About Me

But who am I, besides who is in my family or what I do for employment or how I like to have fun? Frequently I ask myself “Who am I?” It seems I return often to a need to make a clear definition of myself and a description of where I am heading. Sometimes it’s easy to picture myself and who I am, but putting me into writing, is a challenging task.

For lack of a better place to start, my physical inventory includes: short thick brown hair, intense brown eyes, a height of 5’8″ and an athletic build that needs major exercise. I mostly wear black Levi jeans, all cotton t-shirts or polo shirts and white high top sneakers. I was born in Sacramento, California. I am a Leo. My birthday is August 1 1963. I enjoy knowing that I’m half Finnish. My father is a first generation American from parents who both relocated from Finland to Northern Minnesota. Arvola is my maiden name and it means, at the place of Arvol. I would like to learn how to speak Finnish and I hope that I can visit Finland someday. My heritage from my mother is Irish. Although, apparently my materal grandmother was part Cherokee.

I have lived in three states in the USA: California, Oregon and Wisconsin. I am a single mom. My son was born in the Spring of 1990. People that know me have described me as being intense, genuine and tenacious. Considerate? Well, I am willing to admit that if I had been more considerate during the late 80’s and early 90’s, I probably would not be twice divorced right now. But I really like the definition of the word considerate: having or marked by regard for the needs or feelings of others; characterized by careful thought; deliberate. Although, I have been told numerous times that I think too much. Yet, I love to read and think.

Devil's Lake, Climbing Blitzen's Crack, Spring 1989This photo was taken during the Spring of 1989 while attending a week long rock climbing training course. The shot shows me in the middle of completing a popular climb named Blitzen’s Crack at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, Wisconsin.

I love to hike. I enjoyed rock climbing a great deal before my son was born; I want to recondition myself to be able to climb again. I like to play second base and short stop in softball. I am proud of my GT mountain bike, and I love pretending I’m a kid: zooming around on it. I want to learn how to keep my balance while inline skating. I am envious of the self assurance, confidence and talent I see in young adults who skate without helmets or padding. One of my favorite movies is Gleaming the Cube.

My all time favorite indoor activity is eating and watching movies. I tend to eat almost anything, and I adore having someone else prepare the food! My favorite fast food is a bacon cheese burger. I would rather see movies at the theater, but I also rent tons of videos. My second favorite indoor activity is playing on my computers.

At the beginning of 1996, I started developing my own home page. I tremendously enjoy manipulating HTML and designing graphics. During the Summer of 1998, I registered for my own domain. I am a freelance artist, providing a number of skills: graphic designer, photographer, electronic illustrator and Website developer.

My favorite color is black. I also like red, white and purple. I drive a Ford Ranger truck. My favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla/chocolate twist. I am a non smoker and a non drinker of alcohol products. I don’t drink coffee; although, I’m totally addicted to Mountain Dew. I must have my Dew during the first half of the morning. I am intrigued by psychology and philosophy.

My greatest challenge is dealing with Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression). This illness has increased the amount of stress I experience every day, especially in my relationships with family and friends, due to my unpredictable energy level and my oscillating outlook on life.

Bipolar Disorder
about my personal struggle.

But, still, who am I? I am an endless source of complicated thoughts and deep feelings. At the times I feel best about myself: I believe I am beautiful, especially unique and have a tremendous amount to offer life. And, at this time of my life, I am trying to begin to truly believe in myself and the image of who I’d like to become. In 1997, I listened to the cassette tapes by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, titled Women Who Run with the Wolves, Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. I have always been a wild woman, but I guess I found a lot of new insight about what it means to be a wild woman from listening to this author speak about the female psyche.

Random Details About Me

Also See

  • Anecdotes and Readings
    • a collection of thoughtful snipets from here & there.
  • Humor
    • a collection of haha & heehee snipets from here & there.
  • Goofy Links
    • collection of links to silly websites.