The Site

Flamora originally opened in July 2009 but was later closed for several months. While I wanted a personal blog and portfolio for a long time, I found I was not quite ready for it. I didn't realize how much time would need to be taken away from running my resource site, Atomic Affliction, in order to keep Flamora up.

Thankfully for Flamora's sake, Myspace is dead and business at Atomic isn't exactly booming anymore. On June 26, 2010, Flamora reopened with a better design and a promise of more commitment from me. I plan to use the site to build a decent portfolio for future design prospects and to blog about various analytical nonsense.

Now about the name...it's a prime example of why I should never attempt to be meaningful when it comes to names. Unlike the disaster that is Atomic Affliction, I wanted this site's name to have some sort of connection to myself. I've been an obsessive Harry Potter fan since age seven, so the first place I looked was an online Harry P. encyclopedia. The enclyopedia claimed that "flamora" was a spell used to create flames. 'Twas available and pretty-sounding, so I took it. Later that summer I decided to reread all the books again only to find out "flamora" isn't actually in any of them. I double checked a few other sites and none of them had it listed. At least is still sounds nice.

The Designer

So what can I say about myself? To start, my name is Gabi. I am sixteen years old and currently living in The Middle of Nowhere. No, it's not the same Nowhere Courage the Cowardly Dog calls home. 'Twould be pretty awesome if it was, but sadly, it's only your typical surburban town in Midwestern America.

I'm a bit of an oddball - Well, at least that's what I'm told. Apparently most teenagers don't collect gnomes or spend the majority of their time running websites. I've heard that they go to the mall with large groups and try out for school sports teams. Too bad I'm broke. And uncoordinated. And completely uninterested in either activity.

Overall, I'm a very scattered human being. I love all things bright and happy, yet I'm facsinated by the dark and morbid. In most situations I'm incredibly quiet, but in some I'm a tad obnoxious. I love fantasy, yet I'm a realist. I hate oranges, but I like orange juice...The list goes on forever. If I was going to be a category in Jeopardy, I'd be "Potpourri." Or perhaps something more fun, like "Name that Jewish Actor!"

I'm not exactly present most of the time. My mind is always off somewhere else. Sometimes I daydream about the impossible. Other times I analyze things that don't require analysis. People often wonder why I'm so quiet. If only they knew what was going on inside the ol' noggin. Then they'd realize that I really shouldn't say everything I think. The men in white coats would be knocking at my door in a second.

In spite of all that, I do possess some normal qualities. I have a small family and a handful of close friends that I love dearly. I believe there's no better cure than a good laugh, even if my sense of humor is slightly demented. Celebrity gossip and general entertainment news shows are my guilty pleasure. I also have a severe coffee addiction, which I satisfy with frequent Starbucks runs.

That's me in a nutshell. Whether or not you can extract the true Essence-o-Gab from that is to be determined. I kinda hope you can.