That Meme Thing Going Around -- ALL ABOUT ME!

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Stole this meme from lucy_locket and a whole slew of others.

You know how sometimes people on your friendslist post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when were they working THERE? Since when were they dating HIM/HER? Since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.

Please copy the topics below, erase my answers and put yours in their place, and then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration. One-Word-Answers seldom help anyone out.



FIRST NAME
Carolyn is my first name, and I rather love it. I've always been extraordinarily happy with this name--not too common, it doesn't end in a 'y' (sorry to my kids as both their names do). It is a strong name (even when I am not, which sometimes, I'm just not), and it begins with the best letter, EVER. A "C" :) C's rock. I also go by C.

Just do not call me Carol (as I hate it--sorry to any Carols out there, but I am not a Carol, I am a CarolYN). Or Caroline (which isn't quite as bad) but Never Ever EVER call me CARO. Seriously. There are personal reasons involved with that name, and it makes me angry when people call me that. I Do Not Like It.

AGE
47. Yes, I am ancient numbers-wise. But I look in the mirror, and see the person I've made myself into these last five years, and most remarkably the last one--and I smile. I am damn proud of myself, I've fought hard to get this body and take my health back from the brink. From overly fluffy and well over 200 to a nicely trim 155-158, I am feeling and looking pretty damn good. AND cured of sleep apnea, which is not easy to do and rarely happens. So I may be 47 by the calendar, but I am healthier and look better (and likely feel better) than many, many people half my age. Hell yeah.

LOCATION
Fort Worth, Texas. I've lived here all my life, live in a house barely 15 minutes from where I grew up. Lived in THAT house from the time I was born until I left it for good at 19. I have a love-hate relationship with this city--there's much to love about it, there really is, but I am not truly happy here. This is not where I want to spend the rest of my life. I want to live somewhere beautiful, and this is not it. I want to be somewhere where I have friends to do things with, yes, but who also walk to the same drummer I do, and that is hard to find in a city like this.

OCCUPATION
I am a research analyst for the GeoInfo Department of Bartlett & West. We handle all the GIS, mapping, data and research for (now!) several Class I railroads. I work only on BNSF Railway stuff currently. I know everything about the history of this railroad--my knowledge of it and how it works and its contracts and maps and such is crazy, extensive, and totally useless anywhere else. I leave here, I *have* to change careers as I can't take this with me.

One thing though I am working on (finally) is learning the GIS part of the job--this is not going to happen overnight, but I am (finally) part of that group. Current project: railroad crossing detective! LOL. I am part of the two-person team researching 2090 railroad crossings that the FRA says belong to BNSF. My job is to find the blasted little buggers based on the FRA's horrid info, and figure out if they are BNSF's or not, and then write up nice little explanations of the procedure I followed to prove or disprove the FRA's accusation. LOL.

I love my job for so many reasons, primarily because I get along wonderfully with my boss and all the other guys in the office, I have lots of flexibility, I am left alone to do my work. I get alot of respect from the folks at BNSF and am appreciated. These are hard things to think about leaving, honestly. I wish I made more, but I am happy at my job. So, I am staying put until something unknown at this time happens.

PARTNER
cruentum aka Nick is mine and I am his. We have a long-distance relationship, have known each other almost 5 years (Dec. 9), been together since...um...we do not have an official date. It just sorta came about somehow in the course of things, a friendship that started because of the Savage Garden fandom. We have no idea what the future will bring in terms of ever NOT having this be long-distance, but we are both, for the time being, happy with how things are. We do not need white picket fences to be happy, and definitely don't need a traditional relationship to be happy. Or want it. No thanks. Done that (I have anyway), and just...no. Nope. Shudder.

