Short Version:

My full name is Catharine but the only people who call me Catharine are my doctors. I am 18 years old and was born on February 24, 1981. I've lived in the small-town of Visalia my entire life. I discuss it in the letters a few times hoping to score some stalkers (I'm kidding). I have reddish/blondish hair that changes it's hue with the seasons. My eyes also change their hue and hover somewhere in the green/blue/grey zone. I have two parents, Sally and John and a younger brother named Johnny. I plan on going to college starting in the fall and possibly getting a job. Right now I have no job and my plans for the future are scattered, if you want to send me into a tizzy of worry and apprehension please ask me what I plan to do with the rest of my life.

Longer Version:

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was seven years old. I spent the subsequent years in and out of hospitals and doctor offices. I currently have a team of doctors, the largest team I've ever had. Spending so much time in sick beds made me appreciate and adore books with a passion. I am an avid reader and will read most anything.

I think too much about the way things are versus the way things should be. I delight in picking things apart and looking for meaning, even if there isn't any to be found. I used to pretend that I was a horribly pessimistic, cynical person because I wanted to be "cool". I have since embraced my optimistic nature and have learned to nurture the cynic within me.

I write. I write everything. Plays, Screenplays, Novels, Poems, Journals and these letters. But I never seem to respond to email in a timely manner. I have been on the internet for five years and I don't remember ever being a good email-er. This will make me feel guilty time and time again, I love to receive email and I feel genuinely bad when I fail to respond.

Out of all of the people I've met throughout my lifetime I treasure my meeting with Miep Gies the most. I met Miep when I was in junior high and she autographed my copy of "Anne Frank: Remembered". I have covered the doors of my closet with pictures of me and various famous people that I have met. Whenever I begin to get sad or upset I can honestly look at my closet and feel better about things.

I love my room. I love that no matter where I look I see books. On top of my desk are some of my antique copies of various Shakespearean plays (namely "Macbeth"). On top of my bookcase are my Virus books. On top of my television is whatever random paperback I happen to be reading and on the shelf over my computer are my mental disorder books. In the sixth grade my favorite author was Christopher Pike and I begged the local bookstore to give me a promotional item that they used to display his new book. I still have the display and it's filled with my well-worn Chrisopher Pike books.

Some Random, Not-Interesting-At-All Facts:
--- I have been collecting antique books for as long as I can remember.
--- I name everything. From stuffed animals to the various parts of my computer.
--- I will often turn the ringer on my phone off and refuse to talk to anyone.
--- Whenever I get really depressed I can play "Everybody Hurts" by REM a million times over and feel better.
--- I would constantly get yelled at by my teachers for reading books in class (even in English).
--- I will find one, comfortable shoe that I like and buy five pairs of it and wear them for as long as I possibly can.
--- I keep all of my Ben Nye theatre make-up in a bright red, metal toolbox that I got on my ninth birthday because I was obsessed with locking boxes.
--- My favorite piece of make-up is easily lipstick.
--- I was on the Mock Trial team at my school for three years. I played the Defendant.
--- I sang First Soprano in my school choir for two years.
--- I took voice lessons for two years and competed in a few vocal championships. The medal I won from one is on my desk.
--- I am obsessed with being able to carry a book in my purse. I will only buy large purses that are able to fit "The Hot Zone".
--- I love "Macbeth". I memorized it when I was in the ninth grade.
--- My IQ was 167 when I was last tested.
--- I am addicted to Lip Medex from Blistex.
--- I have a copy of "Othello" from 1960 in Italian. I love it.
--- I have an entire shelf of books that I never gave back to various English teachers.
--- My Dad is a History teacher and teaches at my old high school. He teaches US and World History.
--- I was once obsessed with the Holocaust and I have met countless Holocaust Survivors over my lifetime.
--- I love to sit with teachers and elaborate on lessons learned in class. This might make me a nerd.
--- Other students used to hate me because I would monopolize class time with my questions.
--- I am a horribly greedy person and am prone to "claiming" people.
--- I can be mentally snobbish. An old boyfriend told me this and I realized how right he was. I try to not judge people based on their mental capabilities but I can be wretchedly snobbish about them.
--- I used to be an insufferable know-it-all, I grew out of that and currently have no patience for them.
--- I day-dream. Constantly. I day-dream so often that I usually dream the same dream more than once and I just change one or two minute details about it to make it interesting.

Okay, I'm done rambling. Please feel free to email me and tell me how crazy you think I am.