My name is Christina and I am a thirty-two year old woman from Flagstaff, Arizona. The name comes from a story I wrote when I was fourteen or fifteen. The heroine was named Cyra - it means "flame" and is pronounced "Sy-rah." "Bear" is a suffix I use to denote affection - e.g. "Mommy-bear" or "Izzy-Bear." Don't know where I picked that up. Anyway, nobody else is a CyraBear, so it works well for a screen name.
I spend my days working in a local credit union. I have a strong aversion to corporate banks - after the financial collapse of 2008, a lot of people are moving to credit unions, which are not-for-profit cooperatives that can offer all the same services as the big banks, usually at lower cost and less hassle. If it sounds like I'm delivering a practiced spiel, it's because I am...but I really do believe this shit. This is grassroots finance Chapter One. Look into it.
I didn't study finance or math in college - I got my degree in Comparative Sociology from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. I had once planned to go on to get a graduate degree in archaeology, but I found that I didn't have the physical stamina (or the money). I love learning about ancient history, other cultures, and other ways of looking at life. I am always trying to see a situation from every possible angle. One of the things I try to explore in my fics are the motivations of each of the characters. Some people find this annoying...ah, well.
I love books and reading, but I am living on an extremely limited budget right now. I was very excited to get back into fanfiction because it gave me some great stories to read without having to buy books. When I'm bored, I often find myself opening Hunter Hunting's blog to read CQ&IA one more time.
I love music and I have studied voice for many years. For the past eighteen months (since September of 2008) I have been very sick, and my voice has been affected by fatigue, disuse and side effects from one of my medications. Now that I am getting better I am slowly building my voice back up. It feels great, like stretching out a muscle that hasn't been used in a long time. Someday soon I hope to be able to sing with my church worship team again.
I attend a Methodist church, but I don't consider myself a Methodist. I am a Christian. Sometimes I even call myself one of the Jesus Freaks, because I dislike the connotations that the word Christian can sometimes have. I believe that God loves. Sometimes His love is hard, and sometimes we don't understand it, but He will always love. And those who can't understand that love hate and fear each other as much as they hate and fear themselves. However, even the most misguided person can feel that love and its effects, no matter how dark their lives have become. That being said, I believe that the sins that our society looks down upon the most are not always the ones that grieve God the most.
I am politically moderate with liberal leanings. I can sometimes be impatient with far-right conservatives, mostly because I just don't understand their motivations. I would like to understand. If you can tell me why giving tax breaks to the rich is good for the deficit and the impoverished people in this country, I may change my mind, but until then I believe that it is counterproductive to our nation's health and well-being. And don't even get me started on the World Bank.
I do lots of crafty stuff. I make jewelry for family and friends (and myself, of course). I've got a good handle on wire wrapping and I've dabbled in soldering - it's freaking hard. I've done calligraphy for a number of years. I do some paper crafts - card making and stuff - but I'm not into scrapbooking. Maybe someday if I end up with a husband and four kids. Anything having to do with making things beautiful is right up my alley. Except photography. I suck at that.
I have an eighteen year old cat named Isabeau. I love her very much; I've had her since I was fourteen. Right now she's cuddled up against my leg. Usually she's on my lap when I'm trying to type, which is very irritating.
My best friend is my mom. She rocks.
