After my parents divorce in my eighth grade year, I moved with my mother, brother and sister to Mount Pocono. I went to Pocono Mountain High School for the remainder of my pre-college years. It was at this school that I experienced many of the typical plights of teenage angst. There were crushes, love, heartbreak, taunting, and several bad experiences. Although I tend to dwell on the negative aspects of high school, from time to time, an old friend will resurface to remind me that there were a number of good times too. Sometimes, it's the good that leads us to our fall. The better times, band rehearsals, concerts, recitals and musical competitions still flicker in my mind. I miss those times.
In the Poconos, my sister left our household to return to our father's home. My brother and I remained with our mother. We moved a few times within the school district. We lived for about a year and a half in Pocono Farms (Tobyhanna), and during my senior year, we lived in Reeders. Reeders was fairly similar to Jackson, only on a slightly grander scale. I've heard that there was a recent (Jul 19 2002) grisly discovery there. Perhaps it will lead to an interesting story. I guess bad things can happen anywhere.
My high school job was at Wendys. I worked there for two years and no one could seem to remember when I started. Due to my mother's ever changing work schedule, it was difficult to get regular working hours for myself. That's the problem of depending on a single parent for transportation. I loved the people who worked there... with one or two exceptions. It always seemed that they lived more exciting lives than mine, which was probably true. It was at this place that I met "the one" who haunts my memory to this day. My mother was a strict disciplinarian and I was not even allowed to date until senior year, and by that time, my heart was already broken and unwilling to heal. That's not saying I didn't date before then, but it was difficult to do so and required careful preparation and creativity.
I kind of ran wild senior year, with an eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive exercising and hiking alone. Not the safest thing, for sure, but it was what I needed to experience at the time. I guess that's what happens when a particularly dark moment becomes imprinted on one's mind.
By the end of senior year, I was strangely damaged and ready for change. I altered my plans to attend Penn State and opted instead to attend the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Whether you call it running away, giving up, or growing up, it was one of the better decisions I've made in my life.
I graduated from the University of Arkansas in May 1999 with a Bachelor's Degree in French. I got married to a native Arkansan in May 1998. We now live in Austin, TX with our cat, Lily. No children are in the plans right now. Hey, I like my freedom and wither without it. It always surprised me the number of guys who've expressed interest in marrying me through the years... Attracted to the dark side of me, no doubt.
I'm now a Certified Paranormal Researcher, Certified Ghost Hunter, Certified Tarot Reader and member of Clergy. I'm involved with the International Ghost Hunters Society, American Ghost Society, Paranormal Research Society and the Austin Area Ghost Watchers. I'm also a writer wannabe. I'm currently researching for an upcoming novel writing project.
I'm also branching out my musical talents and working on learning electric guitar (so much for classical guitar, but I do still practice the techniques sometimes). I still go through my dark moments (that sometimes end up dragging into weeks or months), but at least I've developed some manic tendencies to balance it out... People from high school likely wouldn't recognize me now. Talking with them now, I see how quiet I was, but what can you expect of someone who's generally depressed? I always got a kick out of the vampire comparison that followed me a good deal of my life. Guess it's a part of the artistic temperament. It's when I'm most insomniac that I write and craft and musically express myself best.
I also lead a paranormal research team, and am an active member in a San Antonio based research society. Who'd have thought I'd have leadership qualities? Guess the Aries in me takes the initiative to come out to play once in a while... and the Dragon... well, let's not wake it, shall we?