CleverTitania.com

welcome inside my mind

Who am I?

Well, let's just start off with a little clarification. In the past, my websites have usually been very forthcoming about information on me. But then again, in the age I first had a website, internet fraud was something most of us barely knew anything about.

When I decided it was time to have my own private locale again, it was a tough decision, figuring out how much to share and how much to hold back. For one thing, as any readers of my blogs will attest to, I'm a ridiculously open person. I don't hide or hold back much. But there's a big difference between being open with yourself, and the others in your life. I am not just me. I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I'm a person with an identity, if no money (see that you fellas in Nigeria, no money!). My identity is important to me, and while it's something no one could ever take from me, I don't want to give people the keys to borrow it, returning it bruised and broken. :)

So, how much I'll give, is as much as I can. I'll give you my heart, soul, and my fragile little mind, as Cartman would call it. But showing any part of me, which could bring pain to the heart of someone in my life; that I'll have to keep to myself. Or it'll be cleverly hidden in my fiction. ;)

So, we'll start with my name and my nick. Clever Beatrix would've probably have a better idea, but let's face it, it just doesn't have the same ring to it. I do have a deep love of old Shakespeare's work, but as I'm quick to point out, I really am not big on his tragedies. I view Will's dramas in much the way I view movies like The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. I recognize those are great books, and films, and remarkable writing from one of my favorite writers. However, when I go to read/watch King, that's not generally what I'm in the mood for. I like Shakespeare's dramas, but I love his comedies.

While many of the bard's women were insipid creatures, there were certain ones I particularly dug. Many of them though, if not bastion's for feminism, are at least incredibly entertaining chicks. I mean, Helena and Hermia, fighting and making short jokes, that's some funny shit! The Princess, arguing with the prince, over whether or not he could welcome him to her home, while housing she and her ladies in a field; that was priceless. But Titania was always a favorite. Sure, she's easily dosed into silly behavior, but before that... from Oberon she will take absolute no crap. I'd love to have read a little backstory on that relationship.

Beatrix, she who was born under a dancing star, now she's truthfully my favorite of Shakespeare's ladies. She has a sharp wit, and knows where to spend it. But when faced with the prospect of love, she's as easily a fool as Benedict. The dynamic of these two characters is iconic, in the most sincere sense. These two are the original Dave and Maddie (come on, you know you remember who they were). Though, frankly, Maddie had nothing on Beatrix. But I do love that this couple's story is one of the most realistic that Shakespeare ever portrayed, in my opinion. They're both stubborn asses, both abrasive and difficult. There's no overbearing man and simpering female here. There's no manipulative little sister, using her big sis and anybody else she can, to get the dumbass hero guy, who's not even good enough for her anyway. Nope, these two are both shrews, and while they are well and truly softened by love, they still retain themselves. As Benedick says, "We are too wise to woo peaceably."

Ok, so I've explained the name of the site, and a favored nick of mine; now for a little on the real me.

Hi, I'm Kat. And yes, that is short for Katherine. No, you may not call me Kitty, or Kitten, or Kathy. I will admit, I went by Kathy as a kid. That was my family's choice, and as some point, I just stopped being Kathy, and I became Kat. I don't know when that happened, I just know it did. Of course, some of my family still hasn't gotten the memo. Not that I blame them. I have a son, named Michael. To me, he'll always be Michael (or bug or munchkin, but that's a different point). But he's taken to calling himself Mike, in recent years. Personally, I think it's a revolt against having a long name. And for the record, I'm with him on that. Our last name is pretty long, and I started signing my name with my first and middle initial, and a barely legible version of my last name, for exactly that reason. We both hate cursive.

I will also acknowledge that, one of the reasons I abandoned 'Kathy', many a year ago, is my middle name. Kathy Lynn, seriously, don't I sound like I should be doing advertisements for a cruise ship, in between my guest shots on Hee Haw? I just couldn't deal with that image. Plus, I like Katherine. I think it's a great name. And since my mother once considered naming me Tabitha (yeah, she was a Bewitched fan), it's definitely not a name to sneeze at .

You're probably thinking, OMG you've just way opened yourself up to identity theft here. But don't fret over it. I have the advantage that, my first name, my son's first name, and our last name; are all so ridiculously common, that little info isn't going to help anyone. ?

Ok, enough about names, here's some actual information. My son is a teenager, and yes that's weird as hell. I'm single (not divorced but you'll read about that in time). I was a manager in a tech company. I didn't particularly enjoy my job, but I was good at it, and there were times I did like parts of it. But it was a job, and that's all.

