Early Winter 2000

Hi. My name is Theressa. One of the first pages I always head to when I visit someone's site is the 'about' or 'who is' page. So I felt it was only fair to put one on my page.

I turned twenty-six a few months ago, though sometimes that's nowhere near how old I feel. Sometimes when I think that age thirty is just around the corner I feel disbelief. How is it possible that time can pass so quickly? Most of the time, I feel that I will be ready for thirty. That I will look back on the first thirty years of my life and be satisfied.

Right now, when I look back on the first twenty-six years of my life, I feel very blessed. I am married to my college sweetheart, best friend and soul mate. We've gone through so much together, and I'm lucky to say that the best times of my life, I've shared with him. I was raised by the two most loving and selfless parents you could ever meet, and whom I feel buckets of gratitude towards. I only wish I had appreciated them sooner, like when I was a bratty teenager giving them a hard time. I have a older brother who has looked out for me all my life, and he and his wife have given me the most adorable little newphew ever. And to top it off, marrying my husband has extended my family to the sweetest in-laws anyone could ask for.

I enjoy my work emmensely. And I feel lucky to be able to do something that makes me feel happy and self-fulfilled. As a co-worker of mine once commented, "It's so cool to be paid to do your hobby. I'd program anyways in my free time." I don't even mind the long hours (55+ a week), nor the lack of a real life. I only wish that my work didn't take me so far from home (Canada).

As I said, I'm very happy in this techie career path that I have chosen for myself. But once upon a time, I dreamed of being a writer. (In fact, I still do every so often). I've come to realize that I love working with computers a lot. I like the way everything is logical and makes sense. The fact that if I do something right, it should work... and if it doesn't, it is most likely a mistake on my part (but not always!). Another side of me likes to break free from all that logic, and is drawn to the idea that in writing, anything can happen. Even the illogical and impossible. Nowadays, I write as a hobby. And unfortunately, I don't have much time for hobbies nowadays. Still, I dream of one day becoming a published author. Even if it's a tiny story in a never-read magazine.

I like to think of myself as a feminist, even though I sometimes have old-fashioned ideas (but then what's so un-feminist about that anyway?). I like coffee a lot (obviously), and thai food, and sushi, and ice-cream and gummi bears. I have a sweet tooth, which would account for the two dozen or so fillings in my mouth. I like to read a lot. In fact, I'll pretty much read anything put in front of me. I love to read fantasy, books written by Truman Capote and have a liking for those 'Oprah picks'.

I like to collect blank books and journals, in the hopes of filling them up with my own writing. But so far, I own more blank books which are still blank, than the ones I've filled. The thought of buying new pens, or notepaper makes me very happy.

I tend to dress very Gap-ish, and wear a lot of black and grey. I used to play the piano, and have often regret giving it up after eight years of lessons. I love to travel. So far I've explored parts of North America, the Carribean and Europe. There's so much I'd like to see. I feel like I just won't have enough time in my life to be able to see it all. I wonder if I'll ever find that balance between free time, career and family. I look at those women with a career and a family and wonder how they do it. I hope if and when the time comes, I can balance it as well as they do... and still keep my sanity.

As for my life goals, I think I've done a pretty good job at accomplishing what I wanted and set out to do. Eventually, when I feel that I've done it all, I'd like to retire in a little villa somwhere in the south of France... with a T1 line of course.