really – you want to read this, eh? well. to expand a bit about me:

i was born in ‘73 in the mountains of southwestern virginia and i was raised in blacksburg, va and around the campus of virginia tech. my parents both have their phd’s, and their spouses also have phds. this phd thing wasn’t significant until my recent trip back to graduate school. i have one brother who lives in chapel hill, nc. although i don’t see him much, i do adore him and am glad that he and no other brother is my brother.

after high school i spent 7 years in georgia getting 2 degrees, and then in august of 1998 i moved to eugene, oregon – on a whim. it took me awhile to find community there, but now i have, and really eugene is my home. i am a proud eugenian, even with all its faults.

while in eugene i finally became a part of organized peace and justice work. back in high school i was an activist on and off and did things here and there, and i still have my mondale and ferraro button from 1984, but it took me awhile to actually start organizing. i worked with a variety of different groups – organizing against the iraq war, managing political campaigns, fighting the patriot act, working for basic human rights.

my work was rewarding, and the people i got to share my life with remain a part of my life. i go back to eugene every 4 months – it’s only 13 hours from here, and i can do it in a day.

after years of talking and working in for peace, it wasn’t until august of 2007 that i made a true commitment to pacifism.  what i mean is for me peace isn’t just about countries not bombing each other, but also people not bombing themselves and each other.  as i try to walk a pacifist’s path i understand that it’s not just fists that can be violent, but how we talk to each other.  to me the roots of war are in the hands of each of us – how we talk to and treat ourselves and each other.

what else? i wasn’t going to mention it, but i guess i should. i manage a chronic illness. it dictates a lot of what i do and how i do it. yes, if i could change it i would, but on the other hand would i have the people in my life that i do? would i have stayed on the east coast if this illness didn’t affect me? i don’t know, i can’t predict the past.