If you've perused much of this site yet, you'll know what I really am, and that's a writer. Do I claim to be a good writer? Well, I believe I have talent, a furtive imagination, and an understanding of literary style. Plus, I can be damned funny on occasion. I decided to create this site specifically due to some great feedback I've had to some of my writing online, and a newsletter I began, to keep in touch with my fans. And I know there's a certain pretension at referring to them as fans, but at least a few of them refer to themselves as such, so I think I can call them that as well. So yeah, I think I'll go out on a limb and say I'm good. Am I great? Probably not yet. But I'm still young. ;)

My grand passions in life are, in no specific order; my writing, movies, good television (notice the qualification there), music and books. But, truth be told, movies are way up there on the list. I am a student of film, and have been since a very young age. I was one of the lucky generation, the first to grow up on cable television. And how fortunate I feel, as a result. I grew up seeing so many different kinds of movies, more than most people ever saw in that time frame, and I developed a deep and unending affection with the medium. But that love shared a kinship with great television too, which is probably why my top 3 currently active writers; Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, and Aaron Sorkin; have lived in both worlds. Keep an eye on the blog, and you'll find much said about these three gentleman, and the words they've inspired me with.

So what else can I tell you? Hmm... I sing a lot. In the car, in the house, just while I'm walking through the grocery store (if there's a good song on the overhead), though admittedly I'm fairly quiet at it while shopping. I would say I have an above average voice, but nothing spectacular. I've had a few random compliments, even from strangers (in the car I'm much louder), over the years. So, at the least, I probably don't suck. :) I just love to sing. I was told that, as a baby, I sang before I spoke. I believe it. Though given my mother's love (in those days) of ABBA and Simon and Garfunkel, I'm afraid to ask what songs I started off on. I do know that I still have an original LP of The Muppet Movie soundtrack. So likely, those were among the first songs I sang consciously. When I was in grade school, I sang a lot of Madonna on the playground. This was early Madonna, mind you, though I do dig 4 Seconds. My love of music is as eclectic as any of my passions. I love all kinds. If it makes me want to sing, or want to move, it'll probably be on my MP3 player. It also houses, by the way, a large collection of musical soundtracks (i.e. The Producers, Chicago, Rent, and Mama Mia is coming soon). I've loved musicals since I was young too. One of my biggest teen crushes was Danny Kaye. Though I also had a thing for Richard Dreyfuss. ?

Ok, now I've given the biggest overview, and more will be found in my blog. But just to round things out... a few random facts:

I used to be in the flag corp, in HS. I was pretty decent at it, and I still have a pole/flag, which I will occasionally work with my back yard. The students from a local high school, who pass by our house on their way home, find it highly amusing.

I am one of two individuals, who have been identified on Wikipedia, as having coined the term Browncoats, as the name of fans of Firefly. Yes, I am that big of a geek.

I once gave James Marsters a collage of my son, from when he dressed as Spike for Halloween. James thought it was adorable. I also have a signed copy of said photo collage. Hey, I warned you on the last one. And it gets worse. ;)

I have a sister a few years younger than me. She and I did not get along as kids. We get along much better as adults. She moved to Pennsylvania last year, and it sucks she won't be here for the release of Half Blood Prince. We always go, in costume, to the opening night. Told you. :P

On the Meyers-Briggs Personality Type assessment, I am an INFP. I will occasionally test as an ENFP, but those are only on days I'm particularly outgoing. I'll probably put more about the MBTI on this site, or at least some good links. I think it's a brilliant tool for expanding communication between people, and definitely not just in the corporate world.

I have incredibly finicky taste buds, and I'm diabetic. This is not a good combination. Trust me on this.

I miss Mountain Dew every single day.

I miss Honey Buns once or twice a month.

I will never fully forgive NBC for cancelling Caroline In the City, without resolving the cliff hanger from its last season. I'll never abandon them, but they lost some trust with me on that.

I haven't trusted Fox since Herman's Head got axed and after Firefly... but damn them for winning me back big time in the last year, especially with taking on Dollhouse.

I'm a fan of spring colors, particularly purples, blues and pinks. I do have a girlie side after all.

Sterling Roses are the most beautiful flower ever. And no I won't just say IMO. :P

In HS, my nickname was Tigger. This was determined to be appropriate, because of a bouncy nature I had. Much of it has gone, but not all, I promise.