Erica (aka KikiJBird)
I grew up in Massachusetts, about a half hour southwest of Boston. I was one of those kids who absolutely loved school... so much so that for a while it seemed I was making a career out of collecting degrees (well the intention was to eventually get a doctorate, but I've stopped -- so far -- at two masters instead). I've got a professional degree in architectural design and an academic one in medieval art history. Currently I'm an art collection manager at a museum. Essentially that means I get to play with art all day (and travel with it, on occasion)... fun stuff (though there is also lots of paperwork, which, to my masochisticly detail-oriented mind, is kind of fun too). I am also able to get my geek on as the manager of the collection's object records database.
In my spare time, (spare time?!?) I like to read historical fiction and fantasy novels ( Umberto Eco is one of my favorite writers, and I adore the Harry Potter and Outlander series), watch NFL football (GO PATS!), look up random things on the internet, and play computer games with Paul (see below).
In my spare time, (spare time?!?) I like to read historical fiction and fantasy novels ( Umberto Eco is one of my favorite writers, and I adore the Harry Potter and Outlander series), watch NFL football (GO PATS!), look up random things on the internet, and play computer games with Paul (see below).
Paul (aka PDJBird)
Paul's from Pennsylvania. He studied architecture and illustration in college, but he is also an avid photographer.
One rarely sees Paul without a camera, or two or three... He's the "go-to guy" in the family for photography and video equipment, since he's been selling the stuff for years. Paul is currently an Assistant Manager at a photography and video equipment store, where he continues to debate the age-old question: "Canon... or Nikon?"
When he's not taking pictures, selling cameras or reading Sci-Fi fantasy novels, you can usually find Paul, under the guise of one of his several alter egos, roaming the lands of Tyria fighting evildoers in Guild Wars, the MMORPG that he and I regularly play together.
One rarely sees Paul without a camera, or two or three... He's the "go-to guy" in the family for photography and video equipment, since he's been selling the stuff for years. Paul is currently an Assistant Manager at a photography and video equipment store, where he continues to debate the age-old question: "Canon... or Nikon?"
When he's not taking pictures, selling cameras or reading Sci-Fi fantasy novels, you can usually find Paul, under the guise of one of his several alter egos, roaming the lands of Tyria fighting evildoers in Guild Wars, the MMORPG that he and I regularly play together.
Mating Calls (aka How We Met)
Paul and I met the weekend of my cousin K's graduation on Thursday, May 9, 2002. I had driven up from school that day for a much-needed break, a day earlier than the rest of our family was scheduled to arrive. The first night I was there, K had planned for us to go out for dinner with her then-boyfriend as well as a good friend of hers... you got it, Paul! Paul and K met a couple of years earlier, when they were both taking a course in Japanese religion.
It wasn't meant to be a double-date (so K swears, lol), but that's how it ended up! We went out for Thai, and had a really fun time. I admit that I was too busy decompressing from a very stressful semester of grad school to take much notice of Paul (I remember saying that I felt like I had just been let out of a box), but apparently Paul was taking a lot of notice of me. I'm sure it helped when I had my "dog moment" in the car on our way from dinner to go have drinks at Awful Al's (now, sadly, no more). It was one of those beautiful -- and rare -- warm nights in early spring when the sky was clear and there was a gorgeous moon. At some point during the car ride I felt this strong urge to stick my head out of the window and bark at the moon... yes, bark, literally. No, I wasn't drunk; I don't think I'd had anything to drink that evening... yet. I just do stuff like that sometimes. And so I did, hence the "dog moment." Paul was in the back seat with me, and made every effort to get my head back in the car and close the window on me. But he didn't run away.
In fact, later that night, when I returned from a trip to the ladies' room, K told me that Paul had said something very interesting to her. She said that he said "Your cousin is really hot!" I think at that point both of us blushed, and then K promptly declared that she needed to use the ladies' room, and that her boyfriend "had to help her", a very not-so-subtle exit to leave Paul and me alone together. Well, after a couple of minutes of initial awkwardness, we were chatting away. By time K and her bf had come back, we'd kind of forgotten about them... oops!
After the graduation ceremonies Paul headed home to Pennsylvania and I drove back to Rhode Island. A couple of weeks later Paul came to Providence to visit me for the weekend, and we officially started "going out" on Sunday, May 26 2002.
For the next three and a half years, we were long distance (5 hour drive), until I finished grad school and moved for my job in NJ. Then another two and a half years went by with us living an hour and a half apart, and then Paul moved up to NJ too and we got an apartment together. We got engaged (by coincidence) almost exactly 7 years to the day we met!
It wasn't meant to be a double-date (so K swears, lol), but that's how it ended up! We went out for Thai, and had a really fun time. I admit that I was too busy decompressing from a very stressful semester of grad school to take much notice of Paul (I remember saying that I felt like I had just been let out of a box), but apparently Paul was taking a lot of notice of me. I'm sure it helped when I had my "dog moment" in the car on our way from dinner to go have drinks at Awful Al's (now, sadly, no more). It was one of those beautiful -- and rare -- warm nights in early spring when the sky was clear and there was a gorgeous moon. At some point during the car ride I felt this strong urge to stick my head out of the window and bark at the moon... yes, bark, literally. No, I wasn't drunk; I don't think I'd had anything to drink that evening... yet. I just do stuff like that sometimes. And so I did, hence the "dog moment." Paul was in the back seat with me, and made every effort to get my head back in the car and close the window on me. But he didn't run away.
In fact, later that night, when I returned from a trip to the ladies' room, K told me that Paul had said something very interesting to her. She said that he said "Your cousin is really hot!" I think at that point both of us blushed, and then K promptly declared that she needed to use the ladies' room, and that her boyfriend "had to help her", a very not-so-subtle exit to leave Paul and me alone together. Well, after a couple of minutes of initial awkwardness, we were chatting away. By time K and her bf had come back, we'd kind of forgotten about them... oops!
After the graduation ceremonies Paul headed home to Pennsylvania and I drove back to Rhode Island. A couple of weeks later Paul came to Providence to visit me for the weekend, and we officially started "going out" on Sunday, May 26 2002.
For the next three and a half years, we were long distance (5 hour drive), until I finished grad school and moved for my job in NJ. Then another two and a half years went by with us living an hour and a half apart, and then Paul moved up to NJ too and we got an apartment together. We got engaged (by coincidence) almost exactly 7 years to the day we met!