Me...
I was born in Los Angeles in 1979, and spent the majority of my growing-up years in Oregon. In turn, most of my Oregon years were spent in a little town called Hood River.
I was born with a little thing called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, and I'd be deluding myself if I said it didn't play a role in shaping who I am today. While many so-called disability activists say any "special" treatment/activities/programs for people with disabilities are somehow degrading and insulting, I say some of my best experiences in life have come out of those activities and I wouldn't change that for the world.
In 1995 I met the love of my life in, of all places, an AOL message forum. After a year of living as a long-distance couple, and another 2 1/2 years of trying to make a life for ourselves in Oregon, I moved with him back to his hometown in Rhode Island in 1998. We are still there, together, today.
Friends & Family...
It would be unfair to mention any of my friends individually, as I would inevitably leave someone out and hurt their feelings (albeit unintentionally). But it should be safe (I hope) to list the basic categories my friends fall into...
- a few members of the HRVHS graduating classes of 1994-1996
- campers and counselors from MDA's Oregon summer camp
- 1995 DO-IT scholars
- founding members of the Disabilities-R-Us community
- members of the WinExtra newsgroups
- others I have met randomly on- and offline
My family is complicated, but I'll give you the simple version. I have, of course, a mom and a dad. I am the second oldest of six siblings, four of us girls, the other two boys (duh). I also have a nephew, and a niece will be arriving any day now. There are, of course, aunts, uncles and cousins too numerous to mention... and everyone has grandparents. Of course I must also include that love of my life I mentioned earlier, and all of the family I've inherited through him... and my baby, Chiquita.
What I've Been Up To...
In no particular order:
- Maintaining confoozled.com, a perpetual work in progress
- Providing peer technical support (or just entertainment, I'm not sure) on the WinExtra newsgroups.