Personal
Here you
will find information regarding many of my personal interests.
Like all the other sections of this site, much of what is here is
also relevant to the other aspects of my life. This particular
section of the web site is the site most in danger of
becoming likely to become a giant-sized link list. For
now, it's a list of the sections under development.
Sept Pendray:
An SCA-inspired moniker for my family and friends. My partner is a delightful man named Michael Scott. There is what might be called a former site located at http://pendray.tripod.com that you may peruse while the new site is under reconstruction. Most of what is in this section is at least mentioned in the old Tripod site.
Psychology
I am fascinated by the workings of the human mind, hence, my choice to make this my professional field. I do some research on my own and have a particular fondness for cognitive psychology and relationship theory. Like all good professionals in this field, I have undergone therapy myself, and am particularly interested in articulating that experience. This sounds a bit like navel-staring, but it's actually quite intriguing in the way it makes one's professional experiences and theories far more meaningful.
A subcategory, mental retardation. Yes, it is not the politically correct term, but, like my employer, I prefer it to the less-specific "developmental disabilities." I have hundreds of lesson plans that I think would be very useful for other people working in this field.
A subcategory, Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The Society for Creative Anachronism, INC (SCA)
The SCA is an educational organization dedicated to studying the social rather than the political history of Western Europe prior to 1601. It's an interesting place that serves vastly different purposes for thousands of very different people. As I am more academically inclined myself, it serves as an excellent place to learn and study those aspects of the Middle Ages and Renaissance that intrigue me. My primary interests are Tudor-era social history and the production of books and manuscripts, but I have studied a large number of other arts and crafts. For instance, one of my current projects is the building of a clay oven, that I might experience cooking as it might have been done before the advent of modern technology. Within the SCA, I am known as Merouda Pendray, and a web search on that name will turn up much information on my participation.
Heraldry and Protocol
An outgrowth of my service in the United States Army and my participation in the SCA. I love the design work and I find etiquette, rank, and social behavior intriguing. I should likely mention that my delight in etiquette stems from the long-time-gone "Wendy Wards" program offered by the former retail giant, Montgomery Wards. Thanks, Mom.
Computers and Programming
I've been interested in this since I took my first college course back at Anne Arundel Community College. Unlike many people, I am far more interested in the text applications, although I do some graphic work and indulge in games. Go to your favorite search engine and type in "Zosia the Pious." You'll find some of the computer programs I wrote many years ago, ported to compatibility via a Commodore 64 emulator. I find myself vastly pleased that many people out there liked those games well enough to port them and make them available again.
A subcategory, interactive fiction.
National Novel Writing Month. I love it, and I have a Live Journal specifically devoted to the event. You may read it here; come November each year, it may be the only contact I have with the outside world.
Spirituality
I am very interested in Mankind's relationship to the Divine. While I am often reluctant to discuss my personal beliefs, I am extremely interested in comparative religion and, on the darker side of the equation, Mankind's willing hypocrisy.
Self Publishing
Blogging: I started a journal on the web on 21 June 1999. More on this topic may be found through the creative nonfiction link below.
Web Publication: Web sites, shareware, peer-to-peer networking, electronic publishing, ezines
Traditional self-publication: Vanity presses, fanzines, et cetera. I have always intended to create my own small publishing company, and as technology gets better, my one-woman company gets ever more likely.
More to come. In the interest of reducing redundancy, some interests are listed only in other sections.
Please note: I no longer list my email address willy-nilly through the site. If you need to contact me, please read the copyright notice.
Professional a Personal a Art a Creative Nonfiction a Other
Copyright Notice a Web Design Philosophy