I is for Interests- #AtoZChallenge

Let us start the week off with a more personal introduction. Today, I is for Interests, and of those I have many!

This is me. Well, actually, this is me from October 2015 because, despite my tendency to photo many things, one of the things I don't really take the time to photograph is myself. Go figure! (Why not take a new photo? Because I actually like this one...)

As far as general info goes, I'm 28. I was born on American soil (a California girl), but I live as a permanent resident in Australia, with my husband, on the lovely green island state of Tasmania. While my background in America includes all of my schooling, including my training in the culinary arts (baking and pastry) and my experiences in catering, working in a bakery, and even working as a childcare assistant, it is here in Tassie where I started doing all of my research and knowledge gathering about gardening, self reliance, sustainability, animal husbandry, and all the other things you have seen me blog about here on Living and Learning.

Stepping outside of those subjects, though, I thought I'd share a few of my other little mentioned hobbies, in a sort of "Meet the Author" post.

Reading is my most favorite form of escapism EVER. I used to be able to speed read my way through books, and then, if they were really good, I'd reread them again and again, diving deeper into the details and absorbing every little point of the story. I may not speed read now, but I still read and reread the best ones. My favorite genre is science fiction- I am forever being inspired and fascinated by "space age" ideas, and those in turn influence my own story writing. My favorite books are actually 16 (well, soon to be 17- I am still waiting for it to arrive for my first read through) novels written by C.J. Cherryh- The Foreigner Series is a vastly complex "space opera" universe that brings together humans and aliens, political drama, intercultural and interspecies relations, intrigue, assassination and good old fashion gun fight action together into one epic masterpiece of fiction. I have been reading these books since I was 10 years old, and I am a forever fan. Other genres I enjoy include fantasy, "prepper"/post-apocalypse fiction, and various educational subjects.

I mentioned writing in the post above, and you've probably already figured that one- I do, after all, write a blog! This is my first year trying my hand at the A to Z Blogging Challenge, and it has been an interesting exercise so far. I have also spent almost every year for the last 6 or 7 years participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which takes place in November every year. My favorite genres to write in are (surprise surprise) the same ones I like to read: sci-fi, fantasy, prepper/post apocalypse, and educational, but also throw in dream journals, blogging and fan-fiction/cross over fiction, and I have a pretty wide range of subject possibility to cover. I also spent a considerable time, for a while, in what I called "text based role playing"- meaning, basically, two or people writing posts together to further a dialogue or plot between a group of players. I developed many interesting characters over the time I role played with others, and always recommend it to anyone interested in story development and writing.

I love music, and have an extensive background in it, actually. I have played musical instruments (mostly of the clarinet family, but also including the baritone saxophone) since the 6th grade. I sang for three years in the primer school choir, but I didn't like it as much- it was really only a way to prove to my parents that I was dedicated to music enough to stick with it, so they'd let me join the band! I own an electronic MIDI keyboard (which is currently in need of repair, unfortunately) and my own electric bass guitar (which, I'll admit, I don't play nearly as often as I should). I have toyed with the idea of purchasing my own clarinet (and guitar lessons), but haven't made that step just yet. I listen to music almost all the time, on YouTube, from an extensive collection of CDs my husband has, and from my own MP3 player, which attends me wherever I am walking to pace myself.

The fact that I enjoy cooking, baking, gardening and crafting are all givens, considering the subject matter of my posts here. I also love my art, and I actually covered that in my very first post for this month, in the "A is for Art" blog. 

I am always learning too. Recently, I have been teaching myself (with the guidance of a very good friend) how to use a sewing machine, and how to utilize the techniques to make successful projects using quilting and applique, as well as how to repair (and recycle) clothing, and even how to design things such as dish towels and cloth serviettes, which can be made from scratch (and will hopefully feature in a later post!) As I am such a varied crafter (yarn, fabric, etc), I'm positively dangerous when set lose inside a craft store!

Being the domestic goddess that I am, I of course engage in all the normal household duties you would expect of a housewife (but no one wants to hear about how often I have to do the dishes... which seems to be all the damn time!) I enjoy night time walks for exercise; I love how clear the stars are here, and I make it a habit to spot and mark the position of the Southern Cross and Orion constellations when I go out- a by-product of my love of science fiction is a love of the night sky. I enjoy video and PC games (flash games are good fun too), and when I have a bit of money and time to spare, I do actually indulge in a bit of World of Warcraft.

I hope you've enjoyed this post, and feel free to share something about yourselves in the comments as well- I am always interested in reading what my followers have to say. So until tomorrow, keep on Living and Learning!