Name
       Michelle M. Thayer
 
    Date and Place of Birth
       20 May 1977 - Davenport, Iowa, USA

    Occupations
       Co-op, IBM TCP/IP Workstation Development               RTP, NC
       Senior, Computer Engineering, Iowa State University     Ames, IA

    Avocations
        Computing, foil and epee fencing, railfanning, piano, violin


I'll be the first to admit that I am indeed an Iowan born and raised, though as yet I don't work in outer space.   Seventeen years of growing up in the Quad-Cities saw musical and academic achievement become prominent in my life - as well as the occasional squabbling with my acerbic younger brother, Neil.  Five days after my graduation from Davenport West High School in 1994, I took off for university life three hours away at Iowa State University in Ames, IA.  Three years later, I have finally been able to explore more of the U.S. and have fallen head over heels for mountainous regions, notably the Piedmont.  I'm currently spending seven months living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and am getting my fill of oceans and mountains alike.

In the meantime, I am a senior in computer engineering at Iowa State, and should be graduating in December of 1998.  I have been living in the university residence halls for what seems like an eternity, seeing as I spent a few summers at ISU while in high school.  Throughout it all, I've met an incredible number of people, from all corners of the globe (a sphere has corners?), of which several I've come to call good friends.

One of these I had the great fortune to become close to - twice over.  I'd always likened meeting the proverbial high school sweetheart to winning the lottery or radon contamination: something that happened to other people.  Believe it or not, it happened (although it took a good two years apart before we got things straight, to which my dear Nathan will vehemently attest).  Ladies, he's off-limits!

When I'm not gallivanting about the countryside with Nathan, pursuing locomotives or world domination on a whim, I find myself in front of a computer, a piano, an armed opponent, or a nice piece of salmon.  If the gentle reader is interested in any of the above, I've provided some links; hopefully something will strike your fancy.  (The world needs more fencers!)