Ocean View Verandah

about

I am Kirsten, or Kay (K) which is a nick name my friend Susan gave me over a decade ago now.

I'm a writer, wife, sometime online journaller, and, since March 2003, mother to a wonderful little boy named Liam. In a past life I was a massage therapist, business manager and massage teacher. For money I actually do none of these things very much, but work in a communications position in a nameless government department. I do get to write articles and papers, but not about the sorts of things I'm really interested in. Mostly I edit other people's articles for our division's internal online magazine, of which I am the editor. It's not bad way to spend two days a week, and they pay me pretty well. The rest of the time I get to spend with Liam.

I'm in my early 30s. I have two cats. I live in Canberra, Australia. I was born here, and though I have lived in other places, I seem to be back here for the foreseeable future. It's my dream to live near the ocean, and I would also love to live in Melbourne. But at the moment family is the driving force, and with Chris's Dad and my parents here this feels like the right place to be, particularly now we have gotten them all so besotted with Liam.

Some background: I went to Uni in Adelaide almost straight from school (worked for a year first) and did a BA, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I studied mostly literature and philosophy, and did honours in literature at the ANU in Canberra. After that I studied massage and became a massage therapist. Maybe I'll go back some day and do a PhD or a Masters. Or maybe just a grad dip in something or other. I miss being a Uni student and having only ten contact hours a week. Of course, now that I am a mother I couldn't spend my 'free' hours sitting around in cafes anyway. But I also miss the stimulation and the atmosphere. And the reason and justification for writing. And thinking.

While I was at Uni I spent some time in the States, at UC Santa Cruz, which I loved, so I have a number of friends over there who I would like to get over and visit some time. It also means I can translate stuff into US, but that's where my amazing linguistic skills stop.

My partner, Chris, and I have been together for nine years, living together for most of it. We got married in '99, on November 27th. So next year we get to celebrate our 10 year anniversary of being together, and our five year wedding anniversary. I talk a bit about getting married on Feb 26 2000 .

I could add that I have an only mildly dysfunctional (extended) family, and to quote (more or less) Kurt Vonnegut, my happy childhood was no way for a writer to begin.

Last Updated October 2003

Edited August 2003 to say: The problem with about pages is they always need updatin.g. This one does now: In a couple of weeks I will be able to say Chris and i have been together 10 years, and, I am presently enrolled in my second semester in a Masters in Writing and Literature (by coursework). Which I am loving, despite the lack of cafe time.

index | email