Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) profile picture

Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire)

Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.

About Me


Photographic Odyssey
During O-chem lab, one of my labmates commented on my being a happy person: "how are you having so much fun?" I just laughed in reply. This tells you all you really need to know about me :-P
So, you want to know more about me?
I am one of the guys. I will throw back pizza, beer, and watch action movies. I will be a friend's wingman. I will actually play pool with the intention to win or increase my level of skill, and I would rather play darts than just sit at a bar and do nothing. I usually wear jeans, flip flops or sneakers, and a tank. I laugh at most everything, including fart jokes, and I don't hold my nose when a big one is ripped (partially due to a lack of smell, I'll admit). I prefer my liquor straight, will match (or try to) shot for shot (and trash talk those unfortunate souls that can't take shots of turkey with me), don't expect guys to buy me stuff at the bar, and have no qualms about stumbling down the street with a friend, drunkenly singing what is supposed to be either irish drinking songs, pirate songs, or a mixture of the two.
I am one of the girls. I wear makeup, though not much, and I enjoy looking pretty. I wear fairly tight tops, more out of comfort than fashion (I was a gymnast; I dislike having lots of loose cloth on me, just seems dangerous), but they don't hide my figure (slight though it may be). I occasionally paint my toes, though never my nails. I do love to shop (though only when I have the money to actually buy something) and try things on. I have a weakness for pretty dresses (formal style), flowy skirts, and all kinds of earrings (and, in fact, make my own). When I go to the bar, I usually try to dress up a little (ie, high heels, eyeshadow along with the mascara, and a cute top).
I am unapologetic and unashamedly myself. I am 21, almost done with my undergrad- only to hop into a Masters program in Marine Ecology. I have a direction for my life, and am quite comfortable in my own skin. I can be anything and everything between assertive and aggressive to feminine and shy. In short, I'm a generally pretty mellow, nature loving (it's not unusual to find me barefoot, climbing trees, basking in the sun), nose in book, quick to laugh and smile, biology dork.
I go out of my way to step on acorns.
To me, Life is like the casting of dice- the most skillful players will sometimes have it land unexpectedly. Use a tricked pair, you'll get eventually get caught and have to pay. I am 21 and not average. I am me... Wanna Play?

My Interests

- Time with friends
- Laughing
- Learning cool things
- Writing & Reading
- Playing with my kitten
- Adventuring & Exploring
- Photography & Graphics
- Hiking
- Going to the beach
- Climbing trees
- Swimming in natural areas
- Exploring backroads
- Musical venues with character
- Interesting art exhibits
- Making jewelery
- Discussing/arguing intelligently
- Sharing knowledge
- Working with kiddos
- Other various fun stuffs

I'd like to meet:

I love to laugh, and so I love to meet people who make me laugh. I also enjoy the company of intelligent, fun loving, quirky, spiffy, zany, adventurous, courageous, interesting people. If you can hop from eclectic coffee house to hiking a mountain, I'd love to meet you- anyone who shares a love and respect for life.

I'm involved with an amazing man, my partner, and even if I weren't I wouldn't be looking for romance/bonage... but new friends are always awesome... hey, if you don't know me and you're reading this, say hi, you never know, I might be pretty cool :-P

Music:

Local music supporter!
(fave: Seth Walker and Mingo Fishtrap)

FM Radio:
NPR most of the time
soft rock/oldies for singing along
altrock when I'm pissy
jazz to be zenful
dance/techno to get energized
good rap or hiphop to groove to

HUGE blues and jazz fan
- Patricia Barber
- Dave Brubeck Quartet
- Canned Heat
- Miles Davis
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Herbie Hancock
- Billie Holiday
- Lightnin' Hopkins
- Robert Johnson
- Norah Jones
- Diana Krall
- Muddy Waters
- Tuatara
- Stevie Ray Vaughan

Some other tastes:
APC, Christina Aguilera, Antique, Joan Baez, Beatles, Michelle Branch, The Calling, Cher, The Clarks, Paula Cole, Judy Collins, Phil Collins, DMB, Dishwalla, The Doors, Duran Duran, Goo Goo Dolls, Gorillaz, Govi, Guns and Roses, Hootie and the Blowfish, Immortal Technique, Incubus, Lenny Kravitz, Lamya, Led Zepplin, Gordon Lightfoot, Lotherlorien, Madonna, Marcy Playground, Don McLean, Joni Mitchell, Moody Blues, Beth Orton, Semisonic, Sigur Ros, Splashdown, Stabbing Westward, Staind, Steppenwolf, Sting, The Streets, Sublime, System of a Down, Third Eye Blind, Tool, Uriah Heep, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Yanni

My secret vice: Westlife

Movies:

I appreciate almost all comedies, have a soft spot for sappy romances, and am enraptured by scifi. And, while it's not very feminine, I tend to love action movies.

Actors:
Scarlett Johansson
Peter Sellers
Jim Carrey
Matthew Broderick
Nicole Kidman
Gene Wilde
Danny Kaye
Dick Van Dyke

Individual Titles:
Stardust
Head in the Clouds
Serenity
Matchpoint
Lost In Translation
Pirates of the Caribbean
Dogville
Lady Hawke
Cube
The Swan Princess
The Quick and the Dead
Kate and Leopold
The Horse Whisperer
The Last Unicorn
Idle Hands


I will watch and love anything by/with Mel Brooks and Woody Allen.

Television:

I don't have cable, so the below is kind of (okay, really) null.

