This months Member Spotlight focuses on a brand new member to
the TOG family, Talonar!. Talonar joined us in May of 2006 and is currently
anticipating the time that she can join us in full capacity with one of our WoW
guilds. So, lets find out some more about Talonar.
(click on an image to see it full size)
>>> Basics
<<<
Your
Name
Kathi Schoepf
Age
44
Married?
yes, 22 awesome
years
Kids?
yes, 4 daughters, two
sons-in-law so far, and one gorgeous grandbaby :)
Pets?
2 cats, Tobie and
Sam
>>> Global Positioning
<<<
Where were you
born?
Reno, Nevada, USA
Have you moved around much?
way
toooo much!
Where do you live
now?
Corona, California, USA
Any plans to move in the
future?
not if I have anything to say about it!
>>>
Gaming <<<
Which
games (past or present) have had the greatest impact on you?
Definitely Myst - it was so different, with its
non-linear style. It really blew me away and led to many other games.
How did you choose/derive your
game-name?
Way back in the beginning days of the Internet
(early 90's) I was confronted one day with the request to create a "username".
I was wearing a leather cord necklace with a pewter talon hanging from it. As I
absently fingered it while thinking, I suddenly thought "talon .... talonAR ...
Talonar!" I've seen it other places on the 'net now, but I like to think I am
the original :D
Do you have any other
gaming aliases that you use or have used?
Besides Talonar
I have been Temis (short for Artemis), Molly Fitzgerald (in EVE), Malloren Ruin
(in Guild Wars) and Odilia (in WoW)
>>> TOG
<<<
When did you
join TOG, and how did you find us?
I joined TOG at the
beginning of May, after scouring the online WoW Guild lists, desperately looking
for a group of players who were a tad older than the middle school crowd.
Has being part of TOG
had much of an impact on your gaming/online
lifestyle?
Since I am new here it has not had much
practical impact yet, but I have already determined that any future game
involvement will be influenced by where TOG groups are playing ..... I hate
playing alone, the whole point of many MMP style games is to be part of a team
that works together.
What are your future
wishes for yourself with regard to involvement in TOG?
I hope to build friendships in gaming, to have people to
play with online. I love being part of a team where everyone has a unique job
to do and does it well, it's a beautiful thing and very
exciting and satisfying.
Anything you would
change?
I wish there was a TOG guild on my current WoW
server - until I can move my character or decide to just create a new one I
won't be able to play with other TOGgers in Azeroth :( 
>>> 'Puters
<<<
Are you an
expert, or not
expert, I love computers and am on mine every day, many times
a day. I also can get inside and work on the guts too :D
Describe your
setup
My baby is a Dell Inspiron 9100 laptop, made for
gaming (although it's 18 months old, becoming a dinosaur as we speak I'm
afraid!). It's 2.8GHz, 1 GB RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon 9600/9700 series
graphics, a Centrino chip and wireless modem for gaming fun all over the
house. It still plays anything I throw at it beautifully, and is fun to watch
movies on in the backyard on warm summer evenings too!
>>> Work
<<<
What keeps the
money coming in?
I am a Special Ed/Resource Aide for a
Jr. High
Done anything
noteworthy or bizarre for money in the past?
I spent a
summer getting paid as an Apprentice Weaver and Jewelry maker, very artsy and
creative fun.
>>> Travel
<<<
Been anywhere
good?
Travel is awesome! Been to many US states,
including spots like Walt Disney World, various National Parks, major US
cities and the beautiful San Juan Islands in Washington. Been one place
internationally, I went to Chile for 10 days on a missions trip.
Been anywhere
weird?
Alcatraz Prison, in San Francisco Bay, was
eerie.
Best holiday/vacation
you've been on?
Hawaii is always amazing, but I think a
weekend I spent in Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon, with my husband, was
the sweetest.
>>> Sport
<<<
Are you a fan
of any particular sport/team/individual?
I enjoy
following the Angels ( the ANAHEIM Angels, don't let anyone tell you
different!), and open-wheel car racing is always exciting!
Do you participate
in anything yourself?
Just holding the spectator seat
down and the skill of not spilling my drink.
>>> Transport
<<<
How do you get
around?
A couple of creaky old cars that basically get
you from point A to point B - a rusty Dodge Caravan and a well-used Taurus
Wagon.
What would you like
to have as your vehicle?
A Toyota Camry Solara
convertible!!! Loaded, in Cosmic Blue please .....
>>> Other interests
<<<
Music
fan?
