Net Name: Sammygrl

Real Name: Sam Mazzotta

email address: [email protected]

From: Orlando, FL

Occupation: Layout editor for a tiny little subsidiary of a gargantuan media conglomerate.

Age: 28

Height: 5' 7"

Hair (color and length): Auburn, fairly short

Eyes: Hazel

Marital Status: Single

Fav Books (other than SW): What, there are other books out there? No, really, I've got a pretty wide taste ... just about anything by Tolkien or Madeleine L'Engle, some Hemingway, historical fiction and nonfiction, Lao Tzu, Dr. Seuss ... my all-time favorite is "Where the Wild Things Are."

Fav movies (other than SW): All the Raiders movies, Empire of the Sun, Hard Boiled (John Woo), Mel Gibson's Hamlet, Memphis Belle, When Harry Met Sally, campy monster movies and any old Flash Gordon serial.

Fav TV shows: 3rd Rock From the Sun, Drew Carey (I'm really pleased with the networks putting both shows on at the same time, thanks very much), Lonely Planet, MST3K, Babylon 5.

Fav kinds of music: Rock, blues, Metallica, jazz, country ... whatever I'm in the mood for.

When did you first become a SW fan?: 1977, age 7. I thought Leia was the absolute coolest girl ever put on film. She could hold her own with the boys, handle a blaster and still look feminine. After that, I was always Leia on the playground.

First time to see ANH: 1977 -- On my way to the theater, all I was excited about was that it was the first PG movie I'd been allowed to see. On my way home, I was a full-fledged SW fanatic.

First time to see ESB: 1982, during the re-release.

First time to see ROTJ: 1983, opening night.

Total No. of times to see all the films: I figured I'd seen each of them about 150 times. But then my 3-year-old niece discovered them, and over the last couple years watching them with her, I completely lost count.

Fav SW movie: ESB, definitely.

Fav SW book: Children of the Jedi.

Other hobbies and obsessions: Writing, photography, hiking, rock climbing, travel (I'm saving for a trip to Ireland right now), killing plants.

Anything else you want to add: I've been a lurker on the OZ site for a few months, but didn't have an e-mail address until recently. The fanfic is great, and better than most of the pro SW fic out there. I'm proud to say I've wasted a lot of productive work hours downloading files! I'm glad to finally find a haven for my long-term SW obsession, and to find so many others with the same interest. My most disappointing SW experience was when I was 14 or 15 and tried to join the SW fan club. I scrimped and saved the membership fee, snuck the entry form out to the mailbox (to avoid my brothers' teasing), and 6 weeks later got a return letter saying that the fan club had been shut down "due to lack of interest." (I think it was the first sanctioned club/newsletter, Bantha Tracks.) It's great to find a spot where "lack of interest" is DEFINITELY not a problem!