KIDS
Tiffany, age 20, Kelly my son, age 17. My kids are incredible. They have dealt with so much in life--losing their dad so young--and yet they are both doing amazingly well. It was harder on my son (he was only 12) than it was Tiff, who had already entered that butt-heads-with-parents phase, but it was only with her dad. SO MUCH ALIKE! LOL. She is a bossy, head-strong, smart, confident kid who has been my rock so many times over the years, even when I knew deep-down a kid shouldn't have to play that role. She lives at home and goes to TCU, and I am glad. My son is a senior in high school, finally finding some good things--he is in choir, which he loves, Men's Varsity, and he just snagged a role as Braxton in the high school musical, Little Women. This is SUCH a surprise--I had no idea he had such a great voice! LOL. He wants to study architecture. It is going to be difficult to send him to university, but we'll do it, somehow.

BROTHERS/SISTERS
Oldest sister is Robyn--married with one kid, who has two of his own. She lives here in town and I rarely see her--she simply walks in a different world than I do, had different beliefs and views. But she is a good person and would be there if I ever needed her.

My sister Leslie is the middle one--she lives in Nashville with her partner--no wait! husband! they finally got around to getting married a few weeks ago--and their brilliant, brilliant, brilliant child Lexie, 13.5. Leslie is my favorite sister, she is awesome, we talk all the time in email, and have helped each other out over the years. She's had a hell of a year, which no doubt brought us closer. I am pretty sure we hated each other when we were younger, but turns out that we view the world the same. She knows about me and Nick, Robyn does not--that right there tells you something.

PETS
Oh anyone reading this lj knows I LOVE MY SIBERIAN HUSKIES! Maddox is my black and white boy, Shelby my red and white girl. They are awesome, I adore this breed of dogs--the Northern breds, more than I ever thought I would. A husky was my son's idea but lol of course I ended up taking care of him, and then got Shelby. I'd always had regular dogs (like Claire, my dear old English Springer Spaniel--oh what she has to put up with!) so these two are a real trip. They yammer, they woo, they prance, they fight (nothing like a husky 'fight' lol, they look like they will kill each other but nah), they zooom like maniacs and drive me absolutely nuts with their constant quest to escape (in their nature to run, so they try to get where they can) and their digging. But they have such a winning, warm personality, and throw themselves into loving and adoration that I can't imagine not having huskies from hereon out. :)

3-5 THINGS GOING ON IN MY LIFE
1. Nick. :) He takes up a lot of my time, and I love loving him and being a part of his life. We talk constantly, and about so much (okay mostly John Barrowman and La Cage Aux Folles right now but that is okay), that I am always being sent off in different directions, always talking about something new and different. I simply cannot imagine him not being my Number One.
2. Work, which takes up a major part of my day, needless to say. Ah well!
3. Writing: Planning on finish The Gulls this weekend. Other writing projects:

a. yuletide, which I am ENORMOUSLY excited about--(I got a composer!)--but I want The Gulls out of the way. I have a storyline, the opening, and have read enough about him that I think I can capture him well-enough. Set in the 1930's though, meep--this should be amusing!
b. Ballet Boy aka One False Note. Have almost 50k (oh if I was a cheater, I could put that into Nano, but nah). Must finish this in January. Now that I have heard from my elusive editor, who is very excited about this book, and due to the fact that I continue to get such great fan letters and $$ for Red, that is going to be my #1 goal after the little pieces are done. No more writing fanfiction after The Gulls, at least not anytime soon.
c. Post-Ballet boy. When this is done, which will be my first complete manuscript IN FOUR YEARS OKAY FIVE there will be much celebrating. I will also be faced with The Dilemma. I do believe I will continue writing for Loose-Id.
i. It is possible that the composer will be the next one up for them...I love his real-life story, but suppose I will have to set it in modern times. I think I have a thing for the musical/creative types--first was Red, about a singer and a guitarist, now Ballet Boy, which actually is about a bassist and a ballet dancer, so why not a composer and oh another singer, damn. But in a very different world--opera. Grin. However, I also love Wolfhunter, and know that would do very well for Loose-Id. So, I actually believe this will be up next for them, with Mr. Composer later, or not, we'll see. Something away from the musical theme, more magical would be very nice, and drawing on what I am learning by writing the seagull story.
ii. Historicalish fantasy. Always at the back of my mind is this story, set in an auish Shakespearean-world. The storyline draws inspiration from Oliver!, and from the boy players of the times. I have a ton of info on them thanks to the purchase of a dissertation someone directed me to. Picturing it in the vein of GRRM and lol the Kushiel's Series. My two favorite historical(ish) fantasy authors. :)

