Congratulations for having tumbled into a confusing web page. I guarantee you
will come away from this and think, "Huh?"

    So, to make the meet 'n' greet as brief as possible, I'm Lisa, and I was born on May 30th, 1984 in Oregon City, Oregon. I have a feeling I won't update this page for another half-decade, so you can do the math instead of me tell you my age in years. My home is in Milwaukie, which is the urban sprawl in the southeast direction of Portland. Nine months out of the year I live in Corvallis, which is about 80 miles south of Milwaukie. I migrate there to attend Oregon State University (Beavs) between late September and early June. I'm learning Arabic and plan to major in Middle East Studies. Because it really isn't offered at OSU, I may transfer up to Portland State University, where they have a notable MES department. However, I am thus far pleased with my education. As for the 2003-2004 school year, I will be a college sophomore.
    This school year I'll be taking classes directed more toward my focus than required courses. My schedule includes more Arabic lessons, Philosophy, Sociology, Women Studies, and Islamic History courses. I will also be taking Crew (rowing) classes. If all goes well, I'd like to join the team, to be more physically active. You can see my school's home page at www.oregonstate.edu/.
    I have other interests regarding fitness and athleticism. I myself am far from athletic, per say, but am fit and healthy. I walk four miles a day and eat well. I also enjoy yoga and belly dancing, although I haven't done either in close to six months. I plan on starting my lessons again this September, if my schedule allows it.
    That's enough about Corvallis and OSU. (Go Beavs!!)

    Soooo, let's see. I'll do a little review about what I've done with my life for the last couple of months. Because Oregon's economy is too depressing to mention, it will suffice to say that I have been unemployed this summer. With all this time on my hands, I decided that I would volunteer at Oregon Public Broadcasting. There, I put in about six hours a week, recording stories later to be syndicated on a radio station that caters to the blind listeners of Oregon. I just finished reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck and plan to wrap up another story within the next couple of weeks. Check them out at www.opb.org.
    I see you doing the math over there. If OPB only takes up 5-10 hours a week, what else have I been doing with my summer? I've been incredibly lazy; in fact, I'm going to go so far as to say that I am the definition of sloth. I like to venture down to the city's center by bus, spend time on the waterfront under the fountains, and walk around on Burnside with a couple of my friends. Another favorite area of mine is the collection of stores along NW 23rd (prepare to empty your bank account if you plan on visiting, however). The best store up there is called Urban Outfitters, and you can see their website here: www.urban.com.
    Also,at the end of August, I have been volunteering about 15 hours a week at my local library to get some bookstore experience. I hope to work in a bookstore, library or cafe when I go back to Corvallis.
    My family and I also took an amazing cruise up into Prince William Sound, Alaska, where we saw a great deal of wildlife and glaciers. It was breathtaking. E-mail me if you'd like to see my dad's digital recording of the Orca pod that came up to our boat.

    Another area to check out would be Hawthorne or Belmont streets, in Portland. Sort of Berkeley-esque, in style. A little funky, what with the zillions of record stores and second-hand clothing shops.

    I love dining out and having coffee with my friends. Unfortunately, I feel that I'm developing an immunity, because I can take two shots of espresso and go to sleep within an hour. There are quite a few great coffee places around here that I like to frequent, but the list would be endless. Instead, I'll talk about the foods I like. You'll have to excuse my bias, however. I have a thing for gourmet foods, and so I'm always a bit more apt to eating green curry over a hamburger.
    I LOVE Lebanese, Greek, Indian, and Thai. Also, I like Southern-style Cajun, and we have a few neat places around here whose, if you asked really nicely, names I could disclose to you. I like Italian and Mexican, but only if it's authentic- None of that Taco Bell sh*t!

    Off the topic of foods now. I really enjoy music., and have about 3 GB of songs on my computer. I listen to everything from classical to classic rock., and every damn genre in between. I love concerts, and have been to quite a few of them already. One of my favorite performing bands includes Floater, which has a sort of underground following. In a way, Floater can be likened to oysters. Most people either hate or love them, after hearing their music. I also listen to meditation music, Gregorian chant, Arabic pop (Rai), techno, 80's-style music and what I call "Chill", which usually applies to music by Sublime, Incubus or 311. So, yeah. That's me, musically.
    I have many favorite movies, and yes, Fight Club is one of them. (Who could NOT love it?) Also, my favorite TV series is Sex and the City, and I also enjoy the older Simpsons episodes. I love theaters and seeing movies, and I hate to be one of those girls, but dammit, JOHNNY DEPP IS DAMN FINE FOR FORTY! I feel so much better now that that's out of me. :D

    And on the topic of husbands, I am single and very happy in bachelorette- ville. I was in a long-term relationship that ended in May, and it was really the breath of fresh air that I needed. I truly enjoy spending time with different people and making new friends, and I don't plan on tying myself down to anyone for a long while now. The commitment, obligation, and responsibility of being in a serious relationship is overwhelming for me, especially during the school year, which will be starting again in less than two months. Besides, flirting is a sport, and it should be fun as hell... It's anything but fun as hell when you feel guilty doing it. So, that said, I like my life right now.
    Anyway, this is me in my very awesome high school senior prom dress. Yes it's vinyl, and yes it was warm. And this is a picture of my dad and I standing on the Great Pyramid of Cheops... it was awesome! We traveled all over the Middle east in the spring of 2000. Here's a shot of the "Kapalacharshi", the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul Turkey.

    Here's a link to my dad's pages. They're all very cool and definitely worth checking out: www.ponyespresso.com

If you have more questions, since I'm really writing this pretty blindly, instant message me at Moonfyre7, or e-mail me at lindnerl@onid.orst.edu