A journal of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs in the life of a woman in the 21st century.

Last Updated : Monday, October 22, 2001 09:44:20 PM -0500

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Well, here I am.  I never had any intention of having my own web page.  One computer geek in the family is enough.  (Not to mention, how was I going to find time to get on the computer, HE is always on it.)  However, I have been convinced that (1) I have something to say and (2) my husband most definitely needs rebutting on occasion and I am just the person to do it.  

First, some background on who I am.  My name is Ann Dominik.  I grew up in Maquoketa, Iowa.  I am Norwegian and German, raised by my parents in an Irish family.  (To explain, I am adopted and my mother's family is Irish.  I am of the opinion that you are a product of your environment as well as your genes, hence, I call myself Irish, as well as Norwegian and German.  If you disagree, to be honest, I just don't want to hear it.  I am my parent's child, making me what they are.  It is hard to explain if you are not adopted.  I will leave it at that.)  

In my experience, Irish families are matriarchies.  In other words, the women run the show.  Mine was no exception.  Despite the protests of my mother and aunt to the contrary, we all danced to my grandmother's tune until the day she died.  My poor husband's first family dinner damn near killed him.  First of all, he is from rather stoic German stock (sorry dear, Prussian and Silesian stock) and one person talks at a time.  In my family, there are 3 or 4 conversations going on at once and everyone is participating in all of them.  And everyone has an opinion, that they express LOUDLY.  His head was spinning trying to keep up.  Then, the talk turned to politics.  Now, I come from a long line of Irish Catholic Democrats.  (My grandfather was mayor, sheriff, and deputy sheriff.)  Now, straight political talk John could have handled, but not the way it was done that day.  One of my older cousins was under discussion.  He had married a young lady from the the old South.  First the discussion was "Soandso (names have been changed to protect the innocent or inadvertent) has become a Baptist.  Oh dear, there was general consternation.  Then, the discussion took a decidedly nasty turn.  "And he has become a REPUBLICAN."  Gasps, horror.  I think my family would have honestly been better able to forgive an ax-murdering child molester than a republican.

Maquoketa is your typical Midwestern small town, halfway between the cities of Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa.  (And 3 hours west of Chicago, for those of you who have absolutely no idea where Iowa is, let alone Dubuque.  If you don't know where Chicago is, well, I just can't help you, you'll have to buy an atlas.)  

When I was in high school, like most teenagers, I couldn't wait to kick the dust of that little town from my shoes.  Now, as an adult and a parent of 2 small children, I wish I could go back there.  Ahh, hindsight.  

I graduated from Maquoketa High School in 1985 and attended the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota and graduated from there in 1989 (with a 1 year detour at the University of Iowa) with a major in Political Science and a minor in History.  (Consider that your warning that there will be some political content to this site!)

I met my husband while dating a friend of his at St. John's University, the brother school of St. Ben's.  For those of you unfamiliar with St. Ben's/St. Johns (CSB/SJU), CSB is a 4 year Roman Catholic women's college.  SJU is a 4 year Roman Catholic men's school.  The schools share faculty and facilities.  In fact my major and minor were both based at SJU.  

We married in 1990 and live in Burnsville, Minnesota with our two children, Rhiannon who was born in 1993 and Jack, born in 1996.

I currently work as an Administrative Assistant to the Vice President and Actuary at the Worker's Compensation Reinsurance Association.  (I have been educated by my boss that while technical people are "geeks", mathematicians are most certainly "nerds".  And, believe it or not, there is a difference between a geek and a nerd.  Scary, isn't it?)  I enjoy my job, which entails a lot of organizing and coordinating and, believe it or not, creativity.  I am lucky enough to work for a company that understands my most important job title is "Mommy" and that sometimes, they have to fit in around that.

Ahh, but none of this really says who I am.  The above biography gives some idea of the things that have shaped me, but to see who I truly am, well, I guess you'll just have to take a peak into my life through this journal.  Learning who I am is a continuous journey for me, so why would you expect to find out of the main page of a stinkin' web site!