Beyond the Ego and the Id — Who is the Rattt?

 

Perhaps I should instead title this — The Basic Rattt.

I'm a flower child — or at least I was.

I was born and raised in Southern California, in the Los Angeles area. I emerged into my teen years in the latter part of the 60's. It was an interesting time and it perfectly melded with my own being, that of a free-spirited wild-child. I had been told that my father had some gypsy blood; it must be true because I never really felt connected with one place for too long at a time.

After high school, I attended a nearby university for awhile. Eventually, though, I got married and was moved away from my hometown. I lived in several new places; some homes far from where my life began. My (ex) husband and I eventually settled in the Mojave Desert in California. I loved the desert; it is a wondrous land of beauty and mystery — and even a rare snowstorm in August. Then, in 1995, I happily got my freedom (aka, a divorce) and moved to New York in April of 1996. Though I miss the west coast, I've learned the wonders that the eastern part of our country has to offer.

I have three wonderful daughters who live on the opposite side of the continent from where I live; all of which are young adults learning the pitfalls of being a grown up and melancholic about those days of childhood. Lesley is the oldest, next is Monique, and my youngest is Amanda.

One of the funny things of life I've noted is that of friendships. In high school, how self-important and self-absorbed so many truly were, even those we called a best friend. I look back and know that 99% of my friends never knew who I truly was, never knew the depth of me, my hopes, my fears, my dreams; never knew the music that I liked, never knew what I wanted for the future. Perhaps if they only truly knew me. Or I them. We were all really pretty stupid back then. But then, most of us never again saw our friends from that period in our life once we graduated, or, if we did, we saw them less and less until it came time for our 20 year reunion and we had a hard-pressed time of remembering a first name, let alone anything else about each other. Good thing reunion planners are smart and provide you with name tags; at least you had the ability to use names when you played "remember when?" and everyone nodding and smiling because they remembered it too and you smile back, almost laughing because you know you just made that up.

It was at such reunion that I had an epiphany of friendships and what that means to many, or at least meant back then. I can truly say that high school is one of the worst experiences of my life; it was a time of great torment for me and I just knew I was being punished for something I must have done in another lifetime. Friends, or rather those claiming to be friends, would lie about their plans for the weekend, denying their intentions of going to some party that I was not invited to. You see, I was not one of the "cool kids." No, rather I was the unfortunate child of an overly religious mother and it was simply assumed by many that I was also incredibly pious. Again, my point of people too self-absorbed to even begin to scratch the surface of another person and take the time to learn of who and what they are. I am thankful high school isn't forever. I survived it and I have no desire to go through it again.

Now, college is a different story. Of course, in college, you are dealing with a higher developed level of maturity. Okay. Sometimes. I enjoyed my time in college, the friends I met there. Then I got stupid and got married, but that's another story for another time.

Musically, I am still that wild-child rock-and-roller, but truthfully, I simply love GOOD music. Besides being a rocker, I also listen to other forms of music, such as blues and classical; basically whatever hits my mood.

I love old movies, new movies, cheesy movies, corny movies, good movies …

I probably would have been very happy to have been raised in a zoo. My poor mom had to endure my variety of pets throughout the years; a baby caymen (related to the crocodiles), a bazillion mice (I used to raise different breeds), a snake, rats, a chipmunk, a spoiled-rotten iguana … just to name a few! Not to mention the multitudes of dogs and cats. Although I love all animals, horses have always been my real passion. When I was young, I would do anything just to be able to go to the stables and not only ride, but just to hang these beautiful beasts.

I'm a person of varied interests. The internet is obviously one of them, but when I say "internet", I mean all it has to offer, not just the chatting. I use it constantly as a valuable reference to learning something new every day. The technical aspect of computers is another pastime of mine. The first computer I ever owned, I built, in time upgrading it until I finally had to say goodbye to my "baby" and begin anew. Everything that I know technical I learned strictly by hands-on experience and no formal training. That's also how I learn new programs; I sit at the computer and just start diving in, learning the ins and outs, tricks and tweaks. I'm also involved in web page design and graphics work, which is something I plan to expand.

I also love to do needlepoint. I've given away most of my needlepoint tapestries that I've created, though I've managed to keep some. If I had a huge house …

I enjoy cooking — at least when I have a nice big room kitchen and lots of gadgets. I'm always have fun seeing how well I can botch up a new recipe. Baking is my favorite form of cooking. The only problem is, I enjoy eating what I bake, so I don't bake very often!

I like sports — watching that is. I LOVE football — and boxing! No sissy baseball for me puh-lease! I never got into hockey. I suppose it's because it seems that the point of the game is not scoring — at least with the puck — but seeing how many heads one can bash.

I love playing video games. RPG's are my favorite genre — Final Fantasy, Baldur's Gate, and Diablo: Lord of Darkness to name a few favorites. Right now, I'm hooked on several. I do have the bad habit though of starting a game, and then when I get to the part I have to spend time leveling up, I grow bored and start a new game.

I'm also involved in D&D-based roleplay groups.

I love to travel, though my travels have mostly been in the good ol' US of A. I have managed to get to Canada a couple of times and to various parts of Mexico several times. My dream is to go to Ireland. And Spain! No, I don't have family there (that I know of at least) but I've only heard wonderful things about Spain.

Another of my passions is motorcycles; Harleys, of course! What other real motorcycle is there? There is nothing like riding with the feel of the wind blowing through your hair! Many memories, good and bad, I have from riding, and though I still love them, although I can't conceive riding one here where I live. Perhaps someday again …

I'm an avid reader — give me murder and mayhem and keep the mushy trashy romance novels away! It's my way to escape the real world and immerse myself in fantasy. Stephen King to chill me, James Patterson and Tom Clancy to thrill me. I'm also a huge fan of Laurell K. Hamilton, both her books on the fey as well as the vampire hunter series. Anne Rice is also another favorite with her delicious tales, not only the vampire stories,but her Beauty series as well. If you enjoy suspense and would like to learn some very interesting Native American culture, Tony Hillerman is excellent! I'm a big-time sci-fi/fantasy nut, and the Dragonriders of Pern series, written by a most awesome author by the name of Anne McCaffrey, are the top of my list of favorites, as well as, Piers Anthony's Xanth series.

Life, it goes in circles, and in reaching another round in that circle's bend, I am getting married again. The Rattt and the Axe have finally decided to make it official. To view our Wedding Page, Click Here!

Well, in a nutshell (or is that a rat's nest?!), that is me in brief. Deeper insights into the brain of a roden lurk on other pages.