Skepticism

AI: Who are you?

I have MacBook Pro.  I use Apple Mail to consolidate my various email addresses.  My … 13 email addresses. (And that’s not even counting my yahoo address for Flickr!)

I have various signatures for these, of course: “Nudity Czar” here at Skepchick (calendars are coming back in 2011!);  “Director of Døøm” for my gig with Scott Sigler; “Community Coordinator” for the San Diego Science Festival.

But none of that is how I think of myself in person. I can be all or none of those at once, depending on the situation and the conversation. We all can.  I’d rather people see me as “A” than as “A, a One True Fan of Wil Wheaton”  or “A, sushi lover” or “A, big-s Skeptic.”   Just A – easy to spell, hard to forget, and hopefully-did-not-spill-marinara-sauce-on-your-new-white-capris-you-got-for-the-summer.

I’m A. Who are you?

The Afternoon Inquisition (or AI) is a question posed to you, the Skepchick community. Look for it to appear Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 3pm ET.

A.real.girl

A B Kovacs is the Director of Døøm at Empty Set Entertainment, a publishing company she co-founded with critical thinker and fiction author Scott Sigler. She considers herself a “Creative Adjacent” — helping creative people be more productive and prolific by managing the logistics of Making for the masses. She's a science nerd, a rabid movie geek, and an unrepentantly voracious reader. She doesn't like chocolate all that much.

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105 Comments

  1. Well i am NOT Mrs. Husband’s first name Husband’s last name. oh that’s frustrating.
    i prefer to go by xoxo or <3 :)

  2. I am a unique but not necessarily special instance of a series of ongoing and partially self-sustaining bio-chemical reactions and interactions with surrounding phenomena that is so complex it boggles itself…

    …with a thing for Oreos.

  3. Who am I? Oh hell if I know!

    I am Elyse.
    Do not call me Elsie.
    Do not call me “Mommy”… even if you’re my kid.
    Even though I have a kid, my title is not “Mom” any more than my title is “daughter” or “next door neighbor”. I’m not a stay at home or work at home or working mom.
    I am the chick that posts really awful no-one-wants-to-see topless pictures of myself on Twitter on weekdays.
    I am Elyse, Skepchick.
    I am Elyse; President, Founder, Executive Director and unpaid volunteer of Women Thinking Free.
    I am Elyse, Camry driver.
    I am Elyse, not too smelly.
    I am Elyse, awesome maker.
    I am Elyse, awesome doer.
    I am Elyse, loud-ass-bitch.
    I am Elyse, kind of annoying.
    I am Elyse, the answer to your muthafuckin’ prayers.

    But seriously, it’s not Elsie… and at Christmas, it’s not Elyse Navidad. It’s still just Elyse.

  4. I’m Rei Malebario or Malebarius Rex.
    I’m a native dane but ethnically it’s hard to say what I am. Fortunately, the interview with Guy P. Harrison on Skepticality is now informing me that race is a load of horse bollocks anyway. (Thank you Guy, Derek and Swoopy). If asked about my race or ethnicity, I’ll just declare myself a malebarian.
    According to one former coworker, I’m a hairy, malign hobbit.
    I’m a carbon-based lifeform of some kind.

  5. I’m interested in more than I understand, I often think more than I do, and start more than than I can finish.

  6. I’m Faith and I don’t believe.
    I’m queer and celibate.
    I’m Jewish and atheist.
    I’m a researcher, a baker, a milliner, a writer, a leader and a Rabbi and also none of those things.
    I am imposing and I am invisible.

  7. @Elyse:

    I am the chick that posts really awful no-one-wants-to-see topless pictures of myself on Twitter on weekdays.

    I wanna see :-)

  8. I’m Jared. Which is to say, I’m NOT Gerald, Jarrett, Jerry, Gerard, Jarod, Gerund, or Geronimo.

    I am none of those people. I’m just Jared, one Jared of many. So which Jared am I?

