I’m scared of horses. There aren’t many things that freak me out but horses are one of them. I love the idea of riding horseback down a sandy beach with the waves lapping at my feet and the sun shining on my bronzed bikini body (in my dreams remember,) but in reality I know that the horse would sense my nervousness, take off at a gallop, leap over a bush and toss me into the dirt. Horses are different than motorcycles because they have a MIND OF THEIR OWN. I attempted to conquer this fear once and got “less scared,” but if I had to choose something that scares me, horses would be it.
In high school I played every sport imaginable; basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field, cross country, swimming etc. Most people would have called me a jock but I also had a pretty hard core “wanna be goth chick” side too. I played Vampire the Maquerade, a few D & D games, Magik the Gathering, stayed up all night and hung out with a guy that had Vampyr as his license plate. Ok, that’s enough of that.
If there was one talent I could be blessed with it would be singing. I LOVE singing but I totally suck at it. There isn’t much I won’t do or try but singing in public isn’t happening. Ever. I blast the tunes, I sing in the car, I know the song lyrics to thousands of songs but Karaoke? Never.
In 1995 I went to Guyana, South America with a program called Youth Challenge International. I stayed with 10 other Canadian’s in a small open window shelter in the middle of a tiny village (only accessible by boat) called Bethany. There was no running water, electricity, communication with the outside world. We slept in hammocks and worked alongside the locals to build a community centre. It was a life changing experience and I’m so grateful I had that oprtunity at a young age.
I was a radio DJ for a late night Gothic Industrial Music show called Laced in Darkness on two different University radio stations. My radio name was Raven, my co-host, Arioch. We played music from bands like: Skinny Puppy, Front 242, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Dead Can Dance, and enjoyed staying up until the wee hours of the morning discussing things like philosophy and vampires and poetry.
In 2001 I competed in my first ever Kickboxing/Muay Thai boxing match against another girl. No protective gear, 12oz gloves, and for three 2 minute rounds we basically beat the shit out of each other. I loved the sport of kickboxing and training but the fighting side of things? Not so much. I wasn’t too thrilled about getting beat up, and beating the crap out of someone else while people cheered and whistled and hollered didn’t feel very classy. Plus I thought it was very dangerous. I decided that hucking myself down a race track at 280km/hour was a better idea.
I write a lot. My goal is to publish a book or two in my lifetime, I just need to find time. I also write a lot of poetry. I’ve shared it with very few people, ever. But in the spirit of pushing past fears and boundaries I’m willing to try to post a few of my poems here….
I have a degree in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria. I graduated in 2000 and the plan was to work in the field. Little did I know that I’d take off on a motorcycle, race, coach and make a career out of riding. Life can turn around in an instant but I don’t regret a thing!
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