PARENTS

My mom died in 2001 after a long, horrible stroke-caused illness. My dad took care of her until she died. During all this, our neighbor and a good friend of my parents, Kathy, widowed herself, continued visiting my mom, bringing her things, painting her nails and doing her hair. And, providing someone to talk to for my dad. They were married less than six months after my mom died, and yes, we all know perfectly well that they fell for each other long before my mom died. We (my sisters and I) are cool with that (though we joke about her '7 shades of mauve' house). Her own daughters took awhile to come around to it, but all is fine now. Her two boys didn't care. They'll have been married 9 years come next Valentine's Day.

CLOSEST FRIENDS

Nick of course is my number one. No surprise, huh? :)

Can I count my sister Leslie? Good thing, cuz next to Nick, she's the one person I am truly closest too, the one who knows Everything.

Longest-running friend is Holly--we've known each other since Kindergarten, have moved in and out of each others' lives but we are still in touch often and see each other when she can slip away from her kid. She had a surprise baby late in life (42, omg! NO!) and Timothy is now five. Husband travels for work and Holly is crazy-busy so we don't see each other often.

Tammie is my next-longest-running friend. Met her husband first online (Prodigy!) and we became friends--he thought we might hit it off. They eventually landed here in North Texas by way of Chicago. We talk often (though her homeschooling is eating her alive right now) and our daughters are the same age. They moved to Georgia, though...someday, will move back to this area. I hope to hell so.

Sad to say, no other friends here. Part of this is because during those years most married couples make friends and build relationships with others just didn't happen for us. I know why, but really? Don't want to think about it anymore. It no longer matters.

That leaves the online world. I have alot of people on my flist who have known me for many years. *beams* Like amproof and Linda klgrem and leafy_ and "elbavolnu and others...Linda is the person who got me onto LJ. :) Many others though! All special for special reasons.

The Torchwood people are just simply special because this is the first solid group of friends Nick and I have made together. (or okay, Nick has made and I followed closely behind). The first group that we've built solid relationships with, So that makes them all special too--and here I never wanted to be involved in a fandom world. LOL. Am really really happy I put that aside.

And then there are those others who, for some reason or other, strike something special in my mind and heart and I am getting to know better all the time, and hope that continues to evolve: blue_fjords is one of those who reached out to me first from the TW world, convincing me I would actually be of use beta'ing her fic. I still don't know what Blue was thinking, but I sure am glad she decided to ask me. And oh all you others, on here and on twitter, you guys are amazing. And of course, my #1 guy, talekyn. I AM SO DAMN GLAD WE KNOW EACH OTHER! I adore my Anthony, LOVE when his work brings him by here. So very very awesomely wonderful special is he. :) catsintheattic is my other German on my flist I adore. She is way cool, and interesting, and I WILL MEET HER SOME DAY BY GOLLY! Nick has, but not me, not yet. And of course there is dear Kevvie, who stuck through some hard stuff with me. Awesome awesome guy. :)

How I wish it was easier to see other people, how I wish I lived close enough to some of y'all that I could hop in the car and just go have fun for a day or so, whenever we wanted to. Sigh... Ah well.

Comments

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Took me three long days to write it! And then I deleted parts of it--I am too wordy. LOL.

I like these memes as I enjoy the glimpses into lives. (well, that is the point of them right?)