    – I’m the Jared who worries too much about Boston Skeptics events.
    – I’m the Jared who knows lots of useless stuff but lacks any practical skills or work ethic.
    – I’m the Jared who wrote an MA thesis about Snakes on a Plane
    – I’m the Jared who listens to around 7 hrs of podcasts every weekday
    – I’m the Jared who spends probably way too much time watching movies and TV shows from Netflix and way too little time being productive or exercising.
    – I’m the Jared who is always alone, in whichever sense you wish to apply to the word.
    – I’m the Jared who occasionally comes up with a funny thought or two and posts them on Skepchick or Twitter.
    – I’m the Jared who is somehow still a shy teetotaler despite his friendship with Rebecca, that corrupter of innocence :-P
    – I’m the Jared who doesn’t trust the compliments he receives, and who gives them to others only when he REALLY means them.
    – I’m the Jared who is disturbingly thin and vaguely unpleasant to look at.
    – And, finally, I’m the Jared that will cut you like a diamond if you reference the jewelry store that shares his name.

    Seriously, just try it. See what happens.

  9. That’s a tough question. I don’t know really. Am I at all? Sometimes I feel my real life persona is only a vehicle for uniting all the fragments of my virtual personality distributed around teh interwebs…

  10. I’m Bjørnar. Bjørnar Tuftin if a unique identifier is required. There is not now, and have not been in recorded history, another Bjørnar Tuftin. I cannot speak of any certainty for the future, but the odds are fairly low (but certainly non-zero) for the appearance of another in the near future.
    I try to keep some of my weirdness inside some of the time, although I’m not ashamed of it.

  11. I am the Terror that flaps in the night. I am the Fly in your really expensive bowl of soup. I am…wait, no, that’s Darkwing Duck.

    I am overstressed and underappreciated.

    I am Obsessive-Complusive (but mostly obsessive).

    I am always worried.

    I am afraid.

    I am like a very sharp cheese-distinct flavor, but not for everyone.

    I am opinionated, and if you don’t have an opinion, I’ll be glad to share mine with you.

    I am an eccentric millionaire, just without the millions of dollars.

    I am always afraid of screwing things up.

    I am scifi….no, wait, that’s someone else-now I am confused.

    I am a Stark Trek:TNG geek.

    I am a grammar superfreak.

    I am interested in two very opposite ends of the spectrum-the intelligent and the foolish.

    I am less than I want to be.

    I am amused by Phil Plaitt’s humor.

    I am a Weird Al Fan.

    I am Jeff.

  12. @Elyse: It is SO Elyse Navidad at the holidays. If you take that away from me I will cry… and throw sharp objects.

    Which might be why they call me Surly Amy.
    Although I think it has more to do with Surly-Ramics.

    And despite what the headline on either CNN, The Times or Skepchick says, I remain a skeptic, an atheist, a humanist, an artist, a photographer a loyal friend, a lover of animals, a partner (in crime and in love) and someone you just might want to have a drink at the bar with. ;)

  13. I am the Adversary, and must remain the Adversary.

    I am a tireless advocate of variety meats, Maillard reactions, hydrocolloids, and umami.

    @The Bad Astronomer: How that elephant got into my pajamas I’ll never know.

  14. I am a cartoonist.
    I am the creator of a character named Jet-Pack Jenny, and I wish anyone that thinks it’s a good name for their character would Google it first.
    I am also Carpal Tunnel Press.
    I have it on good authority that I am an ass.

  15. That’s a really tough question for me. It sometimes seems like universe swirls madly about, leaving this Steve-shaped space to occupy. That space, at the moment, seems to be shaped like a dad, a suburbanite, a computer programmer, a skeptic, a member of an open-source 3D printer project and a joke writer for fictitious crustaceans. I’m not sure that’s who I am but it’ll do for now.

  16. @Skept-artist: Just checking out the other side! And I’m in a particularly bad mood today and having a dumb ass evil clown avatar seemed just about right.

  17. @Trotter Jelly: Definitely spooky.

    But I kinda botched the line. I was assuming it was a male elephant, and you know what happens when you assume. ;-)

    Sincerely,
    Rufus T. Firefly

  18. @intimeoflilacs: “Well i am NOT Mrs. Husband’s first name Husband’s last name.”

    I didn’t know anyone still did that. Literally the only times I have ever heard someone refer to a woman as ‘Mrs. John Smith’ (or whatever her husband’s name is) have been in old movies and TV shows from the seventies or earlier.

  19. I have an Ecclesiastical Can of Whoop-Ass! I’m ready to do a no-holds-barred caged Death Match with the Pope.

    Two men enter, one man leaves!

  20. I am Bethulus, Destroyer of Worlds. And no, don’t call me Beth for short, that’s a girl’s name. Not that I have anything against girls. I will destroy them equally along with the boys.

