Cohousing-L Mailing List: introduce Jim Slotta

[Jim Slotta (JDSST17]

Hello everybody.  I have enjoyed and learned alot from your shared experiences
and insights about cohousing.  I have to say that my interest in cohousing
has honestly been raised as a result of my subscription to this list -- and
I haven't been at all interested in having my interest raised in anything, but
so it goes...

I subscribed back in Sept, 1993, just as this list really became active (or so
it appears from a reading of the archives).  I noticed that fred Olson asked 
for introductions from first time contributors; here's mine.

Jim Slotta.
Single.  29 yrs old.  BS in physics (CIT, 1987).  Nearly PhD in cognitive
psychology (Pitt).  Nearly honorary degree in home restoration (independant
study in a 7 bedroom, 1899 Victorian dump I bought 3 yrs ago).

*hobbies and interests* (besides grad school and home projects): nature and
health, land, trees, water, etc; cooking; gardening; camping, canoing, skiing, 
bicycles; pocket billiards and beer (sometimes home-brewed); remote-controlled
model airplanes.

*interest in co-housing*  I first heard the term co-housing in 1985, at a "new-
age retreat" in Belgium.  I remember the Denmark communities were listed, along
with Findhorn, etc. as possible expensive field trips that I couldn't afford
to take.  I also remember a videotape (Peter Russell?) that showed aerial views
of the Danish communities, all ordered and centralized (like a healthy, multi-
celled organism), in contrast with overhead shots of the chaotic urban 
structures of the US (which were compared to a cancerous tumor).  I remember 
that these comparisaons seemed contrived, but the images stuck.

I've always intended on living as part of an intentional community, having
spent a good deal of my childhood in one (anyone familiar with the ICA?)  My
experiences weren't generally positive, but I guess a person can never go back 
to the monatomic plan.  Perhaps this is an encouraging sign for co-housing,
that children raised in community prefer it; perhaps its just a statement
about the "plasticity" of children. (either way...)

Having browsed through the archives using the gopher server, I can say that
they are very usable.  Somebody's comment about being careful in composing
our subject lines was quite true: it doesn't seem so important when  you're 
reading the contributions right from your e-mailbox, but when you're scrolling
through an archived list, the subject lines are the all-important thing.

Congratulations on establishing a very useful, important electronic discussion!

- Jim Slotta (jdsst17 [at] cis.vms.pitt.edu)
            ... hugging the slow lane on the information superhig h  w   a    y