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Since I can't quite dispense with it altogether...

I thought about eighty-sixing my "about" page entirely when I was putting together this design for the journal, but I couldn't shake the gnawing worry that some people would feel completely lost without any kind of bio or dramatis personae, etc. So here it: the single, perfunctory About page. 

Impressed?

The Bio

I'd prefer that any impressions you make of me be based on my entries rather than what I write about myself (though come to think of it, those two are often the same thing, alas). However, here are my vital stats for anyone who needs to know:

Name: Marie Anderson a.k.a. Ri
Location: Somewhere in a non-descript suburb surrounded by other, likewise non-descript suburbs in Orange County, CA
Occupation: Office slave, keyboard jockey, terror of lazy court clerks near and far
I am in my early twenties, married, and located somewhere in the middle class, though whether I'm upper, lower or middle middle class probably depends on what time of the month you ask. I suffer from insomnia, stress, acute laziness and a reoccurring dream in which I am unable to get wherever I am going because I have misplaced my car and it's too far on foot. I count myself among a number of demographics, most notably Christians, Tolkien fanatics, gun owners, comic book collectors and cat lovers. The ambitions I hold closest to my heart are those of becoming a mother and a published writer, not necessarily in that order. I write poetry, fiction and (obviously) autobiographical non-fiction. To what degree of success I write them all is something open to opinion, but I am fairly secure in my belief that I have some native talent for writing, even if I often lack the drive and perseverance to develop it much.

The Cast

I have a close-knit group of family and friends, some of whom I spend a considerable amount of time with, so I feel it's only fair to give you some reference to keep track of all the weird names I use for them. So here they are, in no particular order other than that in which they occurred to me.

Bill - my husband and the love of my life. My haven and sanctuary, the force that drives me. 

Green Tea - my sister and partner in crime. The only person on Earth who understands all my jokes.

Dad - obviously my father and a pillar of sanity and reason. He is very useful as he knows everything.

Mom - likewise obviously my mother. Gave me my favorite virtues and my least-favorite vices.

The Captain - Bill's best friend and our resident artist. Our chief source of both angst and comic relief.

Jess - best friend and bosom companion of my childhood, with whom I have the most in common

Koala - Jess's perfect sister. Sweet, compassionate, translator for the deaf, my own personal saint.

Miss America - another childhood friend. Having her around makes me funnier.

Jim - my brother, by turns amusing, annoying and infuriating.

Prince Alarming - Bill's superhero persona. Reserved for when he is behaving oddly (which is often)

The Bridesmaids - Green Tea, Jess, Koala and Miss America. Nothing can withstand us. 

The In-laws - dun dun dun! There are seven of them in total, if you include Bill's parents. Eight, if you count the dog. I have not mentioned them each by name because I tend to think of them as a collective because that is usually how I experience them. I rarely do anything with just one of them, it's always the whole family. The In-laws include a mother- and father-in-law, both of whom are wonderful, hard-working and good humored people. There are three other boys besides Bill: a middle brother and a pair of teenage twins. Youngest are the two girls, and the dog who gets counted because he is an integral part of the In-law experience. They are a fabulous, easy-going, funny and friendly bunch and the warmest most generous people you could ask for. 

About the journal

I started writing a million years ago during the Prosaic age, and have been doing so off and on ever since. My online journal was started November 16th, 1998, then titled "I Nyela Tek" because I had recently discovered Tolkien's elvish languages, though I had very little idea of what to do with them at the time. The title meant "The Singing Pen" or was meant to, as I have no idea how accurate my knowledge of Quenya was in those days. Later I renamed the journal One Long Autumn in an effort to find a name that people could actually pronounce. The title "Soliloquy" has been used since August 12th, 2000 but only has a handful of entries to its credit at the time I am writing this, as it was in use for the period most riddled with dry periods in my online journal's career.

For those who care, the definition of soliloquy is as follows:
Main Entry: so·lil·o·quy
Pronunciation: so-'li-lo-kwE
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin soliloquium, from Latin solus alone + loqui tospeak
Date: circa 1613
1 : the act of talking to oneself
2 : a dramatic monologue that gives the illusion of being a series of
unspoken reflections

Basically it means talking to one's self and pretending that people are listening and replying when really there's no one else there. My experience of online journaling has fit this definition very closely, hence my choice of the title.

The graphics on this page were made by me, though the photo of the hedge maze is actually a screencap from the movie "Labyrinth" which I have shamelessly appropriated for my own evil purposes. The muppet people can send Kermit and the gelflings to get me if they feel that I have in any way offended. The song lyric is the beginning stanza of Enya's "Anywhere Is" which in turn comes from my favorite Enya album "A Memory of Trees". I chose both picture and lyric for the following reasons:

a) I thought they complemented one another and made a statement I liked about the concept of wandering, direction and discovery which I thought applied well to my journal. Also the lyric sounds deep and meaningful, which is always a plus.

b) I like the song, and the movie (in spite of David Bowie and his painted-on pants)

c) I think mazes are cool