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Who I Am:

Pauline Elizabeth Finnegan

Born 17 Sept. 1954 in Monterey, California. We moved to San Andreas for two years (Mar. 1963 - Mar. 1965) and then moved to Stockton. (All within northern California.)

I am a Logistics Engineer (specialty: maintenance / supportability) with Lockheed-Martin Mission Systems. (Until 4/96 we were Loral Space & Range Systems.) I became a CPL (Certified Professional Logistician) in 1991. I graduated from the School of Engineering at the University of the Pacific (UOP) with a degree in Management Engineering with an Electrical Engineering minor. I am active in the local chapter of the Society of Logistics Engineers (SOLE).

I live and work in Sunnyvale, CA. I'm single. My family consists of:

• My parents, Nanci and Jerry Finnegan, have recently retired as caretakers on a horse ranch (Marinera) about 35 miles from Sunnyvale in the Santa Cruz mountains. Mom's active with the Gray Bears (a senior citizen's support group), enjoys oil-painting -- especially landscapes, and volunteer work with Easter Seal kids. Dad loves family, hunting, gun-smithing, welding, and country music.
• My brother, Charles "Chuck" Thomas, is a welder, a Green Bay Packers fanatic, and raises reptiles (ewww!). I never realized how much I prefer fur on pets til he started this. We don't see much of one another. When we do get together we like to discuss American Indian artifacts, theology, Clive Cussler novels and the jewelry Chuck makes from bones, teeth, and other natural items.
• My sister, Mary-Kate Acosta, has three wonderful kids (Paul Michael Benavidez, 10; Alexander Jerry Benavidez, 8, and Aileen Elizabeth Acosta, 5 years), a glorious sense of humor, and is always up for our little mini-adventures. I marvel at her energy and the resilience with which she weathers life's ups and downs.

My hobbies and pastimes include:

• Genealogy and volunteering at the local genealogical library, the Santa Clara Family History Center. I used to work alternate Saturday mornings, but I've been a substitute for a while now.
• Playing with computers
  • I LOVE surfing the net
  • I'm maintaining a set of home pages (theme: a home, called Amberly, with rooms devoted to different interests) on the WWW that are more elaborate than I'd anticipated at first!
  • I periodically work towards developing a computer game based on the series of young girl's books called "The Babysitter's Club" . When I can, I attend the Bay Area Computer Entertainment Developers (BACED) meetings.
• Practicing Reiki (with friends, family, and others at the Usui Reiki Center in San Jose, California.)
• Reading (fiction: mysteries and fantasy/science fiction/ non-fiction: biographies, plays, "new age" subjects such as Reiki and enneagrams, and work-related -- management, computer, and logistics related)
• Hanging with friends and family (I've been blessed with some great ones.) It's unfair to list them, because listing leads readers to infer ranking and competition . . . The following is a partial, alphabetized compilation of people I rejoice in -- if you want to evaluate them per this list, cut it out!
  • Mary-Kate Acosta: Loving, adventurous, bright, practical ...
  • Nancy Geib Caudle: (How can two people who are so dissimilar have their lives in sync like this?) Thoughtful, witty, devout, supportive ...
  • Anita Clemetson: Creative, funny, bright, involved ...
  • Jane Dillon: We've adopted one another as sisters. Loving, funny, ambitious, curious ...
  • Nanci Finnegan: Loving, intelligent, supportive, joyous ...
  • Olga Porobich Leach: The alter ego who USUALLY keeps me grounded (the college Physics experiment where we proved gravity ceases to exist 3 feet off the floor was a bit of an aberration ...) Curious, caring, thoughtful, committed ...
  • Karen Murphy: Smart, practical, zesty, fun ...
  • Joan Preston: Gentle, unflappable (uh, usually ...), imaginative, quirky ...
  • Heidi Schramek: My sponsor in PSI, my candidate in Cursillo. Dynamic, spiritual, challenging, determined ...
  • Dave Walker: Computer guru and a career mentor. Knowledgeable, quick-witted, energetic, visionary ...
  • Marilyn "Mo" or "Marilion" Walker: "Powwow Pal" extraordinaire. Caring, thoughtful, committed, joy-bringing ...
  • Bob (O. Robert) Welch: My Cursillo sponsor and a logistics mentor. Challenging, humorous, devout, committed ...
• Cursillo (A Christian movement which helps individuals form communities and maintain a Christian life)
• Collections (The rumors that I am a pack-rat are overstated, but approximate the truth.) I do have several things I collect:
  • Angel items, especially bells and music boxes
  • Thimbles
  • Rubber Stamps
  • Books and Movie Videos (I don't really collect these, but allow my acquisitive instincts free range here.) i.e. I gather books which appeal to me with no consideration for resale value. My accumulations are overwhelming my apartment, but I haven't convinced myself to give anything up (yet).
• "Cultural" events: I treat myself to as many ballets, symphonies, pops concerts, modern dance recitals, museums, art galleries, musicals and plays that I can without totally wrecking my budget. (I have been known to dent it severely, however...) Friends and I saw the Monet exhibit while it was in San Francisco -- wonderful! A number of us saw Webber's "Phantom" recently.
• Needle-work, especially embroidery and simple knitting and crocheting projects
• I enjoy traveling, but don't have the money to pursue it as I would like. (Maybe that's why I like books set in exotic locales ... hmmm.) Had a wonderful visit with friends in Grand Rapids, MI most recently.
• Movies: I prefer frothy comedies, "oldies" like "Casablanca", "Now, Voyager", & "African Queen" and straight dramas to action pictures.
• Puzzles: I love logic puzzles, quotefalls, and fill-ins. I prefer to work crossword and jig-saw puzzles with others, so usually do these when visiting
• Painting (sketching, watercolors, and acrylics -- but I haven't made the time to do so in ages)

Physically, I am 5'2" (1.575 m), have waist-length brown hair (chemically enhanced for the past couple years or so, the gray was getting to me), and blue/green eyes. Weight is a subject I choose not to sully this page with. Unfortunately, I am rather shy when dealing with people face-to-face. I was a member of Toastmasters (District 4, Castaways Toastmasters) for 14 years and International Training in Communication (ITC) for about 10: through these organizations I gave speeches and workshops (Listening, Evaluation, and Creativity, mainly) around northern CA and in several other states. (I find it easier to give speeches than meet people one-on-one. Apparently this is an odd character trait.)

Due to fluctuations in the job market, I've begun looking for a new position, just in case. This probably means moving elsewhere in the country.

If you have comments regarding material on this page please e-mail me at paulinefinnegan@netscape.net

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