About

I am dreadful at blurbs, so what follows is a long list of description.

The List of Cygnoir-ness

• Name: My first name comes from Halsted Street in Chicago. My middle name is my paternal family name, and my last is derived from my maternal family name. Confusingly to many, nothing is hyphenated.
• Aliases: I prefer to be called Halsted (often shortened to ’Sted) or Cygnoir (often shortened to Cyg). Past aliases include Joey, saranrapture, princestuous, Carah, and Carinah.
• Birthday: 23 February. I am a Pisces with a Scorpio Moon and Cancer rising. I am also a Water Ox. I have a wish list for birthday-gift-giving types.
• Birthplace: Northwestern Pennsylvania. I say “pop” instead of “soda” or “coke” though I don’t drink it. I also say “expressway” instead of “freeway” and I know the difference between Mennonites and Amish.
• Residence: Edinburgh, Scotland. Past homes include San Francisco, Chicago, northwestern Pennsylvania, and Birmingham, Alabama.
• Languages: Fluent in English. I was also once so in Italian, Spanish, German, and French, but they’re gone now. I have also dabbled in Esperanto, ASL, Irish Gaelic, and Mandarin. And, yes, okay, Klingon.
• Culture: Italian-American.
• Totem: Cygnus atratus, but you knew that already.
• Code: B9 d++ t+ k++ s u- f i+ o++ x+ e+ l c–
• Alignment: Chaotic good.
• Stats: STR 5, INT 15, WIS 16, DEX 12, CON 5, CHR 18.
• Status: Married to the astounding FunkyPlaid.
• Professions: Writer, diarist, and unlibrarian. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are solely my own and not of any employer or organization.
• Education: BA in the structure and culture of the English language, an individually-designed major that fused sociolinguistics, literary theory, and creative writing; MLIS with a focus on web development and digital archives (expected 2012).
• Personality type: According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I am the rarest type, INFJ (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging). In Enneagram terms, I am a Nine. And then there are other metrics like my Johari window and my three words.
• Belief: Desiderata.
• State: Liquid.
• Phase: Moult.
• Metal: Silver.
• Stone: Moonstone.
• Cuisine: I love to eat, especially gluten-free versions of the following: tom kha gai, sushi, pho, butternut squash, barbecue, corn chowder, risotto, hanger steak, salt and pepper crab, chicken korma, mashed potatoes, Nutella-filled crepes, cheese fondue, roasted beets, prawn cocktail, lobster bisque, biscuits and gravy, gnocchi, pickles, and good old macaroni and cheese.
• Couture: Simple, comfortable, and slightly quirky. Layers. Asymmetry. Mostly black with some solid, deep colors. Black boots. Silver jewelry.
• Favorite word: Cygnoir, somewhat obviously. I also like serendipity, foible, extrapolate, and oblivescence.
• Favorite letter: X.
• Favorite typefaces: Gill Sans and Georgia.
• Favorite color: Aubergine, known on the Web as #330033.
• Favorite flowers: Calla lilies, French tulips, purple irises, moss roses, winter daphne, and poet’s jasmine.
• Favorite time of day: The gloaming.
• Favorite season: Autumn.
• Favorite beverages: Water, tea, carrot juice, amaretto, and whisky. Not together.
• Favorite flavor: Chocolate hazelnut, e.g. Nutella.
• Favorite scents: Sandalwood, seawater, garlic, petrichor, amber, and books. The fragrances I wear most often are Lush’s Karma and Lust.
• Favorite place to be: Near large bodies of water.
• Favorite OS: Mac OS X.
• Favorite toy: Serendipity, my iPhone.
• Obsessions: Fountain pens, games, knitting, movies, music, photography, reading, running, and virtual reality.
• Aversions: illiteracy, close spaces, curdled milk, eyeball injuries, people who don’t respect my very clear boundaries, feet, pretentiousness, mainstream media, Tori Amos’ music, politics, yellow gold, Burning Man as an excuse for anything, ignorance, instant coffee, being patted on the head, warmongering, incurable diseases, sexism, homophobia, racism, classism, religion, incorrect metadata, peeing outdoors, famewhores, passive aggression, sport-utility vehicles, alcoholism, and apathy.