Profile

If you were to read a profile of me in any of the standard personality tests, it comes up with something around being an introvert, introspective, keeping more of my thoughts to myself and filtering most of my experiences of the world through words. Mostly it would say "sometimes difficult to get to know". That's both true and false.)

In reality, this has turned into a forum for me to bitch about my life when things go wrong, to cheer about the beautiful things, and to work through some very heavy issues. You may not see anything of substance unless you're listed as one of my "friends". If we've actually met, just add a subscription and/or drop me a note, I occasionally check to see if there's new folks I should be granting access to.

As for the title: the personal parts of this have become a way for me to trace my way through my life, trying to get an idea of how I am where I am, who I am, etc. My name, lifted from a Charles deLint book, refers to the fact that I have these layers, and various folks are allowed to see various layers, but no one sees the center layers, sometimes not even me. If I've added you as to the access list, you'll see some of the layers. If you feel you know me well as a person, you can probably see more.

To give you an idea of what I mean by that, new friends should probably answer this poll, and read this entry.



A word on 'friending':
I don't believe that adding someone as my LJ-friend automatically means we are friends. That's something that can only come with time and positive interaction. If I've added you as a friend and you have no idea who I am, I've probably seen what you've had to say in a mutual friend's journal, and was interested enough to want to learn more. I'm not stalking you. If it disturbs you that I've added you, shoot me an email or drop me a comment, and I'll take you back off my friend list.

A word on things poly:


I don't know why right at this moment this seems important for me to put here, but here it is: I'm not currently practicing poly or looking for a new partner. But I am very poly-friendly--it is possible at this point in my life that a majority of my friends are poly and I happily support them in that choice. So if you're not poly or don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it. If you are, don't worry about it. I am interested in making new friends of any persuasion or identity. 'Nuff said?



And these, from my friends, who are entirely too nice to me:

tsgeisel:

Dancer, musician, geek in ways that may not be obvious at first glance; you cannot know her at first glance, nor even just by her LJ. Getting to know tshuma is its own reward.

barelyproper:

Hear that lilting tune? It's her. See that flash of color whirl by? It's her. Enjoy a kind word or facinating tale? Ask her. Want to know a woman who proves that geeks are sexy? You just did.

labelleizzy:

the Xtyn is one of the most fiercely loyal friends I've ever known. However, (how shall I put this delicately) she does not cast her pearls before swine; she is likable at first meeting and lovable soon after - IF you are trusty. Just be patient and kind and you may coax her out of her shell. It's worth it.

birdlady55 (my boyfriend's mother, no less):

When you meet her, at first you see a public, friendly, interesting face attached to a graceful, elegant form. As you get to know her, her aspects and interests are gradually revealed, like the layers of an onion (see, I read, therefore I plagiarize...). I hope to learn more as time goes by - the anticipation adds to the fascination I have with reading the LJ and "getting to know her" that way.

pusifoot:

Intelligent, as beautiful inside as outside, witty, generous, the Onion Girl has many layers and each is as fascinting as the one before it.

dakini_grl:

I don't know if this really answers this post correctly, but... I never remember a moment when I met you when I thought "Oh, she's shy." You were very friendly. I remember thinking you were very articulate, and you didn't avoid complex conversational subjects, which impressed me. You also seemed very open about what you knew and didn't know, which also impressed me. I was also struck by your musical talent; I seem to remember watching you play recorder and dance soon after I met you.

chrisfs:

"talented musician, dancer and auto mechanic!"

ravenslost:

There are so many things I could say about tshuma. I will restrain myself and limit it to this: if I were to choose off the top of my head who to drink a couple of bottles of really good red wine with? It'd probably be her.