About Me

• Name: Diane Lynn Schirf

• Location: Chicago, IL (brace yourself for a photo of da mayor); specifically, Hyde Park, home to Barack Obama. More specifically, by the lake (where it's cooler, of course) and the Museum of Science and Industry. Here, as a matter of fact. Right near the famous Hyde Park (monk) parakeets. While you're at it, take the Virtual El. If you're more linear ("Time . . . is linear?"), visit CenterStage Chicago. My favourite Chicago links include: The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Academy of Sciences, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Chicago Historical Society, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier, the Oriental Institute, the Smart Museum of Art, the Sears Skydeck, and the Signature Lounge at the 96th. Don't miss them, or Lincoln Park Zoo. And then there were the late, lamented Cows on Parade . . .

• Animal companion: Pudge, AKA Guinevere, Evil One. Born circa May 1984. Neutered longhaired tortoiseshell.

Pudge, May (?) 1984–February 20, 2002.
I miss you.

• Spiritual beliefs: Yes
• Nicknames: Pignose, Chief (if you must use a nickname on me, for some reason I prefer Chief). "Chief" comes from Chief Miles O'Brien of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and was given to me by a former coworker. Apparently, he's under the impression that I'm an Irishman. Perhaps he failed to notice the German last name and . . . er . . . a couple of other things . . .
• Date of hatching: 24 June 1961
• Place of hatching: Western New York—Our Lady of Victory Hospital, to be precise
• Raised in (and misses—don't ask why after seeing this; we weren't this tacky):

• For the record, I am an:

My family

• Father: Ralph Urban Schirf (died 28 July 2001)
• Mother: Daisy Virginia Schirf (died 8 May 1983)
• Brother: Virgil Ralph Schirf (b. 1953), his wife Deemah Nasr (b. 1961), and the demon spawn
• Half sister Carol Burkhart (mother's daughter), her husband Robert, and their son and daughter

My education

• Schools: Frontier Central Schools, Hamburg, NY. Graduated with a Regents diploma and a whole slew of excess credits in 1979 in the top 5% of my class. Go figure—well, it certainly was worth the slime molds

  My senior picture from my 10-year reunion nametag.
  Yes, "Central" is spelled wrong. Don't look at me!

  

  And 20 years later, from my high school reunion, no wiser.
  And no better haircut. <g>

  

  • College: A.B., English Language and Literature, University of Chicago, 1983

  They say there is no social life at the University of Chicago . . .
  I always was a rebel . . .

  

  

  My work and life

  • Preoccupation: I'm working as a senior marketing and public relations copy writer and Web site manager with Classic Residence by Hyatt in Chicago. I also specialize in reducing the technical to the understandable, fine editing, and creative writing.
  • Volunteer work: Docent, Lincoln Park Zoo.
  • My resume
  • Interests: Reading, writing, history, film (especially Chaplin and Keaton), Native American issues and rights, animals and conservation, Renaissance and Celtic music (Silly Wizard!), vampires (both folkloric and literary), cycling, MST3K, Star Trek, Babylon 5—and lots of other stuff, too. There's not enough time in the day. Sigh . . .
  • My favourite things or "getting to know you."

  When Rovers collide . . .
  17 September 1999—We find them now docked at Navy Pier.
  The rest is documented in a bad TV series.