Shel, also known as Shelby, Beaner, Mom and occasionally hey hot stuff, is a mother of two making her way to a deluxe apartment in the sky…
I hate third person bios, because you always know that the person wrote it themselves and tried to sound all cool and laid back. But let me give it a shot.
For a while I had two long paragraphs about my astrological sign as my “about” page but I know I need to do better. I left them down there because I like them. But here is a little more about me, by me.
I was born in “downstate” Illinois and lived there for three months, before my parents packed me and my brother and our stuff up and moved to Naples, Florida. I don’t remember living in either place.
Pretty soon we packed up and moved to northern Virginia. I remember some of that. When I was four we moved to Istanbul, Turkey. I remember a lot about living there, including some words in Turkish, but my brother remembers way more. Istanbul is pretty far away from Virginia, and most people ask why anyone would move to Turkey with two kids in 1979 around the time of the Iranian hostage crisis. It was for my dad’s job. Two years later, for my dad’s job, we moved to England and three years after that, to Seoul, South Korea.
It was an interesting set of formative years. I grew up with … an awareness? of the world and its many complexities, political, economic and social.
We moved back to the States when I was 11, where things got decidedly less interesting. I spent the rest of my childhood negotiating the horrors of American schools, eventually going to college and majoring in English.
In college I discovered that life could become art – I discovered that I really, really liked writing. I worked harder on becoming a good writer than anything else before or since.
I also discovered that I would probably not be able to make a living doing it. Not writing poetry, in any case. Fortunately for me, I had other skills, like typing.
So, I started out in the publishing world and moved pretty quickly into the web industry. Stayed in it for ten years. I really liked doing it.
During that time I had the two cutest kids ever, Camille and Jackson. It seems like just yesterday I was worried about how to clean their umbilical cords but now, Camille is almost 10, and Jackson is 7. Time flies. They are awesome kids and I am blessed to have them in my life. I write about them all the time here.
Recently I have begun going through a period of what appears to be rapid personal growth. I am trying to learn how to remain a trusting, open person while making sure that I am my own “number one” as my mother puts it. I am trying to remove attachment from my life – I write about that here, too.
I was born the day before the summer solstice. Apparently, the week I was born is called the Cusp of Magic. (ooooooh!) I am going to pick the most flattering paragraph I can find about me (and delete the bad parts!), astrologically speaking:
Blessed with charm and magnetism, Gemini/Cancer subjects can be remarkably cool characters possessed with a useful objectivity, and their reasoning abilities may well prove to be an effective foil to deep emotions. Falling within the influence of both Gemini and Cancer, these cuspians are, in fact, a rather interesting blend of logic and feeling. Thus, when an appeal is made to the emotions of others, it is done in a detached and thoughtful manner. Not ones to be easily upset, Gemini/Cancer natives inspire confidence by way of sympathy, concern and a willingness to help. They possess the knack of entering the hearts of those they love and a reluctance to relinquish that position, even when separations are necessary. These cuspians tend to be rather private people who are far from eager to grant others access to their inner world. They often fare best when they are able to work from home and will frequently set up such a home as a type of retreat or sanctuary. If the Gemini/Cancer native does allow another to share his or her living space, then such implies immense trust and a great deal of respect for the other person. An invitation to visit this highly personal world is more often the giving of a true gift or the reflection of a desire to share, rather than a sign of ostentation or need for sociability. …
With an immense fondness for conversation and food, Gemini/Cancer cuspians find dinner dates with friends to be highly enjoyable. These natives are inherently inquisitive and literary-oriented, which means they embrace mental challenges with equal enthusiasm as they do physical ones. By virtue of a willingness to constantly try something new, they often make for excellent cooks. Their many interests result in an entertaining and stimulating conversationalist who truly loves people. They often enjoy team sports because of the family feeling a team frequently provides. Physical exercise and artistic endeavors…either written or on canvas…will allow Gemini/Cancer subjects to channel their swirling emotions into productive output. …
Perhaps the greatest strength of the Gemini/Cancer cuspian is the blending of intellectual and conversational skills. In addition, with an inherently affectionate nature, this cusp is counted among the most caring characters of the Zodiac.
It’s true! I am an excellent cook!
I am really, really bad at writing about myself. I know I need to get better.
See this link to what I do? Check it, if you want to know.
Do you think I love everything on this site so much because I love you so much?? Nah….you’ve only just started and it’s already addictive.
Bravo, Baby Girl. Hugs all ’round.