How old are you? (Date of birth? How old do you look? Feel? Act?)
I'm currently 29 years old. I was born October 20, 1982. I get told a lot that I look much younger than I really am(can't say I mind that too much). I feel older than 29, but I don't always act it.
What is your family life like? (Parents? Siblings? Spouse/s? Child[ren]?)
My twin sister Crystal and I are the only surviving members of my immediate family. My parents, David & Britelyn, my older brother, Iestin, & my younger sister Lily all died when I was a child. My whole family used to be super close. At least once a month we would have these huge family gatherings, but that was before. Afterwards it all changed. I'm not sure if it was because it was too hard to be around Crystal & I, or if it was because things had changed so much. After my parents died my Aunt Chloe & Uncle Patrick took Crystal & I in. They couldn't have children of their own, so they treated us as their own. It wasn't a bad life, it was just different from what should have been.
I started dating Ryan Foley when I was about 16. I loved him with everything that I had. Completely and unconditionally. What can I say I was young and stupid. I thought I had my fairytale. I had built up so many walls over the years & didn't let anyone in. Then Ryan came along & somehow he broke all my defenses. I thought we were meant to be. Boy was I wrong. We were together for 9 years. He was a few years older than me, & he left Dingle. He ended up taking a job in London. He would talk about coming
back, & us getting married. He talked about me coming to visit him, but the timing was just never right. When I was free he had to work and just couldn't take off, & when he was free there was no way I could get away. I know now that he planned it that way. Everyone warned me about it, but I defended him to the end. I thought I knew him. The end came when I jumped on a plane to London one day for a surprise visit. Our schedules never synced up so I was taking things into my own hands. I thought he would be excited to see me & how wonderful it was going to be. It was a surprise alright, but the joke was on me. He was married with a baby. He had strung me along & lied to me for so long. Looking back I can see it now, & I wonder how I could be so blind.
Where are you from? (Birthplace? Nationality? Culture? Social class? Upbringing?)
I was born and raised in Dingle Ireland. I've lived there all my life. Can't really say I would want to live anywhere else. I'm full blooded Irish. I live comfortably.
What do you believe? (Religion? Politics? Philosophy? How do you treat people who believe differently?)
What do I believe? That's a tough question. It seems to me that religion and politics took what mattered most to me in life. I don't put much stock in any of it. I think everyone has their own views & while maybe I don't always agree with it they should be allowed to think for themselves. No one should take that right away from anyone. Tolerance is the best lesson anyone can learn.
What do you do? (Work experience? Current job? Hobbies?)
My father owned a bar. It's been in our family for generations. My brother Iestin was supposed to get it, but after he died it was either mine or Crystal's. Crystal never had much interest in the bar, but I had always loved it,so guess who got the bar. Uncle Patrick took it over until I got old enough & learned how to run it. I love this bar. I'm very dedicated to it. It's all I have left of my family.
I love reading. I have a large collection of books. Everything from Emily Dickinson to Anne McCaffery. Fa;ntasy to scifi to mystery to love stories.
How do you deal with life's problems? (Force? Avoidance? Negotiation? Cleverness?)
Sarcasm & smartassness...my answers to everything
When did you first experience a brush with death? (How did it impact your life? Your personality?)
When I was about 10, my family took a trip up north. We stopped in Belfast for some lunch at this little cafe. Crystal & I had gone to the bathroom, that's where we were when the bomb went off. The place was desimated. There were 36 people in that cafe that afternoon, only two survived. Crystal & I. I can still hear the screams in my sleep. I still see my family sitting there at the table. My mother had thrown her body over Lily's to protect her, Dad had done the same to Iestin. They were gone. It was a shock. I think of them everyday. I grew very distant to everyone. My sister was the only I let in, the only one I'd even talk to. No one else could understand, & I needed her just as much as she needed me. I felt guilty for a long time that I lived & my family was massacred. The guilt has faded over the years, but has never completely gone away.
I find it very hard even now 20 years later to let anyone get close to me. I come off as friendly & all, but truly letting someone in is too much. I know what it's like to lose the people you love the most.
What is your greatest love? (What would you be willing to sacrifice for it?)
I would have to say my greatest love would be my sister. She's the only family i have left, but my bar ranks up there too. It's my family legacy, & all I have left of my father.
What is your greatest regret? (What in your past would you change if you could?)
I met a guy a couple years after Ryan & I split. His name was Jensen Quinn. He was kind, smart, sweet, thoughtful, all around amazing. He loved me & had told me so, but I was too scared to try again. I know what it feels like when love falls apart, & I'm not sure that I could go through that again. Crystal got married. She has children, & is quite happy. Sometimes I wish I could have that, but I don't see that ever happening.
What is your greatest hate? (A person? A prejudice? Directed inward or outward? Why?)
I hate intolerance. People disliking other people because of the color of their skin or their beliefs. Do these things really matter? We all have blood running through our veins, put our pants on the same way. Granted some of us might me a little crazier than others but does that mean we have any less right to live?
What is your greatest fear? (A phobia? A trauma? Failure/rejection? Why?)
I would say my greatst fear is spending my life alone. I don't seem able to sustain a relationship. My sister is married & has a family of her own.
What is your self-image? (What are your three greatest strengths? Weaknesses?)
I'm a kind person with a big heart. I try to help people, but keep my distance at the same time. I'm about average height at 5'6". I'm not fat, but not skinney either. I have long red wavey hair, & bright green eyes. I get a lot of compliments on my eyes. I'm a hard worker. I've earned everything I have.
When I'm at work, I'm very socialable. I can talk to anyone, laugh, joke, so on. I listen to their problems. Sometimes they want advice, & I give it. Other times I just listen to what's going on in their lives. Everyone needs to vent sometimes. Sometimes I get broody & I think too much.
What actor would play your character if this were a movie?
Alyson Hannigan
Subject: Karamia O'Brien 
Sun Jul 15, 2012 9:34 pm
