Hi, I'm Action Abby!
...That was how I introduced myself at a 10th grade leadership conference I attended, where we had to attach an alliterative adjective to our name. I'd say mine suits me fairly well, because I have an inherent restlessness and distaste for boredom that has me chasing adventures every chance I get.
Some of the background basics: I'm from Connecticut, and I've grown up there my whole life. I'm the oldest of 5, so I'm pretty used to being surrounded by chaos. Some of my favorite things about the Northeast include fall, the ocean, and being surrounded by trees and hills.
I've played sports pretty much my whole life, but the sports themselves have changed. It's been from gymnastics when I was really young (never even mastered a handstand), to soccer, basketball, judo, swimming, track and field, and ultimate frisbee. Of those, the latter four are most important to me. I swam competitively for 12 years--it all began when little 6 year old me watched the Olympics, and asked my mom "Why didn't they pick me for that?" she signed me up for the swim team and I went from there. I switched more into running in high school, competing in distance events.
My latest sport has been ultimate frisbee, which I picked up in college. The sport is incredibly engaging and dynamic, played on a field with parallels to soccer, basketball, and football. I led the team as a captain last year, and will be again this year. The two positions in the game are "handler" and "cutter", and I serve primarily as a handler, which means I touch the disc more, and am responsible for throwing to the cutters as they try to get open downfield.
Also, selfless promo here: one skill I've picked up is braiding hair. It sounds simple enough, but I've tried some pretty complex styles over the years. My sister makes a great hair model, and all through high school I posted the braids I did on Instagram (see below).
Other things I enjoy are reading, hammocking, and playing board games. One of my favorite authors is Michael Crichton, and I generally seek out dystopian novels. My favorite board game is Avalon. My current top book recommendation is Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder. It's a biography of the incredible doctor and anthropologist Paul Farmer, who fights infectious disease in impoverished countries--it's pretty inspiring to read about all he's done.
If I wasn't studying chemical engineering, I'd be majoring in linguistics, because I find the way language works and how it differs across societies and countries incredibly fascinating. As it is, I'm an engineer, so I spent a lot of time thinking about flow rates, pipes, and heat transfer (don't get me wrong, it's pretty exciting stuff).
Other important facts about me: I can solve a Rubik's cube in under a minute, I don't think cream cheese should be considered a dessert (like in cream cheese frosting), I wear Chacos every chance I get, and I love cookie dough ice cream.
So anyhow, hopefully these several hundred words was enough to see a little bit more about who I am.
-Abby
...That was how I introduced myself at a 10th grade leadership conference I attended, where we had to attach an alliterative adjective to our name. I'd say mine suits me fairly well, because I have an inherent restlessness and distaste for boredom that has me chasing adventures every chance I get.
Some of the background basics: I'm from Connecticut, and I've grown up there my whole life. I'm the oldest of 5, so I'm pretty used to being surrounded by chaos. Some of my favorite things about the Northeast include fall, the ocean, and being surrounded by trees and hills.
I've played sports pretty much my whole life, but the sports themselves have changed. It's been from gymnastics when I was really young (never even mastered a handstand), to soccer, basketball, judo, swimming, track and field, and ultimate frisbee. Of those, the latter four are most important to me. I swam competitively for 12 years--it all began when little 6 year old me watched the Olympics, and asked my mom "Why didn't they pick me for that?" she signed me up for the swim team and I went from there. I switched more into running in high school, competing in distance events.
My latest sport has been ultimate frisbee, which I picked up in college. The sport is incredibly engaging and dynamic, played on a field with parallels to soccer, basketball, and football. I led the team as a captain last year, and will be again this year. The two positions in the game are "handler" and "cutter", and I serve primarily as a handler, which means I touch the disc more, and am responsible for throwing to the cutters as they try to get open downfield.
Also, selfless promo here: one skill I've picked up is braiding hair. It sounds simple enough, but I've tried some pretty complex styles over the years. My sister makes a great hair model, and all through high school I posted the braids I did on Instagram (see below).
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| Screenshot from my Instagram account (@abbysbraids) |
Other things I enjoy are reading, hammocking, and playing board games. One of my favorite authors is Michael Crichton, and I generally seek out dystopian novels. My favorite board game is Avalon. My current top book recommendation is Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder. It's a biography of the incredible doctor and anthropologist Paul Farmer, who fights infectious disease in impoverished countries--it's pretty inspiring to read about all he's done.
