General purpose rules of engagement and intro post

• If you've found my journal, hello! Pull up a virtual chair, put your feet up, have a cup of tea (or drink of your choice). You are very very welcome!
  
  
• I was Friends-only for a while. I'm not any more, but quite a lot of my posts before about mid-2007 are still Friends-only. Generally speaking, unless I'm making posts that are really only for me (lists of things to do) or for specific friends ('phone number or "this is what I look like for when we meet up" posts), my posts tend to be public.
  
  
• That said, I compensate for being rather shy and introverted IRL by being very eager to make new friends on line. If I've Friended you, it's unlikely to be entirely random - either we share a few interests, or some mutual LJ friends, or we know each other IRL, or I've noticed you commenting in a community or on an LJ friends' post and I think you seem interesting or worth knowing. Obviously, you don't have to Friend me back, but I'd certainly appreciate it. Who wouldn't?
  
  
• If you decide to Friend me, please say "hi" by adding a comment to this post.
  
  
• I can be a bit tactless myself, but I tend to start out from a position of trying to be nice and polite to everyone. If I inadvertantly manage to offend or upset you, please bear that in mind. Likewise, if you accidentally offend or upset me, I'll be more than ready to forgive and forget ('cos life's too short, frankly). But if you're deliberately unpleasant or rude or jerk me around...well, I might take exception to that.
  
  
• There are a few things about me that you may consider it worth knowing before you decide to Friend me:
  
  
• I'm bisexual. That doesn't mean that I'm sexually promiscuous or anything like that - there are a few men that I think are rather attractive, but I'm entirely monogamous and engaged to a lady called Sarah - the wedding is planned for September 19th, 2009. If I get to know you well enough, you may well be invited. If you have a problem with me being bisexual, Friending me may not be a terribly good idea.
  
  
• I write and read slash fiction, both fanfic and original - again, if you have a problem with that, you may want to think twice about Friending me. Generally speaking, any fic I write (which is pretty infrequent, I've got to admit) is hidden underneath an LJ cut, so you don't have to read it if you don't want to. I try to tag my entries, but more of them are untagged than are tagged. That said, if you actually want to read my fiction, there is a tag for it, and also I tend to add it to my Memories. Also, I have a goal of wanting to write a novel.
  
  
• Generally, I'm pretty pro-gay rights and pro-gay marriage, and all told a bit of a liberal. Indeed, I'm fairly left-leaning politically.
  
  
• I'm also a Christian, part of a church which is reformed (though I'm not) charismatic. At the moment, I'm...not exactly having a crisis of faith, but having an ongoing discussion with myself and (when I remember to include Him) God about what I'm looking for in life and where I need to be. Paths I'm looking at pursuing include Christian mysticism and/or some kind of Pagan/Christian hybrid.
  
  
• Anything else you need to know about me, you can probably get from my LJ User Info.
  
  
• I'm not sure where my default Userpic came from. When I find out, I'll post a link.