Music is the foundation of my life, been singing and
playing and various instruments my whole life!
What has pleased
your ears over the years?
I love many genres of music. I
cut my teeth on the classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin, enjoyed many quirky
bands like Stray Cats, Oingo Boingo, Thomas Dolby and Squirrel Nut Zippers, and
now I have gone crazy for world music such as Garmarna, Adiemus and Alka
Yagrik. I also have been introduced to some jazz recently, and I really like
movie soundtracks and ...... you can guess I have a biiiiig cd collection :D
Movie
fan?
Yes, movies are very fun!
Which ones have
been memorable?
I like sci-fi and fantasy movies like
Matrix, Hellboy, Stargate, LOTR, the Mummy movies, Star Wars, and of course the
classic Indiana Jones - when I was a teen I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark 24 times
when it was in the theaters ..... hey, we didn't have VCR's or DVD's then,
lol!!
Bookworm?
Absolutely! I always have a book going.
What's kept you turning
the pages?
Again, mostly sci-fi/fantasy like LOTR, Narnia books, Stephen Lawhead, Harry
Potter and most recently Ender's Game. I also read the occasional classic, just
finished Les Miserables (took me 6 months!) and in non-fiction I love books
about ancient civilizations and art-history.
Hobbies?
Well, besides computer games, movies, music and books ..... I
also draw and take art classes, and am interested in genealogy - my family name
is O'Melveny, originally from County Antrim, Ireland, if anyone knows that name,
lol!
What else do you do
for fun/interest?
My family has Disney Annual Passes, we go down there often
(about 30 miles from our home) and go to either Disneyland or California
Adventure, just for dinner or to see a parade, hit a few rides, people
watch.
>>> Random Observations
<<<
In your
introduction post when joining TOG, you gave a brief outline of your gaming
evolution. In regards to that, please answer the following
question.
Thinking back to your
days of playing arcade style games with a fist full of quarters in your hand,
what is the one thing you liked about that experience that you may not find with
today's internet/computer or console based games?
Well, I liked being 17 ........ haha, ok ....... actually I
might have to say I like that you had to get out of the house to go play them,
because that restricted the amount of time you were there. Of course I played
for enough hours to strain my hand muscles many times, lol ...... BUT in today's
instant access, gaming is so accessible that I believe addiction is a real issue
today. I find it more than a little scary to hear people talk about being
ingame for 8 or more hours a day, and I often think about what that might be
leading to as far as the upcoming generations of kids.
What type of drawings do
you enjoy working on?
Well, I have to draw things that have meaning to me, I have
trouble just sketching anything. If I draw people I tend to put them in
costumes of some type, or give them long elf ears! I also enjoy drawing things
that I can imagine as part of a fantasy world ..... for example, a vase of
flowers doesn't always interest me, but I find it interesting to work
on pictures of iguanas and lizards because they will help me draw dragons and
creatures!
Have you ever
shown any of your artwork in either an amateur or professional
manner?
Yes, this past March I was invited to be in my first art
show. It was a presentation, through modern art, of the last week of Christ's
life on Earth, based on the Stations of the Cross.
Do you have any examples of
your work that you can share with us?
This is my piece from Easter .... it is 39" x 50", graphite
on paper. It is called "Love is A Choice" and is based on Matthew 26: 53-54
While following
your genealogy interest and finding your family names country of origin, have
you found any other interesting facts?
My ancestors are so fun to research! One was a signer of the
Illinois state charter, one was a circuit court judge in Illinois who was good
friends with Lincoln and Douglas, who were also judges at the time, one came
across the plains by covered wagon and was attacked in New Mexico, one helped
many slaves escape in the Underground Railroad, and one was a ship captain in
the 1600's bringing settlers to the New World from England! I think everyone
should research their genealogy, you'll find amazing stories!
>>> Comments
<<<
Anything you
want to say to the rest of TOG or a random thought you may
have?
I would
just like my TOGmates to know that if you want a dedicated player who loves to
have fun yet still takes her ingame job seriously, let me know! And obviously I
like to talk, so just PM me and say hi sometime :D
I would like to welcome Talonar to TOG and also thank her for
taking the time to be our June Member Spotlight. The great answers given and
pictures graciously provided made this a great spotlight to conduct. Now, lets
see what we can do about getting her set up in a TOG guild so she can experience
TOG to the fullest! In the mean time, I invite Talonar to join in with
discussions within the gaming forum(s) of her choice and see just how helpful
and fun TOG can be.
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