If I wasn't studying chemical engineering, I'd be majoring in linguistics, because I find the way language works and how it differs across societies and countries incredibly fascinating. As it is, I'm an engineer, so I spent a lot of time thinking about flow rates, pipes, and heat transfer (don't get me wrong, it's pretty exciting stuff).
Other important facts about me: I can solve a Rubik's cube in under a minute, I don't think cream cheese should be considered a dessert (like in cream cheese frosting), I wear Chacos every chance I get, and I love cookie dough ice cream.
So anyhow, hopefully these several hundred words was enough to see a little bit more about who I am.
-Abby
Hey Abby! I think it's really cool that you're from Connecticut. What brought you to OU? I also did competitive swimming for a few years, though not as many as you. Watching the Olympics did always renew my passion for it though. I'm also so impressed by how good you are at braiding hair. I had a friend in high school that could do that and it was always fascinating to me.
ReplyDeleteHello! The National Merit scholarship is what caught my attention, and then I really liked the feel of the campus when I came to visit. Cool! What strokes did you focus on? And thank you!
DeleteIt is so cool that you have done swimming for 12 years I have done similar and went up to State level I also enjoyed the olympics and that kept me motivating to swim competitively not just in US but also back in UK, Birmingham. I also enjoy hammocking and especially on the University of Oklahoma campus near the Physical science building staring at the rose garden, I enjoy playing chess, apples to apples, uno and scrabbles. Also since you are a linguistic major I believe you would be interested to know that I myself speak 8 different languages myself- English, Latin, German, French, Marathi, Sanskrit, Hindi and Urdu
ReplyDeleteVery cool! That spot by Physical Science is a really good one. I'm not actually majoring in linguistics I just find it interesting, but that is incredible that you speak so many languages, good for you!
DeleteOh, this idea of adjectives to go with names is very cool, Action Abby! That might be a fun way to remember characters in stories you are reading; in fact... I am going to go add this to the list of note-taking strategies right now! (pause). Done: thank you for that great idea!
ReplyDeleteAnd that is very cool about the Ultimate Frisbee team; if there is a meet where people can come watch you play, let me know -- that would be really fun to include in the class announcements.
I am guessing you will find some good connections to make with the world of Indian epics... hair is actually a theme in the epics (watch out for the Mahabharata heroine Draupadi when she unbinds her hair!), and the modern science of linguistics was first invented in India... and so were some familiar board games like Parcheesi
and Snakes-and-Ladders... the subject matter of this class is often new to people, but with the wealth of culture that India offers, there are always connections to make. :-)
Hi Abby,
ReplyDeleteI think the last time I attempted to braid anything was in 2nd grade and I failed miserably, so your braiding skill is very impressive to me. You mention that you're interested in linguistics but also that you're majoring in chemical engineering, so I'm curious why you decided to major in chemical engineering instead. From what I've heard, chemical engineering can be tough so I wish you the best of luck with your classes.
Hey Abby! I’m seriously so impressed by your braiding skills! I’ve never been able to get the hang of doing hair in general, it’s cool to see your work. Your comment on linguistics resonated with me quite a bit, as I’m also interested in languages. It’s definitely neat to see how languages work and come together. I’ll have to check out “Mountains Beyond Mountains.” It sounds great!
ReplyDeleteHi Abby! I love the idea of Fall in the Northeast, but i've never gotten to go. I bet it's BEAUTIFUL. It's so neat you've done so many sports. I'm not athletic in any way, and greatly admire anyone who is. My brother was on the Swim Team, thats so cool! I also can't bread hair, so you got me on that too. Cookie-dough ice cream is the BEST for sure.
ReplyDeleteHi Abby, I like how your post informed me so much about you! I too am someone who prefers to not lead a boring life. I like to be on the go and active! I think your braiding skills are quite impressive! Braiding was never something that I learned to do, though I find the result to be most fascinating. Do you have any plans of learning another language? Also the fact that you can solve a Rubik’s Cube that fast is incredible!
ReplyDeleteHi Abby! You sound like such a dynamic, energetic individual given your indication you were part of something to do with leadership and also that you have practiced a number of different sports! You sound like the antithesis of me as I have no such athletic talents nor an affinity for mind puzzlers like the Rubix cube, but that makes you all the more interesting to me! I love to hear that you're keeping the board game industry alive- this type of past-time is so underrated! Also, your interest in a biography definitely appeals the non-fiction enthusiast in me- I totally recommend taking that interest further and looking into memoirs! Also you have very good taste in dessert- cookie dough ice-cream is in my top 5!
ReplyDeleteHey Abby! I find it super interesting that you have tried so many sports! I have always wanted to try judo as I have a background in wrestling and the two sports have many similarities. Ultimate frisbee sounds very fun and like a great way to stay in shape. As a civil engineer, I can also relate to learning a ton about flow rates and pipes, but, thankfully, I do not have to study heat transfer. Like you, I also have 4 siblings and I share your opinion on cream cheese. I refuse to consider it a dessert.
ReplyDeleteHey Abby! I play frisbee too (though I did take last year off because of class) and I look forward to playing against you in Fall League. Also, I like dystopian novels, too -- I like to see how the characters react to adversity when they are pushed to their absolute limit in order to survive in such a bleak setting. Also, as an English major, I think linguistics is incredibly interesting (and so does my roommate Daniel, whom I am sure you know from frisbee. He's pretty cool).
ReplyDeleteHi Action Abby! I was a competitive swimmer for 7 years before and during high school! Your hair art is absolutely beautiful! I can barely even put my hair in a basic braid, so I’m genuinely impressed with your talent! I have really long, thick hair and I would love to see what you could create with my hair. I’m curious whether you consider cheesecake a dessert if you don’t think cream cheese is.
ReplyDeleteHello Abby
ReplyDeleteMay I just say nice braids!! I have been trying to learn to braid but I can never get it just right. Also a chemical engineering major that's amazing but cream cheese icing should be a desert think of it like different breads that are used as deserts like tarts they can be a savory dish or a desert. Also cookie dough ice cream is the best ice cream ever and if you like that one caramel cookie crunch by talenti would probably be a close second
Hi, Abby! That is so cool that you are from the Northeast. I’ve never really been to that part of the U.S., besides New York, but I’ve always wanted to go! Your ability to do hair is astounding! What gorgeous work!! I find linguistics fascinating too! I am a voice major and so we study a lot about all different languages and it truly is such a neat topic to learn about! Are there any languages in particular that interest you? That is so neat that you have so many interests!
ReplyDeleteHi Abby!
ReplyDeleteWow what a introduction you have and the things that you have tried in your life already, I can only imagine what you will try to accomplish as you progress through the years. I like that you find flow rates and other things associated with thermo to be fun, I was a engineering student before I switched to aviation and to be honest I kind of missed it. I also like that you are into linguistics as I find it so interesting to look into different languages because you find so much about other cultures through language.
Hi Abby! You really are adventurous and have so many fascinating hobbies. I really want to visit the Northeast some day. Where is your favorite place to go in Connecticut? You have a really amazing talent when it comes to braiding hair! I have a little sister as well and she always wants me to french braid her hair but I wish I could do some of the more intricate styles in your pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi Abby!
ReplyDeleteI think its really interesting that you chose OU for your college. I’m sure there are a lot of choice between here and Connecticut. I’m curious though how you’re adjusting to our weather? I think chemical engineering would be a fascinating major. I wanted to do biomed engineering but realized the time commitment would be more than I could do with a family. Any idea what career path you want to pursue once you’re done? And lastly, cookie dough ice cream should be the only kind they make!
Hi Abby! I enjoyed getting to know you through your introduction post. I first want to mention that I love that you love cookie dough icecream as much as I do. It is truly the best out there, no other flavor can compete. I have always loved getting to braid hair and I think you are really talented at it! You are also very right your sister could be a hair model for sure.
ReplyDeleteHey Abby!
ReplyDeleteI always people who are from out of state what brought them to Oklahoma. There are always a diverse set of answers and I love that. Also, what do you have against cream cheese? It is sweet and makes the best frosting in my opinion. I have only solved a rubix cube once in my life and that was me using the internet the whole time and it still took me probably 30 minutes.
Hey Abby,
ReplyDeleteMy girlfriend went to college in the northeast and I visited her every chance I got. I especially love the fall time over there also; Oklahoma foliage is nothing compared to that of the northeast. One thing I couldn't stand about the northeast was the freezing cold weather, so I'm curious to know how you've been adapting to the weather in Oklahoma. Not that I know anything about braiding hair, but I can still appreciate your interest and recognize the hard work you must have put into doing those styles! I look forward to reading your stories!