banannie

Chris Brogan’s talent is asking good questions. He’s one of my favorite Twitter-buds because he just throws thoughts and questions out there and gets responses from all kinds of people.
The other day he wrote a quick autobiography, and today he asks everyone else to do the same, even providing a framework for it. My first reaction was that I can’t really answer these questions as asked- and Chris asked why not?

Ok, why not? Because I’ve been out of the workforce for nearly 2 decades. But does that really make a difference? Let’s give it a try.

The thing most people know me for is…
Real Life
Being a full-time SAHM to three sons. Volunteering locally. Most know I do “internet stuff” but don’t know what that is exactly.
Virtual Life
Being a tenacious geek & problem solver, very private about my personal life (with the very notable exception of the members of an email group I’ve known for 12 years, who may just know me better than my husband at this point!) Obviously I’m not as private as I used to be, though.

The people I associate the most with are…
Real Life
My husband and kids. Other parents, people I’ve mostly met through activities my kids have been involved with.
Virtual Life
All types of people I’ve met in all types of places! The only thing they have in common is that they know how to communicate via the internet. Some are fellow parents. Some have no kids. Some are single, some are married. Some are gay, some are straight. Some are religious, some are atheists. Some are old, some are young. They all bring something unique to the table, and that’s why I hang out with them.

People who have influenced my life are…
My husband, no doubt the strongest influence. And I’ve been the strongest influence on his, as well. We’ve known each other since we were 15, ‘nuf said.
My kids who continually teach me and challenge me and mostly, surprise me and force me to change direction.
One particular college professor who made me look at communications technologies (meaning mostly video back then) in new and exciting ways, despite a horrible lack of usable equipment.
My 7th grade teacher who went back to work when her kids were grown.
Countless writers.

One challenge I took on and overcame was…
Real Life
Staying home with my kids for 18 years (so far)! We made a lot of hard choices, especially in the early years. Financial choices, emotional choices, even losing friends in the process, sad to say. Tally up the costs v benefits, though, and the benefits win. Big time.
Virtual Life
Taught myself html, css, and enough about Javascript, MySQL and PHP to get by. Same with graphic design. Took over as admin of a forum in the midst of chaos and helped salvage it, that was kinda cool.

My early years, before you probably got to know me were…
Private. Very private. I’ve been online for 12 years and if you Google me you’ll find one reference from prior to this year that includes my last name, a poem I wrote 10 years ago that was published in an online ‘zine. Before having babies I worked for a cellular phone service as I mentioned previously, and I used to manage a record store that actually sold records. That was fun.

You might not know this, but …
I’ve written something, even if just an email to a group of friends or a blog entry, almost every day for over 12 years (= when I got my first PC.) I have a huge archive of things I’ve written that I’m sure I’ll never read again. Most of it is personal, journal-type stuff. I used to want to write fiction but never had the knack for it. The personal essay is much more my thing, which is why I love blogging so much. Lately I’m trying to tackle more journalistic stuff as well.

Also, I hate to cook and I totally suck at it.

I’m passionate about…
Communication. I’m fascinated with the ways new technologies make it easier for people to communicate, and equally fascinated by the number of people who express no interest at all in using new technologies! Also, the creative uses of communications technologies, which is a throwback to when I was learning about video art and the history of early TV in college. I see lots of parallels, and imagine that at some point internet video combined with chat, things like Skype, and who knows what else will change the way we entertain ourselves, just like TV did. I’m having such fun meeting people who are interested in the same things.

In the next year or two, I hope to…
I hope to continue to be home when my kids get home from school most days, even as they get older.
I hope to find a way to earn some money that allows for that, but isn’t just a “job.”
I hope Pixel Currents is reasonably successful.
I hope to write for publication.
I hope to continue to volunteer, especially with kids.
I hope to stay healthy and get stronger.

I have to admit, having the constraint of the questions posed by Chris helped. Some of the things I’ve written I’d like to expand on more, and I probably will at some point. A lot of the detail and reasoning behind it all is missing.

So, friends, family, strangers, future employers… there you have it.