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My name is Smitha Prasadh (Smith-uh Pruh-sod). I'm a 28-year-old August Virgo, and currently a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, studying Communication Planning and Information Design.

I finished my undergrad in 2004 at the Georgia Institute of Technology--specifically, a BS in media/technology studies and a minor in Japanese--and I'm a native of the metro Atlanta area. I also spent two years living and working as an elementary and junior high English teacher in Miyoshi-shi Ikeda, a small town of ~16,000 in western Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan, as part of the JET Programme.

I'm a geek by trade--I've been a graphic designer with an emphasis on visual and user experience design for the web, which is a direct product of the ~13 years I've wasted spent doing quality online research (ahem). At CMU I'm hoping to study cross-cultural design or online communication/communities, or maybe a mix of the two. I did design work for the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra, and then worked as a web designer in a very fast-paced production environment after graduation (~75 websites in under 5 months) before going to Japan (where I also did web/print design work), and after coming back I did graphic and interaction/UX design work on internet security software in Atlanta for two years. I also occasionally entertain the notion of studying geology (volcanology) or animation.

I've also played the violin for ~16 years. I'm classically trained, but love to dabble in folk and Irish fiddling and general improv, and would love to learn Carnatic (south Indian classical) violin someday. My tastes are fairly eclectic, but I'm generally not a fan of electronic/dance/techno/etc. music. Music is my religion; it's an extremely important part of my life, and I know I'll be playing the violin as long as I'm physically able.

I have strong interests in volcanoes and volcanology, animation and visual arts, linguistics and etymology, the sciences, science fiction and urban fantasy, the Star Wars classic trilogy, the early-90s animated series The Pirates of Dark Water, and frisbee. I've met many of my best friends through our love for Star Wars (whether in person or online), and I run what has become the largest Pirates of Dark Water fan site on the web.

I'm a strict lacto- and non-confrontational vegetarian (meaning, I make these choices for myself but would never try to push them on anyone else) of 15 years, and even kept it up--to the best of my ability--while I was in Japan.

I love science museums, coffeehouses, afternoon tea, samosas, Engrish, karaoke, print club, Japanese stationery and washi, charming displays of geekiness, percussion, reading, writing stories, sketching, typography, the energy and faster pace in big cities, the sense of community in small towns, train travel, airports, flowers, heart-to-hearts, comfortable silence, silliness, hugs, bridges, concert halls, live classical music, spelling bees, British humor, intellect, idiosyncracies, and simplicity.

I'm currently loving the following:

TV:

Music:

This is a list of the books I've read in 2009 so far or am reading currently: