Finally, a Friday Five!

I always mean to do a Friday Five. I always forget (hey, it's the end of the week, what do you expect?) So, since I'm up, I've patiently bided my time until they could post the latest questions. Being naturally verbose, I unfortunately wasn't the first to post, though. Oh, and I know, I'm giving way too much info, but the whole point is to get to know one another, right? Here goes:

1. What are your hobbies?

Gardening, role-playing games, yoga, genealogy, dead languages, writing, forensics, and anything to do with Aegyptology. Oh, and reading. Yeah, gee, how could I forget that? I guess it's kind of like breathing to me--I don't think to mention it.

2. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

When I was a kid I collected stamps and rocks.

Now I collect: carved wooden boxes, books, comic books, wayward animals, coloured bottles, states I've visited (listing, not the whole thing, obviously--they'd never fit in my house), and odd (not valuable, just odd) coins.

Things I'd like to collect: scented geraniums, ivies, and stamps (again) and rocks (again). I have to be careful though; I tend to hoard random stuff, so I'm trying to cut down my 'collecting'.

3. Is there a hobby you're interested in, but just don't have the time/money to do?

I'd love to travel more. I'd like to visit all 50 states and several countries. So far I'm at about 27 for the states and 0 for getting out of the country (and I'm an Air Force brat, probably the only one who never got out of the States!) I'd like to learn beading, but I've lost some of the dexterity needed to do it well.

4. Have you ever turned a hobby into a moneymaking opportunity?
I am not what you would call an entrepreneur. If I had to make money out of it, it wouldn't be fun. I did work as an assistant manager in a comic store, though. It got me lots of comics. :)

When I was married I raised hamsters, and we sold a few back to the pet store. We raised giant fluffy 'teddy bear' style hamsters--bigger than I've ever seen, not on purpose, but they were like small guinea pigs. Unfortunately we lost a female because her babies were just too big and one got caught coming out. I'd been taking a nap and come out to find her dead. I went hysterical; someone else flushed the orphan baby hamsters (which traumatised me further). Shortly thereafter we found homes for the hamsters and got cats, both of which were fixed. No more breeding animals for me except in my aquarium!

You know, people have asked me why on earth I tried to help the squirrel whose bite gave me the idea for the name "Rabid Librarian". When I think about it, I was always one of those kids who was overly sensitive to animals in danger. I cried continuously during "Lassie". I was barred from watching a Saturday morning show called "Run Joe Run" for the same reason. I was traumatised in elementary school by the book/movie Sounder although I own a copy and think it's a wonderful piece of literature that had a long-standing effect on how I look at society and racism. I have never watched Old Yeller. My mother used to distract me when she'd see an animal dead on the road; it still bothers me a lot, and I say a little prayer for them. I've been truly hysterical twice that I remember, once with the hamster and once with a black cat I hit one Friday the 13th at midnight who died in my arms.

At the same time, I sometimes lack the emotions I should have about people. It's like I just shut off. When I've had people in my family die, I won't cry except long after everything's over. I can still remember watching Dances with Wolves and having to leave when the wolf and horse are killed, but happy when the soldiers who killed them were. Granted, that's fiction, but still...sometimes I think my priorities are a little screwed. It's not that I don't feel the emotions, not really. I'm not a sociopath. It's just it hurts so much, so deeply, that I can't express it well. But animals--and children--have always brought out my protective/crying side.

5. Besides web-related stuff (burbs, rings, etc.), what clubs do you belong to?
Clubs...well, I don't really think of being a member of a club. I am a member and senior council member for the Rosemoon Guild, a pagan organisation here in Lexington. I'm president of the Bluegrass Medical Libraries consortium and belong to both the Kentucky Library Association and Medical Library Association. I suppose I'm technically still a member of Phi Alpha Theta and Alpha Lambda Delta (no these aren't sororities, they're academic societies).

Going back to old high school annuals, I've been in 4-H, Future Homemakers of America (now FCCLA), Foreign Language Club, National Honour Society, and our high school academic bowl team.

In college I was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, something called the CIA (not what you think; it stood for Campus Information Association, was extremely short-lived, and as far as I know, had no real purpose other than to give computer geeks a home), the University of Kentucky Library and Information Science Student Organisation, the UK History Grad Students Association (or whatever it's called) and the American Library Association.

I'm not into much right now. I've thought about joining a book club. Or joining one of those Civil War reconstructionist groups. At one point I thought about joining the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) just because I'm eligible, and it'd give me a good resource for doing genealogy. (Being less mature than I am now) I thought it'd be kind of fun, me and my unconventional self in the ranks of one of the most stereotypically snobbish groups in America. Turns out they get a bum rap. I found out that the DAR is actually pretty hip these days. I still might join, it just wouldn't be quite as rebellious now. I actually found out I'd fit in pretty well. Sure I'm a liberal pagan, etc., etc. I also happen to be pretty patriotic (I actually salute the flag during parades, something I only seem to share with veterans from my grandfather's era) and interested in promoting the principles upon which the country was founded.

Hmm...answering five questions is more work than I thought. See you next Friday.