Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 21:07:58 -0400 From: Carrie Laben Subject: New Intros... including my own. X-Sender: crl5@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu (Unverified) To: NYCgoth-L@necronomi.com I'd like to remind everybody that today is D-Day for new intros. Everyone must post a new introduction of at least three substantial paragraphs for the edification of other members before posting again, as of now. And, in keeping with that, let me introduce myself.... My name is Carrie Laben, but if you've heard of me at all you're much more likely to know me as Cassandra Ingram (I usually use that name online and have a short story being published under it in a forthcoming issue of Cthulhu Sex) I am one of the co-moderators of this lovely list. I'm also a part-time webmaster (soon to be out of work, alas), freelance writer, and avocational mad scientist. I'm a sucker for anything to do with biology, whether it be a brain in a jar, a book on evolution, or my own very much alive cat Baxter, who spent his formative years being used to test vaccine in a lab. I have the physique in keeping with my role, including glasses, extreme pallor, and a full 98 pounds of mass. Add blond hair and green eyes and you've pretty much got a mental image of me. About here would be where I would typically describe my big honking eclectic music collection, but I don't have one. I use my boyfriend's, ask him about it. Really, there are many aspects of the 'Goth' aesthetic that I find more interesting than music, including literature (both classic horror and modern dark fantasy, though honestly there's hardly a book I won't read except in Oprah's Book Club) and the visual arts. My favorite books include Clive Barker's Weaveworld, the original Dracula, Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco, and nearly everything by H. P. Lovecraft and Ambrose Bierce. My own literary ambitions lean much towards the dark fantasy realm, and I am currently looking for an agent for my first novel. My home life is based in Ithaca, where we have one very lonely little goth club night - 'Grail' at the appropriately-named Haunt. It's decent and the people are pretty nice, but it's on Sunday. I used to try to make it to Byzantium from time to time when it was still alive. Actually, nowadays I am very much a homebody, and mostly enjoy the company of my boyfriend (Todd Zino), my cats (the above-mentioned Baxter and three others - Warsaw, Erzulie, and Poznan) and my computer. So yes, I'm always watching the list! My eyes are everywhere! Mwa-ha-ha-ha. Anyway. There you go. - Carrie (Cassandra)