Haha, yeah. Not really. I am really bad at creating titles for posts. I’m also quite bad at introducing myself, as I’m not exactly certain how to do it effectively. Anyways, my name is Jason Benkly. I am a first year MA student. While the track I am on is Multicultural and World Literature, I plan on focusing on the connections between labor oppression and other forms of social oppression; exactly what other forms of social oppression I will focus on, I am still uncertain.

Besides my, sometimes unhealthy, love for reading, I also enjoy listening to live music (usually some sub-genre of punk, although I have recently fallen in love with 80’s protest folk, namely early-era Billy Bragg). Beyond that, I enjoy cheap wine, good company, interesting debate and discussion (be it focused on politics, social issues, world happenings, etc.), and hockey (I’m not very good at being a Floridian).

So, yeah. Again, not too effective at the whole “introducing myself” thing. Anyways, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I’m extremely socially awkward until I get comfortable (this will probably happen around the time I finish my Master’s thesis); however, if you get me talking, I have a tendency to not shut up.

Look at your post.

And now this post.

Back to your post.

And back to this post.

Sadly, your post isn’t this one.

But with a giant tub of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy, you could rip off an old ad (horribly) and make it like this one.

burp oh excuse me.

Hello everyone! You can call me Addy which is short for my incredibly awesome-though-difficult-to-pronounce-even-by-native-Hindi-speakers name. I was born in Delhi, the capital of India and lived there till about a year ago, when I moved to Florida to pursue my second MA in English literature, because I just could not pass up an opportunity to study Science Fiction & Fantasy. I am deeply in love with Issac Asimov, Iain M Banks, Terry Pratchett, and J.R.R.Tolkien. I have a complicated relationship with JK Rowling, and Jasper Fforde is my romp buddy (sigh, if only…).

I’m afraid if I continue, I’ll spill the dirty details. So, till next time. May the force be with you. Live long and prosper. Goodbye Mr Frodo, you lazy Hobbit.

• When I was 10 years old I was the West Virginia Public Speaking Champion. My speech was entitled “Midgetitis, in my Opinion” and it outlined the pros and cons of being of shorter than average stature. If I gave the same speech today I would probably rethink the title.
• I used to work at a coffee shop that sold coffee from all over the world. My job title was “Master Roaster”. The beans arrived in 100 pound burlap sacks and we roasted and ground them according to precise specifications designed to bring out their optimum flavor.  I once fresh-roasted and ground a pound of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver to enjoy on their private jet.
• For about a year a friend and I ran a technically legal radio station from a 24th floor condo on the Palm Beach intracoastal. We invited club DJs to come and spin live, 24 hours a day. Our signal was strong enough to reach Miami and the Bahamas. The FCC came on a Tuesday and confiscated our transmitter from the roof of the building. On Wednesday a corporate station took over our frequency and our format and started charging advertisers lots of money. We never did get our equipment back. “/

I’m Trina. I have read over 50 novels this year. I have four brothers who, along with their wives and children, are the source of a lot of the joy in my life. My mother’s voice is the one that most closely echoes my conscience. I am an introvert who loves to travel to visit and experience different places. My fiance makes everything better – I’ve thought about it. It’s true. I wish I liked my mother-in-law-to-be more. I cannot abide olives.

Hola! I’m test-posting from Panera, which has turned out to be a happening spot for elderly Boca Ratonian gentlemen at 9pm on Tuesdays. Panera is probably my favorite food chain, but I unfortunately have a wheat intolerance so this test-post is going to be gluten free. I’ve also just learned that the word “panera” apparently means bread in Spanish, which makes this whole thing kind of sad, doesn’t it? Unrequited love. I’m also wondering: why Spanish? Although the French word (“pain”) probably wouldn’t have gone over too well with American consumers. But it would be a nice fit for those of us with wheat intolerance…

I’m in the MFA Fiction program here at FAU, I’m originally from Michigan and most recently Chicago(ish). I used to work in public relations, and I played the flute through college in the Michigan Pops Orchestra. I love creative fiction. I also love sports, particularly basketball, beach volleyball, and pickleball. Since moving here I’ve also realized that I’ve somehow become the worst kind of coffee snob; if you have good java spots to recommend to me I’d love to hear them!

Hello everyone,

Looking forward to getting to know you all this semester. Most of my time is spent with my two-year-old daughter and our schnauzer. I like spending time with family and friends, getting slightly sunburned at the beach, playing guitar, cooking massive and elaborate vegan feasts, practicing foreign languages, sweating my butt off at Bikram yoga, traveling when I have the chance, and reading books late into the night.