about

032710megacon17

Hello, I'm Mariana.

Since I'm a nerd at heart, I'll get the academic "qualifications" out of the way first. I like music enough to have gotten a degree in it, but I'm not doing anything with it right now. Guess whether I had to play the piano or violin as a kid.

My second academic love is linguistics, and contrary to what some might think about me or the field, I am mostly only interested in the English language and dialectology. Admittedly, I only did a minor in this field, but studying sociolinguistics significantly changed my worldview.

These days, I'm studying technical communication, which is everything and nothing what you think it might be. My primary interests in this field are plain English and the definition of "clear" language, ethical issues of copyright and plagiarism, public domain, and fair use. I am also a user of the Oxford comma.

I sometimes think, talk, and type too fast. I'm working on slowing down. Sometimes I'm verbose, and sometimes I'm succinct. Please don't take either delivery method the wrong way or interpret something from that, though.

My hobbies are wide and varied. I have a tendency to get obsessed about certain things for periods of time, especially after I've discovered them for the first time. Don't take that the wrong way, either.

In no particular order, I like: Radiohead, Alphonse Mucha, cosmetics, Adventure Time (my favorite characters are Jake and LSP), Stephen Colbert, and some good choral music. This list is not all-inclusive.

The name of this site is derived from my fondness of Hello Kitty and Sanrio. I'm sure you'll see more of that in the future on here.

My first non-choral/classical/operatic concert that I attended was Oasis during their Heathen Chemistry tour. Liam didn't spit on me or call Noel a sh*tbag on stage, and I'm not sure whether I am disappointed or pleased by this fact. (For the record, my favorite Gallagher brother insult is Noel about Liam: "He's the angriest man you'll ever meet. He's like a man with a fork in a world of soup.")

I can't whistle or ride a bike. My childhood was spent on Guam. I'm pretty sure these last two sentences are not related in any way.