    Seriously, stop calling me Beth! That’s a warning.

  21. I am Terry
    I am not Terrence
    If am a doctor, but only my patients call me Dr. Simpson – patients should not call me Terry –
    I am a son- but only dad calls me that
    I am soon to be a father- so I will be called dad
    I am a new husband- and she calls me “bear”
    I have a wicked sense of humor
    I do not suffer fools
    I have no time for idiots
    I dismiss people easily
    I am a skeptic about medicine and fly that banner proudly –
    I am a cigar smoker- even though I know better – and wrote a book about it
    I do weight loss surgery- and could lose a few pounds
    I have a soft side- but few people see it

  22. I am Derek.
    I have no nicknames.
    I make TV shows.
    I investigate paranormal claims from a scientific viewpoint.
    I created a website about Jenny McCarthy that a lot of people seem to like.
    I send cupcakes to people when they least expect it.
    I look and feel better at 40 than I have at any other time in my life.

  23. I am Kirsten (not Kristen or Kristine), and my mom just liked the name, ok?

    I’m a biologist, but I often dream of giving it all up to make pottery in the woods.

    I am Canadian, with Scottish, Metis and Norwegian roots. I identify mainly with the Scottish ones.

    I’m a bagpiper and all-round musician. I can sight-read like a fiend, and memorize music in a flash. Once, I was also a pianist, saxophonist, and dancer.

    I am generally not ambitious. I just want to be comfortable and happy.

    I am an island girl at heart. I love being on the water (but not under it).

    I question everything, but rarely out loud.

    I am practical with money, but silly with actions. I can recite far too much Monty Python.

    I am often lost in thought.

  24. I’m Maria NOT Marie. Sometimes, I’m M. Mostly, I’m loud, overly-friendly, less funny than I think I am (particularly when I’m drunk), in love with my friends and constantly amazed at the people who let me hang out with them :)

  25. oh- and Amy says I have to buy her a drink so– I am Terry – the buyer of drinks for my skeptic friends- of course, they might have to put up with my cigar smoke

  26. I am Stevie.

    Not Steve, Steven, Stephanie, Steffy, Evie, Bebe, Mimi, Phoebe or Deedee.

    I am the quiet one that everyone warned you about.

  27. I am Mike.
    Sometimes people call me Tom, and I don’t really know why.

    I am the proud father of an autistic (and Beautiful, and Intelligent and Awesome) 7-year-old girl, whom I refer to as ‘2.0’ when talking about her online.
    I do not blame it on her immunizations.

    I am pretty sure that with my luck, I will die at the age of 70 in a bizarre hang gliding accident.
    I will *not* be the one hang gliding. :)

    I am still working out who I am.
    I am sure I will figure it out right at the end, with five minutes to spare.

    Also, @here_fishy: Do you pronounce it “KUR-sten” or “KEER-sten”?

  28. I am an ugly bag of mostly water, more often than not contaminated with either caffeine (because I love espresso) or alcohol (because I love mixing and drinking cocktails)

  29. I am Ash and I am a fighter.

    I fight for mental health awareness, for advocacy and against stigmatization. I fight for my daughter even in the face of devastating loss. I fight for women, children, all people to grow past learned cycles of destructive behavior. I fight to improve my state government’s efficiency, despite scorn and dismissal from both sides of the political spectrum. I fight for my happiness & safety and refuse to apologize for it. I fight for the belief that we all hold some personal responsibility for how we choose to interact with the world, more than what we think we deserve from the world. I fight for the belief that Family are those brought together through active love rather than the accident of birth.

    I am also tired…but coffee helps. ;-)

  30. I’m Debbie, not Debra or *shudder* Deborah. Grammi to some.
    I’m funny. Not hilarious, but I usually crack people up.
    I’m blunt and honest. And rated R.
    Impatient?
    Social.
    Atheist!
    Podcaster.
    Randy Divorcée
    Twitterholic.
    Skeptic.
    Libertarian, mostly.
    Disabled vet.
    Volunteer
    Meanie Poopie Head
    Steadfast friend to many (Hi A!)

  31. I’m Kelly, so I’m a 51 year old bearded man with a teenage girl’s name. I’ve always wanted a nickname – ANY nickname- but I never got one.

