The (Un)official Lifeweb of Susan Merrill
As I have been working on these pages, I was surprised at how often new experiences related to previous experiences I had written about. It finally occured to me that this wasn't a home page, it was the web of my life.
Everyone's lifeweb has the threads that make it up. Mine included:
Imagine the excitement we felt as Sojourner rolled off the lander and made history! Now it seems so long ago, but I will never forget how we were all at work over a 4-day holiday intently watching the T.V. monitors. It was one of those life defining moments, when you realize that you are truly fortunate to be at a certain place at a certain time. Working at JPL has provided many such moments.
Please take the time to check out the JPL Website. We do a lot of interesting work that spans the solar system. And remember that much of this is funded by American taxpayers.
JPL is just one of the wonderful things about living in Pasadena. Personally, the reason I choose to live in Pasadena is that it has a long history - both as a city and for me. I remember going to Beadle's Cafeteria with my great Aunt as a child. Special memories that can never be relived. I remember watching the Rose Parade and visiting the floats when the parade was over. I remember my great Aunt driving me past Caltech and telling me that "maybe they will let girls into Caltech when you are ready to go to college". A lot has changed in the 30 years since then. (And yes, Caltech now admits women.)
Pasadena points of interest include:
There are two other carbon-based lifeforms living at my house. Most people call them pets (or pests depending upon what they have been doing recently). My newest edition, Kona, is a siamese mix kitten. She has that kitten energy level that no other adult lifeform can keep up with. She's very friendly and loves attacking my older cat, Comet. (I find this amusing as Comet spent much of his early life terrorizing my previous cat, Bonnie.) Kona was born during the summer so she is about 6 months old now. She's going to be a small cat but she sure is cute!
After taking Kona to the vet for her shots, I discovered that she has Feline Leukemia. I was devastated since she is so young and so charming. At present she is living in the house but has to be isolated from Comet. She misses playing with him. She spends her time shuttling between my house and my Mom's house when I am away. She's an indoor cat and needs to be isolated due to her medical condition. So far she's quite happy to tear up things inside and doesn't seem to mind being an indoor cat. So far...
My older cat, Comet, is a hyperactive 6 year old tabby. He now spends his time terrorizing the lizards in the yard. In spite of having more energy than most of the household, Comet is a lot of fun. He likes a "room with a view" so the vehicles are quite popular with him. He's not as fascinated with Kona as she is with him. He's content to spend his days outside and then come inside at night.
As I try to decide what someone would be interested in knowing about me, I realize that a timeline of accomplishments might be the best approach. So, if you are interested, here goes:
Even though the above list seems like a lot of activities, instead of working what I would *REALLY* like to be doing is:
Modes of transportation have always been important to me. I first learned to ride a motorcycle when I was 12. My older brother had a Hodaka and I'd take it out and ride through the lemon orchards. From there my interests moved on to other vehicles - unicycles, bicycles, cars and trucks. If it had wheels, I wanted to learn to drive it.
I learned the fundamentals of auto mechanics while a poor college student. I spent a lot of time fixing things on my used cars. Now I have the luxury of paying someone else to do the work - and then checking to see if they actually did what they were paid to do! I still work on my bicycles and do some work on the motored vehicles that clutter my garage.
I've been an avid bicycle tourist for several years. I prefer to go on organized trips (so someone else can carry my gear) and have met a terrific group of people from all over the world. My travels have taken me to Florida, New Mexico, Colorado, Maine, Canada, Scotland and most recently Mississippi and Louisiana. I enjoy working my way across the countryside by the efforts of my legs and lungs.
Living in California means that there is a lot of time for outdoor pursuits. Though I am not a great athlete, I do enjoy participating in sports. My interests are wide ranging and currently the list includes:
Comments? Suggestions? Send me email:
