y descent into geekdom began in fall 1993 at ucsc, with the selection of "strdance@si.ucsc.edu". i wanted "mermaid," but that was taken, and in my youth it did not occurr to me to try variations on the spelling. "strdance" came from my high school habit of dancing/spinning under stars in mountains, lakes, and/or soccer fields. (soccer fields can be lakes.) i found the name a little embarrassing, but it was the best i could come up with when unexpectedly faced with "please select another login" or whatever phrase the computer used to mock me.

true to my roots, i chose "hylander" for my first icb nick, in honor of my 7000-foot upbringing and my best friend's attachment to the legend, which happened to be the only story her scientist father made sure she knew.

i quickly became acquainted with "kwikning," but never noticed the power of androgyny until the first time i signed on as "artemis) (my current steady nick) and was suddenly receiving scores of /m 's from georgia tech boys. i selected "artemis" after taking myth and gender and learning legends that involved slugging through forests and rivers and wreaking vengeance upon peeping toms, thus vicariously avenging a rather aggrevating fisherman incident of my youth.

i started posting as "the were-fish" at ucsc when i was inspired to distraction by a full moon and desperately needing a suitable body of water. since then, i picked up the accounts mermaid@resort.com, and mermaid@brimstone.com, and have been saisfied with them ever since.