Raabe is my maiden name.
It's German, and rhymes (loosely) with Bobby. Rao is my husband's name. It rhymes with cow.
I'm not hyphenated; I just love
alliteration. :)

March 2008.
This year marks my 20th high school reunion. A few of my friends from high school have appeared online, and it has been interesting to see people all grown up. I was a bit of a loon in high school, always trying to fit in and be liked by everyone. That notion carried through a lot of my adulthood, until I learned to just be myself and stop panicking. :)

Our January trip to Mexico and Chichen Itza (Mayan ruins) was wonderful. Nhan was sick for most of the cruise, so I spent a lot of my time in the spa, indulging my oft-neglected girly side. We had a quiet weekend getaway in Februray at the Cape, which we do every year (not necessarily in the same place) so I can prepare my taxes free of distractions. I have business records for both Rubicat and CavyMadness, so I get angsty about taxes!

Cool news: my book, Smitten Kitten: I'm Too Swanky for my Catnip, is listed on Amazon! It will be released in August. I really hope it turned out well.

The Blacksun Festival is coming in March; I'm currently working on the program and Catering. I'm also photographing the event, which I love doing. I realized a couple months ago that -duh- my 100mm f/2.8 macro lens would likely be great for concert photography!

I'm looking forward to April's trip to Las Vegas for the NAB convention and May's trip to Montreal for Festival Kinetik. The summer, I think, will be quiet. Nhan and I had discussed moving into a larger apartment, since we've been living in the same place since 1997. We could use a larger office, since both of us have been working from home for a few years now. The office is.... squishy.

We are realizing that it may be more prudent to stay put, since we pay ridiculously low rent ($950 in the Boston area is unheard of), and I've been gradually simplifying our material possessions. Dealing with clutter, both tangible and internal, has always been a struggle for me, but I'm finally getting the hang of it!

I joined my town's Chamber of Commerce in January; my networking skills are dorky at best, but I have ideas to put together a branding seminar that will, hopefully, establish some productive business relationships.

For previous entries, please visit the archive.

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rubicat.com is my graphic design and photography site, launched in 2003. I was laid off in October 2002 and took a long time to figure out what I wanted to do. I work from home, offering graphic design, web design, and photography services. I am currently evolving into more artistic photography ventures.

I launched cavymadness.com in 1999 as a portal for beginning guinea pig enthusiasts. It serves as a Guinea Pig 101 portal, as well as a place to sell merch. In June 2006 I purchased the domain pigniccentral.com, which will be an expansion site of CavyMadness.

I am 37 years old, born in England, raised in an Air Force family and settled in Arlington, Massachusetts with my husband, whom I met online in 1993 while in college - I was in Charleston, South Carolina; he was at M.I.T. I graduated college in 1993, and then let fate dictate my path, which ended up being print production and graphic design. Nhan and I married in 1996, and moved back to Boston after two years in Minneapolis. He's a software engineer, and very much a Vulcan. I have developed into a freelance designer and photographer, and I'm very much a fruitbat (intelligent, but a bit of a silly dork).

I seek to find more unique approaches to photography, and design clients who require more edgy concepts. My portfolio is online, and is evolving.