A RAINBOW BRIDGE

Hi, I was born and raised in Honolulu with two summers spent in Kyoto, Japan when I was 8 and 9. I love traveling, but have not done anywhere near as much as I would like. I have finally been to the East Coast, North Carolina and DC but I didn't get to see the Atlantic. I have not experienced the seasons and I've only seen snow once. I love the Bay Area of California and moved there in August 2010.

I moved to Portland, Oregon in July 2011. I love Portland but we'll have to see how well I deal with winter.

My background culturally is mostly Japanese. Specifically that odd "local Japanese" culture that is present in Hawaii, with bits of culture frozen in time from when the immigrants came here. I was raised in an environment filled with old traditions connected with classical Japanese dance or buyou. Many of my ingrained responses and values are Japanese. I am also a geek and something of a gamer. I don't know that I am completely comfortable with that last definition just yet. I'm not sure that tabletop RPG's are for me. But I do love playing boardgames and I find myself analysing the game mechanics of clicky games.

I love books. I'll read almost anything. It's been a while since I've read any hardcore sci-fi and I'm only just sampling horror but when I have time I'm usually reading fantasy. And I love knowing the whys and hows of things so I've read a large amount of nonfiction too.

I love movies. I used to work at a theatre so I got to see them free. Disney's Fantasia started me seeking out and reading myths, starting with the Greek and spreading out from there. That got me eventually seeking out paganism.

I also love making things. I haven't actually made things using every technique I've researched but I've got lots of how-to books. I've recently tried out more fiber art techniques and loved them. Indigo dying especially using the shibori technique is something that I especially enjoy doing. I am also studying ceramics.

I was working for the State of Hawaii as a Clerk Typist but the under the stress of that job, I broke. I am healing, slowly and dealing with my depression and anxiety. I have recently accepted that I am an adult survivor of child abuse and my mother is a compulsive hoarder. Accepting these issues has helped me better deal with the trauma involved. I have also recently found out that I do have a bit of ptsd. In some ways I am glad that I found my trigger. This way I can work on it.

To give me something to do and to use the loads of information I have in my head for good, I went back to school. I got my AA and am working on my BA in Geography, specifically the GIS system. I try to be flexible enough to say that I may not end there, but that is where I am heading. So far geography seems to be a good match for me. I didn't realize how much I thought about things from a spatial perspective.

I love geography. It is a field in which I could use my love of hard science in collecting data. My love of soft science in interpreting it. And my love of art in presenting the information visually.