Always:
- Dr. Who?
- Boston Legal
- Weeds

Occasionally enjoy:
- House MD
- Eureka

Sometimes:
- Grey's Anatomy
- Desperate Housewives
- Myth Busters
- Dirty Jobs
- Monk
- Family Guy
- Whose Line Is It

Offair:
Farscape, Lexx, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Red Dwarf, Black Adder, Invisible Man, Xena, The Chronicle, First Wave, and Cowboy Bebop. Firefly also, but I have the complete series, so it's ok.

I will always find time to watch original Loony Tunes if they're on.

Books:

Oh my. Where to begin? I am a fantasy/scifi person mostly. A huge Jack L. Chalker fan, and have most of his books in first issue paper back- may he rest in peace, he was a great author and a great man. I also love Douglas Adams (but do you know the question?), Piers Anthony (huge Xanth fan, but also big on Incarnations, Geodyssey, and his single books), Clare Bell, Ray Bradbury, Jacqueline Carey, John Christopher, Robert Cormier, Roald Dahl, Jude Fisher, Neil Gaiman, Mercedes Lackey (free bards), Tanith Lee (about a shelf dedicated to her), Gregory Maguire, Anne McCaffery ("ship" books), Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, Larry Niven, Scott O'Dell, Tamora Pierce, William Sleator, Sherri S. Tepper, Vivian Vande Velde, S.L. Viehl, Joan D. Vinge, Kate Wilheim, and Connie Willis. Just reading off my bookcases, but I'll read just about anything... these are just the authors whom I search out.
Single Books: The Princess Bride (William Goldman), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), Pet Semetary (Stephen King), Harris and Me (Gary Paulsen), Kindred (Octavia Butler), and Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold). I'm also a HUGE fan of the Narnia books by C. S. Lewis and read the series at least twice a year.
I'm a Greek Mythology buff and have tons of books about that and other Greek literary works (I suggest C. Kerenyi's studies if you're truly interested: The Gods of the Greeks and The Heroes of the Greeks). Fairy and folk tales hold my interest, and I always have some collection lying around. Sociology also fascinates me, so I have several different readings about that (with a focus on adolescent girls). I've got lots of books that are connected to Nature, whether it be biographies, stories, or studies- and Edward Abbey is included amoung them (interesting man, I suggest Desert Solitaire if you're interested in getting started with him). I also love reading memoirs of interesting times, which includes the well known series about the british veterinarian, James Herriot and a less well known memoir of a West Texas vet, Charlie Edwards; I also have several memoirs of the old country (wild west). I love a great deal of poetry, so I won't list any names, though I can think of several writers off the top of my head (TS Eliot, Emily Dickinson, some less well known people, etc). I have several collections of Edward Gorey's work, which are, of course wonderfully zany, as well as various photography and other art collections in various places about my room. I also have several books on animal rights, including a slightly outdated collection of all laws concerning animal rights (no, I can't stand PETA- I'm a SPCA baby). Lately, I've been getting more interested in my heritage, so I'm beginning to pick up books on those subjects.
I'm becoming more interested in what's going on in research lately, so I suppose I should list Science News as one of my favorite publications. Strongly suggest you look through an issue if you want to learn something interesting that you had no idea about.

Heroes:

Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Frederick Douglass, Malcom X, and Edward S. Curtis (to name a few). The regular people that are overlooked but try to make a positive difference in the lives of others and their communities, and people who follow their dreams and passion despite adversity. Last but definitely not least, my friends and family who have shown me the good in people and helped me keep faith in myself.

My Blog

Marriage and Mormons (rant)

Now, first off, don't get me wrong.  Two of my closest friends are members (okay, pretty much in name only, not faith, but still) of the Church of Latter Day Saints.  I've never had a proble...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:33:00 PST

Marine Biology

The Marine Bio field class (a couple weekends ago) was incredibly fun.  We went to Port Aransas, to the UT marine research center, and went out on the Katy.  I ended up hitting it off w...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:04:00 PST

Sparring is Fun, but Now I’m Sore

Well, it's the 6th week of school, and all of my classes have had exams so far.  I'm averaging B's- not bad, especially not in Biochem, but I need to make A's.  I have an exam this Thurs, an...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:04:00 PST

Skewl and Stuff

So, the first day of school has occured and been finished.  I must say, it didn't start out auspiciously, as I was quite sick this morning, but I muddled my way through, and Comrade Bart let me c...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 03:16:00 PST

Break!!!

All right!  O-chem is completely done... decent feeling about the exam, should make an A in the class, B at the lowest (hopefully an A though!).Bart and I leave for our road trip tomorrow morning...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:58:00 PST

Summer's Waning

Ah, summer is almost over.It's been a good summer, really.  I'm doing well in what's supposed to be the make or break class for biology students, I have a new job that I enjoy a great deal, some ...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Thu, 02 Aug 2007 03:56:00 PST

Kitten, Modeling Job, Exam Turnaround (all within 24hrs!)

Around midnight last night, there came a knocking upon my door.  It was my downstairs neighbor holding a meowing kitten... the little guy had invited himself in to my neighbor's apartment and sta...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Fri, 20 Jul 2007 05:44:00 PST

Music and Grief

It's easy for me to sometimes get lost in my own world.  I've always had a habit of taking a third-person perspective to my life, and lately that's been happening more and more.  Sometimes I...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:15:00 PST

Plans: Peace Corps

I have a reason now. Not that I wasn't going to continue school, but I felt like I was stagnating. I want to be a part of something greater than myself- I want to earn my place in the human race.I'm...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:24:00 PST

Pasture Just Over the Hill

Do any of you, my friends, ever look at yourselves and go, "I could be so much more," and feel mediocricy bearing down on you?I feel sometimes like there is a greater purpose for me than what I'm curr...
Posted by Tara (Pirate Extraordinaire) on Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:27:00 PST