User:Phaedriel

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Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint in snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush.
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Ai!
Quanah Parker
Last Chief of the Comanche
1852 – 1911

Marúaweka! (Greetings!)

Phaedriel, born Sharon K., will be your hostess while you visit this excuse of a user page. Please make yourself comfortable, and while you look around, allow me to quote the memorable words of Dr. Hannibal Lecter as reminder of the conduct I expect my visitors to observe: Discourtesy is - unspeakably ugly to me. Like my beloved grandpa once told me, a grain of kindness is all it takes to turn thorns into flowers.

I was born somewhere in the late 1970s, with a mixed descent composing of a quarter Finnish, a quarter Irish and half Comanche. After a quiet and lovely childhood spent at a sleepy, yet beautiful town in the great state of Oklahoma where my folks still live, I moved to Oklahoma City, where I currently live and work.

Before you ask me, like many people do every now and then - yes, I do have a Comanche name. But please, even if you're curious, I'd prefer not to be requested to say it. Some things, especially very intimate ones, are better left unsaid. Thank you so much for understanding, my friends!

Wikipedia and my interests

I discovered Wikipedia by accident when searching for information about Quanah Parker back in September '05, but although I kept coming every now and then, it wasn't until December that I got caught in the Wiki-web. I registered on Wednesday 7th, and made my first edit here. At first, my intention was simply to write an article about the Peoria War; but then I felt like writing another, and then another, and then... After that, I felt so involved that I became a vandal fighter - and now, there's no hope left for me: I scored a 479 in the Wikipediholic test!

Languages and History play a very important role in my life, and if I could pass my time learning every language known to men, I certainly would. My ancestry also compels me to research and write about the Comanche and other Native American tribes and the Indian Wars, along with many other related topics. I hope to finish in a few months a book on the Comanche History I'm currently working on, although I'm having a bit of trouble trying to find the time since my work is rather demanding. Not that I've seriously given much thought to the idea of ever publishing it, but it has been a dream of mine for many years. Perhaps someday I'll review our article on the subject here at WP, but not before my book is completed for good... in other words, I may never do it!

Ongoing projects, things to do, and what I'm up to

First things first, so my stalled project to fill the red links of the Indian Wars-related conflicts from the List of U.S. military history events is my main priority now. Simple as it sounds, it is a titanic endeavor, so I don't know how long it will take me. The sooner I resume the work, the earlier I'll finish, so let's get to it! (feel free to help!). Right after that, I'll be designing a working draft for a Native American Wikiproject. It is an immense task, so I'd say I've already planned all the activity that I can handle for the entire year...

February 8 - Well, guess what. I've decided to be bold and I just created the WikiProject Indigenous peoples of North America. I'm not sure whether I'm making a terrible mistake by venturing into such an enormous work all by myself. Hopefully, I'll be joined at some point by a few gentle spirits... yes, you could be one, if you wish - don't make me beg you!

May 7 - Today marks exactly five months after I made my first edit to WP! And after some weeks of low activity due to personal problems, I'm slowly returning to my previous editing levels. Also, tomorrow will make the first two months of existence of WikiProject Indigenous peoples of North America, which have surpassed my wildest expectations. Many dedicated people have put great effort in it, and it has turned from a mere personal idea of mine to one of the most active and thriving WikiProjects today. This place rocks!

June 14 - A few days ago, I created Portal:Oklahoma, and with the help of great people, it is already looking real good. Please, feel free to jump in! I also just created a personal award program. Simple as it is, it's my humble way to reward those that make Wikipedia a better place with their dedication and good will. See below for details

June 25 - My new project, Portal:Indigenous peoples of North America, is already up and running (tho far from completed!) I never imagined that building a truly complete and detailed Portal would take so much effort, but the challenge is worth it. I hope to see it Featured someday... hey, why not?

Song that's killing me softly today

Any good thing you say to me shall
not be forgotten. I shall carry it as
near to my heart as my children,
and it shall be as often on my tongue
as the name of the Great Spirit.

