 A short history People who put up with me Beasts I have loved
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 Musical endeavors Writing Travels
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My name is Elise. That is, Elise to those of you who met me after uni. If you are my family member, if you knew me when I was a callow student, then I might consider letting you call me my Other Name that I shall not mention here. Otherwise —forget it. Elise it is.
I am a 31 year old American living in Brisbane, Australia with my husband, my brand-new adorable baby Calliope, two dogs and a cat. Previously to Brisbane, I have called Zürich, Boston, San Diego, and New York City home, but it’s Brisbane (with this 8 month Zürich interlude) for now ’til the wind and whim next changes.
What do I miss about the Motherland (that being the USA)? People always ask. I’d have to say, more than anything, I miss playing ice hockey. Ice rinks and leagues are kinda scarce in Brisbane. That, and some key tasty food items — Nabisco animal crackers, Reese’s peanut butter thingies, *real* ice cream, and the like, though there are plenty of other tasty Aussie delights to make up for that (Bundaberg!!). Oh, and I miss Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and the organic revolution which hasn’t really hit Oz yet. And craigslist! And I get sick of queuing in the movie theatre…
I would say what my career is but I don’t know—I have worked in a multitude of areas from summer programs to system administration to management consulting to technical writing to software development. My first job in Oz involved contracting for the Queensland Office of State Revenue and after that I spent 2.5 years doing PHP development for Creation Ministries International, until moving to Zürich. I’m taking some time off from having a proper job now, though I’m still doing some contracting for CMI and a lot of free work for family, friends, and church. I’d have to saying building web applications is my great love; still, I think if I ever held the same job for longer than a couple of years in a row I’d implode. The thought of staying in one place actually terrifies me.
As for studies, I spent my disillusioned youth at the Winsor School, copped out early (yes, I am a high school dropout) to spend 5 crazy university years at M.I.T., and, then, after that and 6 years in the Real World, spent a semester starting my Masters at University of Queensland before reconsidering.
My interests are varied and capricious and I can’t list them all here… suffice to say I’m a person that needs a lot of physical activity as well as constant mental fodder. I’ve got my fingers in a few different pies… deciding where to go and what to do next is the only problem. Life’s exciting, hey?
I am an Earth Horse Gemini INTP and my birthdate is June 19th, 1978, for those of you that care about that sort of thing. I am also a born-again Christian, which is much more important.