Hello, in some detail

[rscudder]

I've just read a bunch of the All About you posts, and I guess I'll try to take a middle ground on the detail.

I am female, pushing 50 (shock to system- I don't feel like I'm old enough to be 30), married, with 2 girls, 14 & 17. I live in Schenectady New York (Home to ideas and General Electric- possibly not exclusive items). My husband now works for GE in CR&D, and rides motorcycles, does Tae Kwon Do (he is going to take his black belt exam in less than 2 weeks), and watches a lot of TV (SF, Motorcycle races, Mythbusters, anime, Formula One, and some mystery type shows) I sit in the livingroom with my laptop, and have them for background noise. Not currently being employed, I am reading through the Baen Book Free Library, and attempting to sell my excessive amounts of craft supplies on eBay to raise money for purchasing books. My house is insulated with books, and sewing and craft supplies. If I sell enough, I may get my car back on the road after paying for a major brake job. I scrounge Google for places where people have put up copies of their work for readers to read or download. Frustrsting when it is only a sample piece- but great for getting ideas for what to purchase later.

I am recovering from a major depression, during which I found out I was bipolar. I feel like I am starting to see the light at the end of a 5 year tunnel, and I am trying to stretch out into the world a little. This is an attempt to stretch.

I was born in NY State, was moved to California by my parents till I was 5, and moved to Schenectady where my father, whose grad degree in EE was paid for by GE, was put to work in CR&D. After a divorce when I was 9, my mother remarried and went to live in St. Lawrence County- home at that point to the highest welfare population percentage in the state- although now that I am older, I wonder if there weren't higher percentages in New York City? My mother and stepfather turned into fundimental christians and they eventually tried to run a small subsisdence farm. I hate chickens. Every fowl eaten is a victory for humanity! I proved to be obstinately unconvertable, despite a lot of persuasion.

I then went to several small rural schools- where I stood out terribly as someone who asked questions! :O. I stayed at the last one - Parishville Hopkinton Central School (pronounced Hopkitten) from 6th grade till I graduated. Due to a program from St. Lawrence University aimed at encouraging county residents to come there, I received a scholarship and graduated 4 years later with a degree in Political Philosophy. Not a wildly job opening degree- but a great deal of fun to learn.

I got a job in an independent bookstore in Albany NY for 4 years (and built the best SF & Fantasy collection in the area). Took some time off and wrote a children's SF book- which I now can see deserved not to be published, and went back to work for the US Census. After that I temped, and then worked at a HMO for 12 years. And hit the black hole of Depression. As previously noted, the light is on at the end of the tunnel. Black holes can be escaped.

I love to read, especially SF & Fantasy, but with frequent excursions into Romance, Mystery, Historical Fiction (anyone read Dorothy Dunnett?) and general fiction. I embroidery- crazy quilt stuff usually, and sew anime costumes for my children. I used to be very involved in the SCA, and do somethings occasionally now. I take Tae Kwon Do- which has done wonders for improving mental, emotional, and physical balance, and am an advanced senior brown belt, due to go to bodan white at my next test. (My school has a ton of intermediate belt levels which test frequently, most of which don't seem to exist at other schools- a suspicion exists that since we pay for each test, these levels are somewhat of a money making item for the school- but they don't force you to take a new level until you feel prepared.)

I found Whatever by signing up for Tor's free ebook program and getting a copy of Old Man's War, and googling Scalzi. And actually buying a couple of his books. That led to this. Tor says feel free to send a copy of their ebook links to a friend, so if anyone wants links let me know. I think I am proof that putting out free ebooks can lead to additional sales.

I guess I lied about the level of detail. If you've made it this far, I'm glad to become part of this community, and will try to do more than lurk.

Oh yeah- We have 5 cats. We used to have a very nervous fish- but it disappeared.

Rebecca Scudder

[Janiece]

Hi Rebecca, and welcome! I'm glad you're feeling better, and trying to do what you need to do to get back into the swing of things. I think you'll find we're a pretty diverse bunch around here...and not shy about our opinions. :-)

[Sunidesus]

I'm a huge fan of the free ebook too. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get into them since the physical experience is so different, but once I got my Sony Reader I fell in love. (I'm also a knitter and that way I can knit while I read since I don't have to actually hold the book open)

I've discovered that for me it feels more like borrowing from the library, if I like it I still want to go buy the dead-tree version to actually own it.

[zizban]

I live in the shadow of the old GE Plastics in Pittsfield (now owned by Sabic).

[captain button]

Hi Becky. Barring a rather extraordinary chain of coincidence, I knew you back when I went to Union. This is Yehuda from the SCA.

Now living in Georgia and as well as could be expected. Little changed, except for weight.

If you are looking for more Baen ebooks, you can download legitimate copies of the CD-ROMs full of Baen ebooks that have been included with some of their treeware editions. They are on the web at:

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/

Also, I’ve been buying books from Webscriptions, and they let you give a free copy/access of what you buy to one other person. Let me know if you want me to send them to you in future, no one else wants them.

[rscudder]

Hi! It is me- and I remember you well. Eofn says Hi too. He says you went by Captain Button back when, sometimes, too. It is lovely to hear from you- I've wondered how you were doing sometimes. Do you still have your avacado tree? I'd love to receive copies of your webscriptions! I'll figure out how to send you a private message too. Last I knew of, you were living in Texas, I think.

It will be very good to be back in touch with you!

Rebecca/Becky/Morwydd