I want no blood upon my land to stain
the grass. I want it all clean and pure,
and I wish it so, that all who go through
among my people may find peace when
they come in, and leave it when
they go out.

Chief Ten Bears of the Comanche
1792-1873

We Will Rock You by Queen.

Spot #1 on my favorite vandal list

I have lost count of the times this page has been vandalized, but there's always some vandal who, rather than offending, manages to make me smile. So here it is: the ever coveted first place goes to this gentleman *applause*. Close second spot is awarded to this other kind sir.

My Image gallery

May 27 - I just updated it. Most likely, I'll have to add a bunch more soon - I've wanted to add some illustrations to several articles for some time. I'll let you know!

Designing user pages

I take great pleasure in helping other users in need, and I simply love to design Wiki pages. So please, if you want me to lend you a hand with your own user page, just give me a call and I'll see what I can do. Results not guaranteed!
Of course, some of these friends listed below have succeeded in making a complete mess out of their userpages after I designed them :P (and others, to be fair, enhanced them beyond recognition too!) It will typically take me a few days to fulfill your request, in strict "first ask, first serve" order. Just let me know if you really really want me to stick my hands into yours. So far, I've designed the following user pages:



Today's Star

Today's Star shines
upon... you!

Today's Star is my own humble way to thank each and every day one person that makes Wikipedia a better place for the community. There are always some people you admire for different reasons, be it the quality of their work, their commitment to our project, their tireless effort to make our encyclopedia truly excellent; or their human, kind and warm way to deal with others, making this a better place for everyone else. Many times, such efforts go unnoticed, their silent work unlauded despite the great merit in them. To these outstanding Wikipedians, this little gesture is my modest way to let them know, that someone does notice.

I know that, at a one per day rate, it will take me years to let my little star shine over everyone who deserves it. But, the longer it takes me, the better - it'll be one more day for me to spend at Wikipedia, and the proof that there are too many wonderful people within our community to be counted easily.



Click to see Recipients of Today's Star


Being Indian is...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be Native American in the United States in the XXI Century? Well...

* It is watching John Wayne whip fifty of your kind with a six-shot pistol.
* It is being called "Pocahontas" by patronizing non-Indians.
* It is living on borrowed time after your 44th birthday.
* It is feeding anyone and everyone who comes to your door with whatever you have.
* It is feeling the stares of all the whites in any public place you walk into.
* It is knowing the Great Spirit.
* It is having a Christian missionary tell you it is wrong to believe in more than one Divine Being, then listen to him tell you about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Christopher, St. Francis, etc.
* It is feeling that Little Bear, Prays-for-All, Big Heart are more beautiful names than Jones, Smith or Brown.
* It is observing children of your tribe watching a western movie and cheer for the cowboys.
* It is graduating from a government Bureau of Indian Affairs school and not being able to read a 6th grade English book from your white friend's urban school.
* It is never making quick evaluations of people, but reserving judgment until their actions show what kind of people they really are.
* It is never giving up the struggle for survival.
* It is not only being proud of who you were born from, but mindful of how you conduct yourself in the world.
* It is having your friends and relatives accuse you of being a traitoress if you seek an education, earn more than $7,000 a year, wear a nice dress, buy yourself a perfume, drive a car less than three years old, and live in a three bedroom home.
* It is listening to your well-intentioned white brother try to tell you about your native spirituality.
* It is hearing from non-Indians how rotten the government has treated Indians, but still voting them back into office.
* It is listening to people tell you about their grandmother or great grandmother that was a real Cherokee Indian Princess.
* It is being greeted by non-Indians with pseudo names from real ancestors of your tribe.
* It is being told that Columbus discovered America from his ship, when we were watching him from the shore.
* It is watching your elders boast of Indian pride and leadership, between swigs of liquor from a half-empty bottle.
* It is seeing others forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
* It is living in two worlds.
* It is being human, with human thoughts and feelings like your non-Indian brothers and sisters.
* It is holding on to a piece of paper treaty that was signed, but never honored.
* It is seeing elders die and the language & customs with them.
* It is seeing Mother Earth destroyed by those who don't know Her.
* It is having the government treat you like a prisoner of war.
* It is sad,
* It is hard,
* It is crying,
* It is laughing,
  Forever!


