An introductory post

[thepowerofdeath]

hi, I'm Alice Mae and I haven't got a clue what I'm doing here!

OK, that's actually a bit of an exaggeration. I don't quite know the ins and outs of Dreamwidth, I'm fairly experienced at journalling. I have kept journals since I was a teenager - everything from dear diary, to scrapbook journalling, gratitude jouanlling, reflective, guided... I have shelves of notebooks filled and it always gives me such joy.  

I've never shared these thoughts, so the idea of posting it online gives me some sense of apprehension. I need to work out what level of my life I feel comfortable sharing, how deep this is going to go. Time, of course, will tell and the only way to find out is to jump in. 

So why am I now choosing to bring my journalling online? 
Mostly it's because I'm nosycurious about reading others, and it only seems fair for me to do the same. I love people watching, I am endlessly fascinated in the story of human beings, our cultures and the societies we form, and how we interact with each other, within our own societies & cultures and with those from different ones, and with the world around us - there's a reason I have various degrees in anthropology & archaeology (and it's not just because I still want to be either Lara Croft, Sydney Fox, Indiana Jones, Daniel Jackson or Blair Sandburg when I grow up!) I'm looking forward to the opportunity to shares the things that bring me joy, and the chance to get a little glimpse into peoples lives through the things they choose to share genuinely fascinates me! 

It also only seems fair to share a little about me. The basic details are I'm Alice Mae, I'm over 30, I'm Welsh and I live in Devon. I'm a white cis-gender bisexual woman and my pronouns are she/her. 
My main interests are Egyptology, archaeology, anthropology and folklore (especially Egyptian mythology and witchcraft, and the witch trials of Early Modern Europe (and beyond)).
I have a growing interest in aliens, ufology and the psuedo-history/science of ancient aliens/ancient astronaut theory. No, I have no idea why either, but I've learned to not question random interests - instead I embrace them and see where they go! 
I also enjoy reading, crossword puzzles, visiting museums, and am regularly kicked out of coffee shops becase they want to close and I've lost track of time in the back corner!
I am fuelled by copious amounts of caffeine, sugar and heavy metal music. 

I mentioned in my Introductory Post that I would make another post about my fannish interests - and this is that post.

I'm only really in one fandom - Stargate. The original movie, SG-1 and Atlantis. I didn't really gel with Universe, I haven't seen (or am at all inclined to do so) Infinity or Origins. My heart definitely belongs to SG-1 though which I have loved since I was a pre-teen

Pairing wise, It's Jack/Daniel. I have been shipping them before I knew what shipping was, before I knew what sex was - and even more so after!
I'm not an OTP person though and will ship pretty much anyone/everyone. Especially anyone/Daniel, with Daniel on bottom. I enjoy most combinations of Jack/Sam/Daniel, Cam/Sam/Daniel/Vala.
But my heart will always belong to Jack/Daniel

I don't watch a huge amount of TV/movies, and when I do, I tend to stick to the ones I know and love.
Indiana Jones, The Librarian, The Mummy, National Treasure, Tomb Raider,
Charmed, Farscape, The Librarians, Relic Hunter, The Sentinel
I have recently enjoyed The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, A Discovery Of Witches, and Blood and Treasure. As well as that random interest in Ancient Aliens. There's a National Treasure show on Disney+ that I want to see, and I do want to try the Charmed remake.
Essentially, I love cheesy, fun, treasure-hunting - but also witches!

I can't pick a favourite book, I never have been able to. I'm usually reading 3 or 4 books at a time, a mixture of fiction & non-fiction, and my local librarians know me by name!
Currently reading, as of 02/01/24:
Sarah Addison Allen - First Frost
Alessandro Barchiesi & Walter Scheidel - The Oxford Handbook of Roman Studies
Mary Beard - Civilisations: How Do We Look/The Eye of Faith
Rebecca Netley - The Whistling

Music-wise I love heavy metal and my favourite band will always be Iron Maiden.
My journal name and title come from the lyrics of Maiden's Powerslave

Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave
I don't wanna die, I'm a god
Why can't I live on?
When the Life Giver dies
All around is laid waste
And in my last hour
I'm a slave to the Power of Death

I also really like Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Korn, Rammstein, Slipknot, Disturbed, System Of A Down and Avenged Sevenfold.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and welcome to my blog. It's lovely to meet you, please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me a little about yourself (this is obviously not some kind of requirement - it would just be nice to know!). 
And, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Comments

[einhornmaedchen]

Hi Alice Mae (that's a beautiful name, btw), it's nice to meet you! I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. I personally have been online journalling for years and it has helped me grow and expand my horizons a lot. It also helps to get input on whatever's currently on your mind from people from all walks of life :)

I love people watching, I am endlessly fascinated in the story of human beings, our cultures and the societies we form, and how we interact with each other, within our own societies & cultures and with those from different ones, and with the world around us -
I can only echo these sentiments! Humans are incredibly fascinating.

[tsuki_no_bara]

here from snowflake, and hello to a fellow indy fan! (i'm gonna blow up the ark, rene!) (as far as i'm concerned raiders is the best of the series but i also have a soft spot for last crusade.) i also really like national treasure - so silly, so fun - but i've never seen the tv show nor have i heard anything about it. like, i don't even know if it's good or not. hopefully it is!

[birdylion]

(Here via snowflake)
Hi, nice to meet you! Stargate was the first TV series I watched on my own that wasn't parent-selected children's cartoons. I have so much fondness for it <3 nice to meet another fan. I've heard many good things about farscape, I've been meaning to check that out too.
Also, your non-fannish interests sound interesting.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I don't quite know the ins and outs of Dreamwidth, I'm fairly experienced at journalling.<<

There are several communities for newcomers including reddit_refugees, getting_started, and dw101 which have resources on how to use DW and what you can do here.

>> I have kept journals since I was a teenager - everything from dear diary, to scrapbook journalling, gratitude jouanlling, reflective, guided... I have shelves of notebooks filled and it always gives me such joy. <<

You might also like journalsandplanners which often has pretty pictures of people's projects.

>>I've never shared these thoughts, so the idea of posting it online gives me some sense of apprehension. I need to work out what level of my life I feel comfortable sharing, how deep this is going to go.<<

DW has robust tools for this. You can sort by making public things open (like fanfic) and private things locked (like personal stuff). You can create filters for different topics and determine which groups of readers can see each one. Some folks keep separate blogs for topics they really don't want to overlap.

Consider the process of intimacy in relationships, though. People start out sharing just a little, then add more over time. This works well with blogging. If you start with fairly safe topics like book reviews or seasonal observations, it's unlikely to get uncomfortable. Once you know your audience, you'll probably feel like sharing more.

>>there's a reason I have various degrees in anthropology & archaeology<<

That's awesome. :D

>> I'm only really in one fandom - Stargate. <<

I loved the movie. "Why do they even keep reprinting his book?" I couldn't abide the TV show. But I do enjoy the fanfic.

>>Essentially, I love cheesy, fun, treasure-hunting - but also witches!<<

I've been backing Kickstarter games for that. I've got a really fluffy one about witches and fairies. Today I found:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/13thmoongames/coven-and-crucible-unbound

And this was the line that sold it:

Non witches know about magic the same way they know about taxes and dry cleaning and movies. Most people just hire a witch if they need something they can’t get through other means.

Feel free to drop by my blog. I think the description that will suit you best is: "Guaranteed not boring." :D