[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Name (that you go by): Where? Here? Ibrin, or Ibri. In real life, Mary Jean (though I answer to MJ)

Age: 55

Occupation: at the moment, Life. At other times, composer, freelance musician, writer, artist, designer, seamstress, milliner... bunch of other stuff

Future Aspirations: getting beyond my PTSD

Goal in life: finding a real symphony orchestra to play my symphonies

Short term goals: winning the lottery would be nice, but I’ll settle for finishing a few unfinished projects

Passion: music, astronomy, most of the arts

Hobbies: same as passions, plus gardening, reading, studying odd languages, quilting, other weird crafts

Famous for (okay this is where you get to brag about yourself): Ai. “Famous,” hm? Well, I was once a filksinger and songwriter of some note (partial pun intended), I published a fairly well respected fanzine for some 15 years or so, I had the good fortune to become friends with three out of four of my favorite authors (Tolkien’s the one I missed, drat), and did some beta reading for Anne McCaffrey. I’ve owned several successful businesses of my own, have gotten within a hair’s breadth of having one of my original novels published (I have actually written 39), and have managed to complete six symphonies and four suites inspired by Tolkien’s writings. And I always thought I’d never be more than a song writer. I am also very proud of my father, who headed up one of the divisions of GM that designed subsystems for NASA’s Project Apollo.

Fave book: That’s actually quite difficult to say. LotR is one, but not the only, though it probably had the greatest influence on my life. I have enjoyed many, many books, but my four favorite authors have been Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kurtz, and Gordon R. Dickson.

Fave movie: Again, impossible to say. The list would be ridiculously long, because what I enjoy changes with my mood.

Fave sport: None. I used to be an avid bicyclist and hiker, but injuries have put an end to those pastimes. And as I prefer to participate rather than observe, I don’t much care for watching sports. Though my family, having its roots in Green Bay, used to worship at the Church of St. Vincent of Lombardi every Sunday when I was a kid.

Fave store: None.

Fave music: Also impossible to say. There is no genre of music or composer thereof that I entirely like or dislike. My greatest influences have probably been Debussy, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Tchaikovsky, Bernard Hermann, Alan Hovhaness, John Williams, George Gershwin, myriad varieties of folk music, music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and Gregorian Chant.

What you can't stand: Bullies, hypocrites, control freaks, liars, bigots, narcissists... well, what do you expect for someone trying to recover from PTSD?

What you plain dislike: Mushrooms, beets, insects, and anything else I’m allergic to, anything pickled and anything with mayonnaise.

Who you admire: My voice and composition instructors from my college days. And my Dad.

What you most love to do: Compose music, or sing. Playing instruments is not so easy anymore, alas, because of damage from many severe injuries. Write, draw, bake.

Your self-confessed flaws: I’m a worry-wart, tend to be overly critical of myself, and have a rather explosive temper (the necessary control of which tends to make people think I’m hypersensitive, or emotionally detached. If they only knew...). My self-esteem stinks, and I have abandonment issues from childhood that manifest in very odd ways. I want others to be happy at the expense of my own happiness and self-esteem.

What intrigues/fascinates you: Life, the universe, and myriad things both in and beyond it. Which explains why in Tolkien's world I as most fascinated by the Ainur.

What scares you: Can’t easily be summarized.

Quotation to live by: “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” (Doc Brown in Back to the Future).

Additional comments: Who said everyone here is young? Then again, what is “young”? As was said by, of all people, Douglas MacArthur: “Youth is not entirely a time of life: it is a state of mind. It is not wholly a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips, or supple knees. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions – nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.”