An excerpt, slightly modified by myself, of Rick Kerchee Powelson's excellent website. I hope you read this, Rick - you're wonderful!


My thoughts on Wikilove

Some time ago, when I was nominating Husnock for what it ended up being a successful RfA, a link on his user page to a certain website caught my attention. The sharp criticism of Wikipedia that I saw at that webpage didn't surprise me in the least; after reading the talk page of the article on Daniel Brandt and other similar stories, I'm rather used to the rants against our project and our community that seem to flourish in the web these days. However, there was a particular phrase that caught my attention immediately, and while I really didn't care much about the other accusations, incredibly enough, this one was actually able to hurt me: Wikipedia is not a place for happy people.

No matter how much I try to push this idea out of my mind, every now and then, I find myself thinking about it. Sometimes I gain enough trust in ourselves to push it far to the bottom of my mind. Other moments, like now, I simply can't. While we're all human, and may (and do) give in to anger, bad mood and hurting speech from time to time, I can hardly think that the reason why we all ended up editing this encyclopedia was to unleash our frustration unto others. And if somebody did, well... the choice of a place to do such thing is odd, to say the least.

Since I joined Wikipedia a couple of months ago, I must tell that never, ever, I've felt diminished nor discriminated in any way by another user; yet I know that it is in my personality to choose dialogue and a friendly approach, and that's simply not the way we're all made - it's in our human nature to be different from each other, and that makes none of us any better than the other. However, I did see, and continue to witness almost everyday, the misjudgments, the unfairness, the elitism, the hurting irony that comes from the mouths of brilliant people towards their peers - or worse, against the newcomers who try in good faith to be heard. I have no intention to judge any members of our community - reprehensible as it is, fighting fire with fire is a natural human instinct, and nobody's free of sin. And that's where we all have the chance to make a small, yet decisive difference: Love - or in our case, Wikilove. Just a little bit of it can make a valuable contributor, a great person, a knowledgeable editor reconsider his/her decision of leaving for good after an edit war or a failed RfA. Just 30 seconds of translating that smile and that hug that you wish you could give in person into a simple edit, can make a big change... in the quality of our encyclopedia.

Just an hour ago, I received an email from somebody who basically told me to shove my attempt of cheering him up in a dark and moist place of my anatomy... on St. Valentine's day... the irony! I feel discouraged - how could I possibly feel otherwise? Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you simply want to dismiss any future attempts of sending a kind word, or a smile to someone who's obviously down? That's exactly how I feel now - but I won't do such a thing. I may be down, but I'm not dead - and my heart's alive and well, and I won't let it bleed for long. I do not take the Internet so seriously as to make me cry, so whatever this gentleman's intentions were, I'm sorry - he failed. But as long as I'm a member of Wikipedia, I will believe in Wikilove; and as long as my heart beats, I will continue to believe in Love. Now that, I do take seriously. And no member of our community, no matter how respected he is, will ever dissuade me... because I want to believe that Wikipedia can be a place for happy people. Sharon - Feb. 14, 2006


When a good friend and Wikipedian leaves for good,
A wound that never heals opens in our hearts.


To those dedicated Wikipedians and beloved friends who chose to move on, I hope you someday return from exile, for your loving presence is sorely missed.
Katefan0
Francs2000
Latinus
Gflores
Evadb
Evilphoenix
Linuxerist
Tvaughn05
Izehar
RickK
Abigail-II
Tuspm
Sergeant Snopake
Husnock

...and those whose names I can't recall now, and who strove hard to make this a better place...
Godspeed... until we meet again.



Awards, pats on the back, gifts and other beautiful gestures




Useful links: My TalkAfDRCDeletionsBlocksFACRfATest templatesCSDDeletion toolsReq. articlesSandbox


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