I’ve been an English teacher in a suburban school district for about a decade. I could possibly take over for a circus ringmaster with little trouble.

I live with a curious and snuggly mini poodle who’s named after a conflicted villain in an RPG video game. I enjoy reading sci-fi/fantasy. I dabble in Photoshop. I try to write fiction. I occasionally work cross-stitch. My TV is generally tuned to the Science Channel or HGTV.

My poodle’s probably more exciting; he’s definitely cuter.  However, I have opposable thumbs, so I still come out ahead.

♥

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Intraordinary kindly awarded me the One Lovely Blog award. Thank you so much for that!

Rules of the OLB Award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Add the “One Lovely Blog Award” image to your post.
3. Share seven things about yourself.
4. Nominate seven other bloggers.
5. Inform the nominees by posting on their blog.

Seven things about me.

• I’m an English teacher at a public high school. Right now I teach Honors senior English, grade level sophomore English, and freshman Advisory (which is a sort of “welcome to high school, be a better person” kind of class). I love teaching, I hate grading, and I despise the politics of public education, but I do genuinely enjoy being in the classroom and discussing literature with students.
• My dog is my best friend. Gabranth is named after a character in Final Fantasy XII, and while he likes to think he’s fierce, he’s really just a little snugglepuppy. When I’m sad, he cheers me up, and his waggy tail always makes me smile. Nothing is quite like coming home to someone who is so excited to see me that he leaps repeatedly into the air.
• I have a sister 20 years older than I, who has kids recently graduated from college. While this makes me feel older than dirt, I’m so proud of my niece and nephew. They’re good-hearted, accomplished, amazing young adults, and I wish I lived closer to them to be a bigger part of their lives.
• I’m the only member of my family not living in the Philadelphia area. I went to Boston University for undergrad, I got a job after graduation, changed my mind and went back to BU for a Master’s in a totally different field, got a teaching job, and a few years ago bought a condo. My mom is still mad at me for leaving. I always intended to come home, but things just worked out this way. I think, though, that I’ll move back eventually; it’s hard to be so far from my whole family for so many years.
• I’m wicked boring, really. I wake up at 4:45 am for work, so by the end of the day I’m usually exhausted, and I rarely go out. I’m intensely shy around people I don’t know, so I generally hang out with my neighbors outside on a nice afternoon/evening and spend my evenings at home grading reading.
• I don’t like chocolate-flavored things, like cake or ice cream. I like chocolate (Godiva is my fav), but it’s not a huge vice, although I crave it every so often. My favorite ice cream flavor is probably butter pecan, and my favorite cake would have to be my mom’s almond pound cake.
• I hate pink. Hate it. Hate. Make it blue!