About

  • Full Name: Melanie Wills
  • But you can call me: Mel, Meli, or Twizzler
  • Birthday: February 11, 1987 making me twenty-one years old and an Aquarius
  • I live in: Oklahoma
  • With my family, two dogs, and five cats
  • My status is single and I’m happy with that

Quick Biography

I was born in Pennsylvania, and I’m the oldest of four. In the course of my childhood I’ve lived in four different states, gone to ten schools, been homeschooled twice, and have moved at least fourteen times that I can remember. I wasn’t in a military family or anything; I think they had a slight touch of wanderlust. My siblings are six, eleven, and thirteen years younger than me, respectively. I was a troublemaker in elementary school, a “freaky smart girl” in junior high, and relatively normal in high school. I got good grades, hung out with three or four different crowds, and “followed a religion” that nobody had ever heard of.

In My Spare Time

Give me a day off and you’ll probably find me in front of my computer for a significant amount of time, which is not always something to be proud of. I love designing and coding, and I’m not the best at regular blogging. I’m addicted to web 2.0 and love trying out all the new services and beta websites. Offline, I love movies and music, and have an unhealthy fascination with all of the mysteries of the show Lost. I know how to crochet and how to sew, but it’s not something I usually have time for. I go to the library every Monday, rain or shine, and I love to read just about anything.

I also love to write, which is not something I’ve had much time for since I started working at Braum’s in 2006. I’m stuck in the middle of a short novel entitled Seasons Past, and it’s the third longer work I’ve been serious about completing.

Religion (If We Want To Call It That)

I’ll start off right away saying that I hate labels when it comes to what you believe. For most of my life I was a believer, what you might label your run-of-the-mill Christian. I went to church, I believed in Jesus, I celebrated His birth every year in December. In 2002 my family had a huge run-in with our church and left it, only to discover that every other church we visited was exactly the same: populated with unfeeling people, hands raised in the air, glorifying a God they never bothered to talk to.

We ended up becoming what you might call Messianic, or even Messianic Jewish. I believe in the Old Testament. I believe in keeping all of those commandments. I keep kosher. I celebrate holidays such as Passover and Yom Kippur. I also still believe in Jesus. I believe in God. It’s a healthy mixture of them both.

Ironically, if I’m explaining to someone that I can’t eat that bacon or I need off on a Saturday, I just explain that I’m Jewish. So much for no labels!

Oh Gosh, More?

Here’s a few more dot-points, if you’re interested.

  • I play guitar. Well, sort of. I started October 2007, and I probably should have made more progress by now, but I do really like it. I can play a few songs… that’s all.
  • I love accents. Just about any kind. One time an Australian girl came up to ask me something, and I’m ashamed to admit I asked her to repeat it, just because I loved listening to her accent. The only thing I don’t like is a faked-french accent.
  • I’m not a great cook. But I’m not a horrible one either. However, I hate baking and I’m awful at it.
  • I’m not a girly-girl, but I do love to shop. I love malls. I love big stores. My secret is that I’m not always shopping for girly stuff (makeup, shoes, clothes). More often, you’ll find me in the Apple store or drooling over office supplies.

About the Site

Retrophobic: an invented word meaning “the fear of moving backwards.” Why retrophobic, then? Two reasons.

One. It’s kind of a theoretical thing. When I’m trying to move ahead, I hate taking a step backwards. Two steps up and one back down in my mind is still moving backwards. This is a strength for me, but it also tends to be a weakness. Sometimes I get so weird about going backwards that I refuse to move at all. Forward motion… that’s what it’s all about.

Two. I invented this word in an explanation as to why I haven’t gotten my drivers license yet. I’m afraid of backing up, okay?

You can read the explanation of this site and it’s purpose here.