About Clarissa
The short version: Green, queer, cyclist, feminist, SJW.
And the long version:
Born & bred in Luxembourg, now living back there after 18 years living in Brighton. I’m 44, but refuse to acknowledge it. I studied literature and languages at Sussex, Warwick, Luxembourg and Paris III universities. I freelance as a copywriter and translator, and spend my free time exploring my country and its environs on my bikes. My bikes are The Best. I have two cats and they are also The Best. All of the below is from 8 years ago, but I am too lazy to update it. Mostly it still applies.
My bright red hair is my trademark, except when it’s pink or green or blonde. I wear glasses. I’m proud of my varied musical taste (and slightly blasé about it). I am sure there is no God, and my Atheism can be more or less militant depending on the circumstances. Extremist atheists sometimes annoy me. Extremist theists always do.
I’m rather opinionated (but less fussed about imparting my opinions than I used to be). I’m also a bit of a geek, and I think of myself as mildly creative. I draw, sew, write, sometimes design T-shirts, rarely make jewellery, and can get general arty-crafty phases.
I used to travel a lot, usually 8-10 trips a year. Now that I work from home and have less to run away from, I’m down to a more reasonable 3-4 a year. Some of them are listed here. Often I visit friends, of which I have a number conveniently spread around the world. I don’t have a problem travelling on my own, except in countries where I don’t speak the language cuz that freaks me out. My favourite destinations are Paris and New York, and I love cities generally, or anything that has culture.
I am terrified of daddy longlegs, and almost equally as scared of spiders. I don’t mind heights tho, or flying, snakes, mice, or small enclosed spaces. I used to read shitloads of books, unfortunately the iPhone has kind of broken me so now I waste most of my time online.
I don’t do relationships or sex. I refer to myself as asexual when asked, but don’t usually volunteer any information when not. This results in me often being taken for a lesbian, which is fine with me. My mum has given up on hoping to ever have grandkids, but she still thinks I’m some kind of loony. I don’t care. I probably will once she’s old and senile and I’m the only person available to look after her.
I like: Paris. bikes. my numerous gadgets. Placebo concerts. cats. androgyny and guys in make up. pretty things and pretty people. green. rainbows and colourful stuff. languages. the sun. evil. falafel and houmous.
I don’t like: kids. people who are in the way. overly religious people. people in general. rain or cold. musicals. airport security theatre. parties. decisions. bigotry and intolerance of otherness.
Music: Placebo, Michael Jackson, R.E.M, Bitter Ruin, The Fugees, Lauryn, Wyclef, Jacques Brel, P!nk, Queen, W.A. Mozart, Imogen Heap, Mika, J.S. Bach, Edith Piaf, Wir Sind Helden, Staff Benda Bilili, Eminem, Die Ärzte, The Beatles, ABBA, Michel Sardou, Cheb Mami, Antonio Vivaldi, Cyndi Lauper, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Brandy…
Authors: Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Anne Rice, Neil Gaiman, Robert Gernhardt, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Maureen Johnson, P.B. Shelley, Marcel Proust, Goethe, Thomas Harris, J.K. Rowling, Max Goldt, Jean-Paul Sartre…
Art / illustration: Chaim Soutine, Anselm Kiefer, Claude Monet, James Rizzi, René Magritte, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Wassily Kandinsky, Claes Oldenburg, Christoph Niemann, Vahram Muratyan…
TV / movies: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Loriot, Blackadder, Doctor Who, French comedies from the 70es and 80es, almost anything with Angelina Jolie in it, the Hannibal Lecter films, Caro Diario, Tim Burton films…
For more (but even more outdated) info about me check out the Clarissa Explorer. This actually contains a shortish bio (written in autumn 2004) which sums up my life up to that point pretty nicely. (that page is meant to load in a frame so looks a bit horrible as is, sorry)