    I’m also:
    Losing hair and gaining weight;
    Getting tired of having to unbuckle my pants to tie my shoes (I don’t go to Japanese restaurants);
    Working below my potential, and living beyond my means;
    a god-fearing atheist, whatever THAT is;
    and I’m also kind of an asshole. Trust me.

  32. I am a lurker (although I’m trying to change)
    I am a kiwi (although not brown and feathery)
    I am a teacher
    I am a feild hockey player
    I am trying to think sceptically more often than not
    I am me

  33. @Elyse: As I do you.

    On my 30th birthday next week, I have the pleasure to sit in court and support someone who has traveled along the same road as me as he watches the court try his ex at the criminal felony level for abandoning her child and failing to meet her responsibilities as a parent. I cannot think of a better birthday gift.

  34. I had a friend at R.P.I. who whenever he saw me would exclaim: “Jonas you exist!” and yes to him I did. Must to understand he was a physics major, studying at the time the observer effect.

    I am that which typed this comment.

  35. I’m a bitch
    I’m a lover
    I’m a child
    I’m a mother
    I’m sinner
    I’m a saint
    I do not feel ashamed
    I’m your Hell
    I’m your dream
    I’m nothing in between
    You know you wouldn’t want it any other way.

  36. I am the knowing. I am the lost.
    I am the honored. I am the scorned.
    (Any Faith and the Muse fans?)

    I am rage, passion, laughter, and the need to know why. Come sample all my riches; I am pure stimuli.
    (Any Blues Traveler fans?)

    Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For it is my valley. For I am Death.

    I am Briarking.
    I am Nomad.
    I am PerfectDisdain.
    I am Tim.

  37. I’m Patrick.
    I’m also @porlob
    I’m passionately interested in equality for all.
    I’m missing my dog because I’m away from home.
    I run my local skeptics group, but often feel I don’t do a good enough job of it.
    I’m an atheist. And a humanist.
    I keep my house tidy. But I neglect my yard.
    I love living in Salt Lake City. (Seriously, it’s not like what you think!)
    I strive to be ethical.
    I am occasionally vegetarian, and strive to take the ‘occasionally’ part out.
    I like Doctor Who and The Mighty Boosh.
    I’m more self-conscious than I’d like to admit.

  38. I’m James (like the handle says), don’t call me Jim, that’s my grandfather and I’ve conditioned myself to ignore it for that reason.

    I’m an economist working for the New Zealand government as a policy analyst. My politics are broadly libertarian and yes I appreciate the irony of being libertarian and working for government.

    I’m also a fan of Order of the Stick, in case the gravatar wasn’t a dead give away.

    On a geekier note, is this AI evidence that Skepchick is sponsored by the Vorlons?

  39. Depending on when you talk to me I am:

    – A scientist (biology/health sciences)
    – A teacher (health sciences/safeguarding/mental health)
    – A software development manager
    – Qualified ambulance crew
    – Boyfriend
    – Poof
    – Atheist
    – Skeptic
    – Ex-fundamentalist bored-again christian
    – Student (science and society, with Open University)
    – Chocaholic
    – Cook
    – Tired
    – Patient with a genetic condition meaning I don’t produce antibodies
    – Son
    – Brother
    – Annoying
    – Friend
    – Funny
    – Extremely unfunny when I do the same puns again
    – Nonconforming
    – Conforming
    – Smart
    – Messy

    It’s an interesting question…

  40. I am working nights. I am ridiculously tired but still somehow unable to sleep all day long.

  41. Apparently, I am energy which is mass and light but there’s a bowling ball’s worth of mass in the universe so I’m just light. . . I’ve been told.

  42. Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste…

    Without the wealth… or the taste.

    I am Frank in more ways than one.

    I am a designer of ambigrams.

    I was a fan of John Langdon before he was a character in awful books and movies.

    I love puzzles and annoy everyone with them.

    I am called S. A. by my wife and child. (Snarky Asshole)

  43. I am Hal.

    I cherish my family. I am relatively humble, except for fatherhood. I am the best father in the world. Some may equal my greatness, but there is none better.

    I am part goofball, part philosopher, part clinician, part artist, part scientist and did I mention that I am part goofball?

    I am a passionate 61 degree angle on an equilateral triangle. And I like it that way.

  44. Also, having just had the pleasure of sitting next to skept-artist (Brian ), and his equally lovely wife, I can say that after only having a glimpse at his work, he is a VERY, VERY talented artist and would serve anyone incredibly well who wanted to tap into his skills.

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