And here we go!

I'm somewhat new to all this, so I guess it's appropriate to start off telling a little bit about myself. We can fill in on the happenings of my life in later posts, right? And what's really more important than a good introduction? After all, it's only polite, ja? You can call me Bear. Or Jack. Or Ragnar, really. I've got a lot of names by which people know me. I'm 24 years old, and I live currently in Virginia. I'm a student at Old Dominion University, where I'm up to my eyes in my sixth year of study (I'm a super-senior, yay!) studying Geography and secondary education. Good times at Old Dirty U, let me tell you. I'm Norse pagan, which, in layman's terms, means I worship the gods and goddesses of the Vikings. It seems weird in this time period, I know, but it makes me truly happy, makes me work to being a better person and makes a lot of sense to me, which is what religion is really all about. I've wanted to be a palaeontologist since I was about four years old, although I've recently begun entertaining second thoughts in that vein, given the availability of jobs and the profitability of the field. I love listening to metal music, particularly folk metal, or viking metal, which are both pretty much what they sound like they mean. Metal music with folk or Nordic theme and influences to them. So, yeah, I'm a metal head. I'm currently working on growing my hair long for an upcoming metal concert I'm planning on attending in April. As a result, I haven't cut my hair since April, which is a complete departure from the virtually constantly-tonsored, clean cut guy to which I normally strive to be. I also enjoy being outdoors hiking, or camping or just being. I love practicing primitive survival techniques and what might be called, "applied archaeology" which translates in my case to making primitive, stone-age tools and crafts and practicing ancient techniques. I currently work in one of the area "libarries," or at least that's how the locals refer to it, where I'm a Librarian Assistant 1, hereby abbreviated to LA-1, or Library Ass. Really, either one is applicable. What this translates to, if you are not intimate familiar with library work, is that I am the guy that gets to check in and out all the crud (mainly DVD's, it seems, which leads many of my coworkers and I to believe that we would have been better off just taking that job offer from the guy at the Blockbuster Video when we had the chance) that comes into the library and leaves the library, and gets to answer phones, which I do in my cheerful, British manner. The upside to working at the library is that I am inside and out of the elements when the weather is inclement, well-paid (or at least, decently-paid, though perhaps not always decently compensated in the opinions of the people that work in the library for what we have to put up with day to day), have insurance through my job, and get to work with some really great folks, not least of which is my incomparable and enchanting girlfriend (although that term barely even does the depth of our relationship justice or describes anywhere near how I feel about her). The downside is, well, the people we have to deal with on the other side of the desk. Well, when they choose to stay on the other side of the desk, at any rate. More than once I've had to grab the bullwhip and the electric prod, and corral the stray ones back into the herd when they choose to wander into the "Staff Only" area behind the circulation desk. Don't get me wrong, many of them are perfectly nice, and I could just hug some of them, some days. Others, I could hug too, right around their necks until they turn a colour somewhat resembling a smurf. If you haven't noticed, the "libarry" plays a huge role in my life. I'm there about as much as I am at home. More, actually, if you just count my waking hours. Not nearly the worst job you could have, but some days, it seems like it could give sewer cleaner or elephant dung removal technician a run for its money. Working in a "libarry", you might expect that I love to read, and you would be right. Ironically, I probably read more before I started working there about 6 years ago. Funny thing is, they don't like you reading on the job there. I mean, you would think in a library, they would consider that putting a good influence out for the patrons as to what they should be doing, but apparently not. So, as you can see, I'm not really your typical "librarian". Anyhow, that's me in a nutshell.