All About You (Part II)

[Beregond]

Name (that you go by): I go by many names: Ara, Bere, Dez... but I am called Derek by those who know my name.
Age: 21 in 2008.
Occupation: Online student, tech support/webmaster/computer person for family business.
Future Aspirations: To be decently rich but more importantly married, settled, and in a position of security with a job that it better than tolerable.
Goal in life: See above.
Short term goals: Finish schooling. Constantly improve artistic abilities, archery marksmanship, and swordplay. Travel to Europe again.
Passion: Tolkien, travel, art, hockey.
Hobbies: Art, reading, archery, geography, sports (hockey, karate, and football [soccer], ping pong).
Famous for (okay this is where you get to brag about yourself): Famous for being humble, hehe. Umm... I've designed some decent websites over the years and run a forum (Rohan). No, I'm not famous. I'll update in a few years.

Fave book: Lord of the Rings (with the Silmarillion getting a consideration and The Hobbit running close, along with Narnia and ASoIaF).
Fave movie: Lord of the Rings - yes, as much as I hate parts of it, tis my favourite.
Fave sport: Hockey. I'm Canadian. Love to play it, love to watch it. Go Sens Go!
Fave store: Amazon.com
Fave music: Too many and varied. Howard Shore/Hans Zimmer/Yanni/Weezer/Queen/Hayley Westenra; a very small sample.

What you can't stand: When people get unreasonably upset for little reason. When people in power do selfish acts. Movie stars. 95% of musicians. About 20 scenes/lines in LotR movies. Hypocrisy by political/religious leaders.
What you plain dislike: Debilitating computer errors. The education system. Toronto Maple Leafs.
Who you admire: Winston Churchill, JRR Tolkien, soldiers.
What you most love to do: Travel.
Your self-confessed flaws: Hastiness. Procrastination. Ofttimes lack of self-control. Overemotional. Looking to the past and not the future.
What intrigues/fascinates you: Historical places and things - "some guy built this 2000 years ago - COOL!"; Languages. Geography. The ability to create realistic art.
What scares you: Spiders. Loneliness. Deep water (can't swim). Heights. Orcs, and unstable people with loaded guns.
Quotation to live by: " All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Additional comments: Soylent green is people!

[Ilya]

Even when I have no work I find ways to procrastinate...

Name (that you go by): Sarah
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Future Aspirations: To make it in the profession that captures my attention.
Short term goals: Make some money so I can study abroad, enjoy college life, get into the major I want, keep pushing my writing
Passion: writing, film, history, tea
Hobbies: fandom, music, fencing, kendo, futzing around photoshop, reading
Famous for (okay this is where you get to brag about yourself): My s'more pie (aka the cardiac attack).
Fave book: Lord of the Rings.
Fave movie: I actually don't have one. I love so many movies for different reasons that I'm incapable picking only one. Gun to my head I might say Empire Strikes Back.
Fave sport: American Football. Geaux Saints!
Fave store: Barnes and Noble
Fave music: I go through phases. Right now I'm really digging Old Crow Medicine Show and The Wailin' Jennys.

What you can't stand: Closemindedness and willful ignorance.
What you plain dislike: Mosquitoes, anchovies, spiders.
Who you admire: My brother
What you most love to do: Watch films/tv with friends, read, write
What scares you: Being left behind
Your self-confessed flaws: Laziness (though I'm getting better), self-doubt, overly shy, very anxiety-ridden.
What intrigues/fascinates you: History, places and worlds not my own
Quotation to live by: Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all.

[Andsigil]

My God, everyone here is so young.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Andsigil

My God, everyone here is so young.

Oh no they aren't!

*in best pantomime tradition*

There are a lot of 'more mature' people on this site, in contrast to many Tolkien sites!

[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.”

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Oh no they aren't!

*in best pantomime tradition*

There are a lot of 'more mature' people on this site, in contrast to many Tolkien sites!

I think you will find that a lot of us are in our prime...

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I think you will find that a lot of us are in our prime...

Perhaps even prematurely, in the case of others.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lhunardawen

Perhaps even prematurely, in the case of others.

I think it is more a state of mind than an age, my darling neglected girl.