1000 books. Heinlein, Webber, Bujold, Butcher and McGuire are prominent names on my shelves.

21. In true Hollywood North fashion, I've been an extra in a movie.

22. I like oxy-acetylene welding but not TIG or MIG - the welding helmet makes me claustrophobic.

23. I would rather wash 10 loads of dishes, pots and pans, than put away one load of clean dishes.

24. I sleep with my window open all year, even in the dead of winter. Granted, the coldest night in Vancouver last year was only 0 degrees C, but still - open.

25. I went to a Star Trek convention 25 years ago with my then infant daughter. I tried to get out of the panel I had attended before the autographs started, but unfortunately got caught in the hordes of people lining up. Suddenly a voice beside me said, "Let me help you with that." I looked up to find Nichelle Nichols reaching out for the front of my stroller and walking ahead to guide me through the crowd, who then parted before her like Moses and the red sea. Once clear, she cooed over my daughter and we talked babies for a bit, then I thanked her and she headed back over to sign autographs for her waiting fans. She is truly the First Lady of Star Trek and if I hadn't already adored her, I certainly would have after that.