About

Portrait by Emily Ann Garcia

Hello! I am Halsted, a/k/a cygnoir, and I do stuff with words. cygnoir.net is my weblog, which includes a diary, links, stories, poems, recipes, et cetera. But no Peter Cetera. I like that you are here.

In 1998, I started an online journal on squixel.net. Two years later, I joined LiveJournal. cygnoir.net hatched on 4 July 2002.

Cygnoir is a portmanteau of cygne and noir, the French words for “swan” and “black”, respectively. (I pronounce it /seen-WAH/ while apologizing profusely to la langue française.) My pseudonym and site predate Taleb’s book and Aronofsky’s film, and I have never been a goth or in the SCA. I simply love black swans and wordplay.

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

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 or ’Sted, but my other aliases include Cygnoir, Cyg, 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.
Alignment: Chaotic good.
Stats: STR 5, INT 15, WIS 16, DEX 12, CON 5, CHR 18.
Status: Married to the astounding FunkyPlaid.
Profession: Writer, slush reader, 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, nav ratna 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 perfumes I wear are Karma by Lush, Sandalwood by Song of India, and Cannabis Santal by Fresh.
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, politics, yellow gold, Burning Man, ignorance, instant coffee, being patted on the head, warmongering, incurable diseases, sexism, homophobia, racism, classism, religion, incorrect metadata, peeing outdoors, Paris Hilton, passive aggression, sport-utility vehicles, alcoholism, and apathy.