I feel kind of strange writing a section like this, but a couple of people suggested they would like to see one. I figured it would easy enough to create, so what the hell. I guess I will start with the basics.
NAME: Jessica (Jess)
GENDER: female
RELIGION: Roman Catholic
ETHNICITY: 1/2 Japanese and 1/2
Irish
OCCUPATION: Small animal veterinarian
LOCATION: Rancho San Diego (an unincorporated part of the County of San Diego)
FAMILY: Eldest of three children. Happily single. The eccentric auntie to 2 nieces and 1 nephew.
I have gotten a few questions about the domain name of this site; itamejihada. One of my other hobbies is collecting edged weapons. Jihada refers to the subtle lines that form in the metal of Japanese weapons. It comes from the repeated folding and hammering of the steel as the blades are forged. This is separate from the obvious wavy line (hamon) that is created from hardening the blade's edge. There are different types of jihada based on the direction that the steel is folded during forging. The pattern known as itame is created by alternating the direction the steel is folded; first lengthwise and then crosswise. The end results looks whorled like wood, and I find it very pretty. Normally, this would be called itame-hada (the ji part of jihada is dropped). I decided to keep the ji part in the word when I named this site.
I have also been asked about my screen name Graymouser. That is a bit complicated. When I was young, I was often called Cat - it was not meant to be a compliment. Needless to say I have since embraced it. I have always been a big fan of reading science fiction and fantasy. One of the stories I enjoyed while in high school was a series of books by Fritz Leiber. The two main protagonists are Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Fafhrd was a tall barbarian and the Gray Mouser was a small thief. I thought they made an interesting pair, and their differences in height reminded me of my best friend and myself. She was 6 feet 3 inches while I am 5 feet 4 inches. Like the pair in the book, we seemed to be a very mismatched pair on the surface, but in reality worked very well together. Another interesting detail is the names of the weapons carried by the Gray Mouser. They were named Scalpel and Cat's Claw. I thought that it was quite appropriate considering my occupation.
A few more random details.
HOBBIES: Any type of needlework (crewel, quilting, needlepoint, etc), collecting edged weapons, bowling, horseback riding, and reading.
PREVIOUS RANDOM JOBS: Babysitter, house cleaner, home health care aide, cashier, food service manager, sales (a dismal failure at this), horse trainer, church lector, university general chemistry teaching assistant, laboratory assistant, substitute teacher for chemistry, math and physics, bowling league organizer, poll inspector (with the registrar of voters in San Diego), medical transcriptionist and newspaper carrier.
POLITICS: All over the map. I have some very conservative views as well as some very liberal views. Currently I am Republican, but I tend to switch back and forth. I do not have any party loyalty since my position varies so much depending on the issue involved. Of course, this makes it so that one of my pet peeves is the way each party demonizes the other. From what I have observed, the majority in either party are honest and caring people who only wish for the general good. The only difference is their perception of the nature of the problems facing the world and the best ways to solve them. So come on folks, show some common courtesy and respect towards each other.