Hi! I'm new here and looking to make new friends! I can be found elsewhere in the fediverse, but the server I'm usually on doesn't feel like the right place for spirituality.

I was brought up Catholic and I rejected spirituality altogether for long time. But recently, I've found my way back to it on my own terms. In practice this looks like learning #tarot, but I've been dabbling in minor rituals a little as well. There's a decent chance I'll post some #art or talk about #books or #dance. I'll mostly avoid politics and how they affect my life, though it may come up in the context of tarot readings (in which case I use CNs).

Other things to know about me:

I'm 40 years old, #trans, #bi / #pan, #polyamorous, and #AuDHD.

I'm originally from Germany 🇩🇪 (I've lived in 5 states, so it's hard to be specific). I've lived in the US 🇺🇸 for the past decade, where I'm on my fifth state, too (most recently #Colorado, which I *love*). I've also lived in Switzerland 🇨🇭 and Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿.

I'm functionally bilingual (#English and #German). I mostly understand #French 🇫🇷 but haven't spoken it in 20 years. I've learned #Japanese 🇯🇵 to about JLPT-4 level but that, too, is over a decade in my past. More recently, I've picked up some #BrazilianPortuguese 🇧🇷 (Babble says I'm around B2 level) but haven't really used it much. I can't keep up with written Japanese but I can get the general gist in all the other languages. 😄

I used to do federally funded #RenewableEnergy research but if you've been following the news, you may have guessed that I've had to pivot to other topics.

In my personal life, I spend most of my time dancing #BrazilianZouk, painting, reading, and chilling with my three #cats: Charmander (orange, that's him in my profile pic), Anubis (black), and Trixie (technically brown tabby but mostly white).

My favorite book genres are #fantasy and #scifi, but I also read a lot of #romance (mostly #queer), and I try to read at least one non-fiction book per month.

#introduction

@Quoth welcome! I had family used to work at NREL while back. So many languages, wow that is really cool!
@blue_alpine very cool! What did they do at NREL?

@Quoth well my brother was what I think is called a post-doc, he’s a physicist. Worked on some study of manufacturing process for thin films, maybe in solar panels I guess? I can’t remember exactly what the application was now.

It sucks the Colorado science is being attacked by the Trump regime now, from NREL to NCAR to NSIDC and lots more. Ok well that’s depressing, sorry lol! It’s nice to chat with you 😻

@blue_alpine That sounds like it would fit right in with some of the solar research I've seen!

What's been happening to science is as infuriating as it is heartbreaking. I occasionally write about that over on my other account, though it's mostly about how it affects me personally. (I don't have the energy or interest to do what I'd consider comprehensive reporting.)

@Quoth yeah I get that, about the energy. This month marks kind of an anniversary of sorts for me - a year ago I walked into a local Indivisible.org meeting and volunteered to help. Although I’m slow and pace myself I’m still helping organize the resistance in Douglas County. I’ve met the best people and really been encouraged and comforted by our tribe. I guess I’m saying, if you haven’t yet, and feel you need it, find some people or if you have already done so, give them all a high five next you see ‘em.