For starters, I enjoy dancing and have been taking ballroom dance lessons for 10+ years. I dance pro-am, which means I dance with my dance instructor. Every Spring, our dance studio hosts Presentation Ball, which is where the students perform choreographed routines. I perform every year and have performed many different styles of dance. Waltz, Fox Trot, Rumba, Samba, Swing, Viennese Waltz, Cha Cha, and Hustle – I enjoy them all and have performed all of these at the Ball.
I also enjoy cooking and baking. My cooking style would be considered homestyle. But my baking takes things to another level. My specialties are cookies and pies. Speaking of food, I’ve come to realize that I’m a bit of a food snob. I rarely eat fast food (Chick Fil A is the exception), almost never eat at chain restaurants, and prefer local restaurants all the time.
Another passion of mine is travel. When I look back at all the places I’ve visited, its mind boggling. I have been to 41 of the 50 US States including Alaska and Hawaii. I’ve been to all three countries in North America. I’ve cruised throughout the Caribbean and visited many of the islands there. I’ve visited a few countries in Central America, Peru (including Machu Pichu) and Ecuador (including the Galapagos) in South America. I’ve also traveled to Europe several times including a cruise that took me to Sicily, Athens (Greece), and Ephesus (Turkey). I’ve also traveled to Sweden, France, Scotland, and Italy.
I am a very analytical person and my career choice reflects that. I work in the IT field and have been a pre-sales technical consultant for 20 years. Prior to that I held other positions including programmer analyst and network engineer. Facts and logic are important to me and I try to make sense of the world through seeking facts.
I currently live in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. My house is also my office as I work from home. I live with my boyfriend Robert, who is also my best friend. We can talk to each other about anything and the conversation is intelligent and spirited and deep. Other times, we tease and laugh and just enjoy each other’s company. We share the house with two cats – Ariel and Chi Chi. They are 17 and 18 years old. While they are no longer very playful, they are certainly still loving and affectionate.
A few years ago, I rediscovered my love of writing. As a teenager and even pre-teen, I remember writing short stories, poems, and plays. But after high school, I stopped. I guess life got in the way for many years. But a few years ago, I decided to write a book of cat stories. You can find an excerpt from that book on my Cat page. It got me started writing again, and I’ve decided to share some of my writing on these blog pages.
Some other interests include hiking, fitness, target shooting and socializing with friends. I enjoy music of many different genres. I like warm summer nights, but sometimes sitting in front of the fireplace on a snowy winter night sipping a glass of wine is nice too. I try to stay active and I would venture to guess that people who know me would not describe me as boring.
I hope you’ll stop by my other pages. Some of my writing is purely for entertainment. Some is to share my travels. And some is to share my thoughts on things and perhaps have a discourse on this crazy world we live in.