December 03, 2003 :: 11:22 a.m.
dramatis personae
In a recent review, it was suggested that I compile a cast list. I've considered it before, but for some reason never put one together. But I suppose it would be helpful for those of you who read this and don't already know me in real life, so here goes.
(Updated July 2004)I am your humble host. My name is Amanda, I'm 21 years old, I have a penchant for hyperbole, and the list of things I don't like could toilet paper every house in the 48 contiguous United States. A more in-depth bio will be posted when I get around to writing one.
Adam is my wonderful boyfriend. We will celebrate our 4-year anniversary on November 17th, and while there are many things about my life that I'd like to change, I can with all honestly say that he isn't one of them. He's mentioned quite a lot because I see him just about every day, and I wouldn't have it any other day. He makes me happy when I'm in a funk, he brings me tea when I'm sick, and he's the sweetest, most loving guy in the world. He just has a huge, huge heart. His birthday is in January (so he's an Aquarius), his dad is a pastor, he's good with computers, he plays the guitar, and he loves all things Peanuts. He keeps a journal here.
Amanda is my best friend from high school and my faux-lesbian lover. We've known each other for... well, a long damn time. Like since middle school. We didn't really become friends until high school, though. Anyway, she's great. We share a name, and sometimes a brain, but we're so different that, as much as I love her, if we ever tried to live together I'd gouge her eyes out with a fork. She's a Leo (like a surprising number of my friends), a waitress, the daughter of a lesbian psychologist, incredibly outgoing, much taller than me, and a student at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she lives with two cats named Iris and Chicken and a cute little Asian roommate named Dana. She used to have a Diaryland diary, but then she abandoned it for a LiveJournal. Boo, hiss.
Joe/Joey is another friend from high school who has stayed in my life, and I couldn't be happier about it. I've known him since my sophomore year, when a then-mutual friend introduced us. Neither of us see her anymore, but we're the best of buddies. We've been through more together than two people should be, and sometimes he can be a real asshole, but I love him. He's gay, and currently living with his boyfriend (who is also named Joe - hello, confusion) in a house right down the street from my own. He's another Leo, he has a crazy dog named Jupiter, a kitten named Chloe, a humongous television, and a love of all things wine-related. Also, he used to live in a house that had a ghost. Also, he turned me on to Buffy. Also, he sometimes wears eyeliner. He doesn't keep an online journal and doesn't know about mine.
Well, that about does it for friends. On to family...
My mother is in her early 40's, very, very short (4' 11''), a recovering/recovered alcoholic, and a recent convert to some hardcore sect of Christianity. That last one creeps me out to no end, but who am I to meddle? My mom and I have never been very close, and we've had our share of unpleasant incidents, but in the end I do think of her favorably. She's an Aquarius, has a very short temper that she's since put a lock on, and I remind myself of her so much sometimes that I have never touched a drop of alcohol and probably won't ever drink much at all.
My father is in his late 50's, and a very interesting man. He sells antiques for a living, a job that he really, truly loves. He's easily the smartest person I know. He studied history in college and taught it for a while, long before I was born. He showed me a 75-page term paper that he wrote on shrimp fishing once; I never knew there was so much to say about that subject. I inherited my intellectual leanings from him - we used to play Scrabble (which NO ONE can beat him at) and chess together, and on long car rides he would quiz me on spelling with words that were way above anything I should have even known about at the time. I was such a daddy's girl growing up, until I was 5 or 6 and he went to jail. We haven't been close since. He's made a lot of mistakes, and he also has a temper on him, but he takes it out in a verbal way as opposed to the physical way that my mom used to. But I love him, and he is a good person. Again, he's the reason that I have never and will never touch any drugs of any kind. Also, he's a Scorpio.
Mason is my younger brother. He's 17, a Taurus, and the most obnoxious, juvenile, inconsiderate person on the planet. He was my last hope for an uncorrupted sibling, but that went out the window quite some time ago. My family has a thing with drugs.
Adam (yes, another one) is my older brother. He's 25, a Gemini, a chef, and not someone you want to loan things to. He's another good person who has made a lot of mistakes in his life. See above re: drug problem.
Jobe and Teddy are my two older half-brothers. Jobe has really fun dogs and Teddy is a good guy who followed way too closely in our father's footsteps.
Molly and Shanny are my two older half-sisters. Molly was my favorite when I was a kid, but she recently dropped a lot of weight and now she's all vain and scary. Shanny is cool, but I don't see her enough.
Grandma is, of course, my grandmother. She's a little strange, but she's the only one I've got. My maternal grandfather died a bunch of years ago, and my father's parents died before I was born.
Charlie, Chloe, Elizabeth, Abigail, Teddy Jr., Bradley, and Makayla (I'm unsure about the exact spelling) are my various nieces and nephews. Yes, there are 7 of them. The oldest is 10.
Rufus, Tango, Gizmo and Amelia are my kitties. One boy and three girls, respectively. Giles, my beautiful, sweet grey male cat, passed away suddenly on June 5, 2004. I miss him lots.
Buddy is my dog. He's a black lab/golden retriever mix that we adopted shortly after we moved into the new house. He's lovable but sometimes very annoying.
And... that's it, I guess. There are other people you'll here me mention, but mostly I'll spell out who they are at the time. And new people will be added as necessary.
End.
back & forth
Wait, there's more!
I like pina coladas - March 30, 2005
must... finish... projects... - March 22, 2005
Mr. Postman delivers the good stuff - March 18, 2005
when everything is bad - March 16, 2005
of fruits and menstruation - March 15, 2005